Digestive System Blues

Written by Alison Bell

If you are suffering with Irritable Bowl System, Chron’s disease, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhoea.. or both! If you have digestive issues, heartburn, reflux, cramping, bloating, gas… then you are not alone. I hear from people just like you on a daily basis. After trying many medications with side effects or that just simply don’t work, you will not be blamed for throwing your hands in the air with complete frustration. Most at this point turn to find some natural help, often as a last resort, and find that they can heal for good!

Let me share with you what has helped so many fix these ailments and start to feel their best.

I have been where you are. I used to be a vibrant young woman, full of life, energy and that magical word, vitality. There was nothing I couldn’t take on and I always felt I could conquer the world. Slowly I started experiencing unexplained weight gain and noticed my toilet habits weren’t quite as regular as they used to be. This was followed by cramping that became debilitating. I could no longer function at the level I desired. I slowly adjusted my lifestyle to cater for the unpleasant sensations in my gut before one day waking up and realising this was not acceptable! This could not be my new normal. It was at this point I jumped into action and researched as much as could. I visited many doctors, specialists and alternate practitioners until I found what worked for me, and I’m happy to say today, my gut is performing better than it has for many years. I am not there yet, still a work in progress, but the progress made has been far more exhilarating than sitting on my hands accepts my “fate”.

Here are a FIVE steps to follow to heal yourself. I am not a medical practitioner, but these simple steps will start you on a path to healing your gut.

Give your gut a break.
We digest so many foods that are a challenge for our system, with three really big offenders. Dairy, gluten and grain. I am not saying you need to remove these items from your diet forever, but how about just one month? I strict 28 days of giving your gut a break form these foods is a small sacrifice when you may reap the benefits.
Put the processed food back.
To compliment the gut break, try avoiding all processed foods for that same month. Your body needs nutrients to heal, not additional chemicals found in all processed foods in the form of additives, preservatives, colours and flavours. If it’s in a packet, I’m sure there are some numbers in the ingredient list, which means they were made in a laboratory. If you can’t pronounce the food item, or don’t know what it is, chances are it’s not actually “Food”. Put it back and find something natural to eat instead. It’s just for one month to see how you feel. Can you do it?
Consume Healthy Fats.
Ditch the vegetable and seed oils and make sure you use natural healthy unhydrogenised fats like coconut oil, ghee, tallow, brellow (the fat skimmed from a pot of bone broth) and lard. These fats all have high smoke points so are perfect for cooking. And if you are worried about cholesterol, there is so much new evidence and research as to why these are the healthy fats and they are not responsible for cholesterol issues.
Drink Bone Broth.
I hope by now you all understand the benefits of bone broth. The gelatin in bone broth is the key ingredient for fixing a leaky gut, which is behind the majority of not only all digestive issues, but all disease. The gelatin acts like spack filler to patch the holes found in the lining of the intestine. It will help strengthen the gut wall and support the immune system.
Add probiotics to your diet.
There are many reasons to take probiotics. They will build up the good bacteria in your gut, promoting a healthy digestive system and enhancing immunity.

If you find the benefits are not strong enough, you may want to dive in deep and go for the big guns with the GAPS diet to heal your gut and strengthen the immune system.

I’d love to hear how you go after implementing these changes for one month.