A five part series on how to improve your digestion, absorption and eliminate parasites.

If you experience bloating after eating, wind, abdominal pain and spasm, weight gain and constipation you are not alone! The majority of people who consult me have these symptoms of poor digestion and absorption of food. The good news is, if you act on these signals of discomfort early you can prevent a host of long term complications and diseases. With recent advances in dietary therapy most digestive problems can be solved through simple changes to eating and natural treatments that are inexpensive and non-invasive.

Let’s start from the top end of the tube, your mouth, and over the next three articles I will take you on an informative journey through the digestive system to the other end with tips on improving digestion at each stage.

The whole digestive process actually begins above the mouth through the nose and eyes. Smelling and seeing good food actually prepares your digestive system with the release of important enzymes. Chewing is the most underrated activity.  It is here that digestion actually begins with the enzyme amylase found in saliva, beginning the breakdown of carbohydrates (breads, cereals, grains, fruits and starchy vegetables).

Tips for eating

·    Become a conscious eater by sitting down and focusing on the food and taking 20 minutes to eat your meal. No TV, newspaper or other distractions.

Food then passes into the stomach, a big mixing chamber, and remains there for more than an hour or longer if you have eaten a high fat meal. The stomach wall secretes hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin, an enzyme, to start the digestion of proteins into smaller chains of amino acids. Proteins are large, complex molecules requiring the acid environment of the stomach for proper digestion.

As we age, HCl acid production declines but it can also decrease as a result of overuse of antacids, deficiencies of nutrients especially zinc and vitamin B complex and high refined carbohydrate meals. The consequence can be indigestion and the possibility of immune reactions to the undigested protein fragments that reach the small intestine and blood stream. Meals high in refined carbohydrates can also inhibit the production of gastric acid and lead to gastro-oesophageal reflux.

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Signs and symptoms of low stomach acid include:

Bloating and tenderness of the stomach and small intestine, red flush of the cheeks (rosacea), heavy tongue coating, geographic atrophy of the tongue, diarrhea, constipation, protein and mineral deficiencies.

Tip for better digestion in stomach

·    Take a digestive supplement containing betaine hydrochloride or 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water before meals.

.    Change meal composition to include protein such as fish and smaller amounts of wholegrains like rice.

.    Supplement with zinc, magnesium and B complex vitamins and check for protein and mineral deficiencies.

Some people have the opposite problem and produce too much stomach acid. A burning sensation and reflux are often interpreted as chest pain. This can be caused by eating foods that irritate the lining of the stomach or by a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori which left unchecked, can result in stomach ulcers and increase the risk of gastric cancer. Antacids may be useful in the short term but do not tackle the cause of the problem.

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Tips to manage excess acid in stomach

·      Have a blood test to detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori.

·      Avoid fatty foods, red meat, chocolate, alcohol, coffee, citrus fruits, tomato products and wheat.

·      Give up smoking.

·      Eat smaller meals especially at night time.

The small intestine is the main site of digestion, into which flow enzymes from the pancreas and the liver to breakdown carbohydrates, fats and proteins into smaller molecules for absorption. Digestion often doesn’t go as programmed when the nutrients for the production of enzymes are unavailable or when the body simply does not produce the enzymes. The most common disruption to digestion results from the absence of lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose in dairy products.

Incomplete digestion in the small intestine encourages the wrong kind of bacteria and other micro-organisms to proliferate resulting in abdominal pain, bloating and stomach cramps. Over a period of time the small intestine can become inflammed making it more permeable so that partially digested food and bacterial fragments can leak into the blood stream. This increase in permeability results in an inflammatory response in various parts of the body as well as an increasingly toxic liver. Irritable bowel, colitis, arthritis, loss of energy, mood changes, a depleted immune system and a whole host of other diseases can be the result.

Tips for better digestion in small intestine.

·    Correct any food sensitivities such as milk, wheat, corn, citrus and salicylates by following an elimination diet (see series of articles in food sensitivity).

·     Improve digestion by taking digestive enzymes (protease, lipase and amylase) with each meal.

·     Sprinkle lecithin granules on breakfast cereal which helps to emulsify (digest) fats.

·    Limit the use of antibiotics, asprin and non-steriodal antiinfammatory drugs as they damage the mucous membranes lining the gut.

·     Follow a liver cleansing program (see series on cleansing.

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