Funny I was looking for images of the stomach symbolizing digestion and all I could find were of people holding their stomachs in discomfort and misery – like this one to the left. It got me wondering – what are we thinking when we think of our gut?
So in today’s article, I wanted to focus on having a healthy gut and not being in misery.
I saw a great ad for a digestive supplement today and it said:
“You Gut This” Cute – right?
Even though it is taken from my least favorite, overused expression “you’ve got this” I couldn’t help notice how clever it was. So when it comes to your digestion “Have You Really Gut This” or is your digestion gutted and in bad shape?
So what is your gut anyway? Your gut represents everything you consume, digest, process, and eliminate. And it isn’t exclusively just about the food you eat. Everything you consume whether its food, fluids, ideas, thoughts, needs to be digested and needs to be digested well in order to maintain good health.
Certainly, many herbs and foods help your digestion.
Rule of thumb: if the food is hard to digest it’s going to take longer to break down and it’s going to sit in your digestive tract longer, too causing disruption. Best to choose foods that are fresh, whole and come from the garden. Avoid processed foods that come in bags, boxes or containers with ingredient lists a mile long. These “foods” are most likely synthetic and something your body will not breakdown very well, if at all.
So how can you heal your gut and make it happy and make it say
“I’ve GUT this!”
Always look to nature for healing.
Five Herbs That Help:
1) Ginger: is a remarkable food/herb and has been used in cooking and healing for centuries. It is said that ginger has over 100 healing attributes; one of them being digestion. If you ever enjoy sushi you will always see pickled ginger offered as a condiment helping you digest the fish. It is used in many cooking traditions throughout the world. It is a pungent and healing herb, so you will want to avoid it if you have any burning caused by gastritis or acid reflux until those conditions are healed. Ginger also is excellent for nausea.
2) Cumin: This herb is often used in many dishes especially in Indian and Mediterranean cooking. Its flavor has been described as earthy, nutty, spicy, and warm. Cumin has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Cumin aids in good digestion and reduces food-borne infections. Also, new research indicates benefits in promoting weight loss and improving blood sugar and cholesterol. This herb improves indigestion and any inflammation in your gut. It is helpful to eat or even make a tea with it for excess acidity as it has a marvelous cooling effect.
3) Coriander: Coriander or cilantro has multiple health benefits and is a wonderful source of dietary fiber, manganese, iron, and magnesium. It can also be an appetite enhancer as well. It is a digestive aid, diuretic and promotes healthy elimination. Although the leaves are cooling the seeds are slightly warming. Coriander not only aids in digestion but it also boosts metabolism – both are important when you want to lose weight.
4) Fennel: is very soothing to your digestive tract. It can help with bloating, gas, heartburn, and acid indigestion. By adding fennel seed to your cooking you will be assured better digestion. It’s cooling and sweet properties strengthen your ability to digest. Chew a handful of fennel seeds when you are experiencing digestive issues and in no time you will have relief. Fennel also combines well with cumin and coriander – all three are cooling digestive herbs. Use it as a spice or as a vegetable – steam, cook or bake or add it to soups. It has a bit of licorice type flavor and it’s yummy.
5) Turmeric: A very popular herb/spice found everywhere these days. This herb is well known to help reduce any kind of inflammation in the body. It has many medicinal benefits such as increasing your overall energy, reducing gas, improving digestion, dissolving gallstones, and even reducing the inflammation associated with arthritis. Again, this herb is used in many South Asian dishes – namely curries. Avoid using Turmeric if you have acid reflux or other burning in your digestive tract.
And remember Your Kitchen is Your Pharmacy!
Wishing You and Your Gut happy days ahead.
