Gut Health: Parts 3 and 4
Many of these symptoms can be reduced and are not always an indication of an underlying health condition.
Do you suffer from any of those symptoms?
BUT if you are in any doubt or after implementing the tips below you don't get any relief, please seek medical advice.⠀⠀
ACID REFLUX is when stomach acid travels up from the stomach towards the mouth causing a pain in the chest and nasty taste in the mouth. This pain is known as HEARTBURN and there can be many reasons why you get it.
💥 Your symptoms maybe worse after eating certain foods, eating immediately before bed or wearing constrictive clothing.
💥Pregnancy can cause heartburn as the baby develops.
💥Carrying excess weight can increase pressure in the abdominal area increasing the chances of getting reflux. ⠀
Some foods, drinks and lifestyle choices can make acid reflux worse.
These include:
😣 smoking and vaping
😣 alcohol
😣 peppermint
😣 onions, garlic, spicy foods
😣 citrus fruits
Some useful tips if suffering from acid reflux:
😍 eat small meals more frequently
😍 raise the head of your bed up so that your head is above your stomach
😍 eat meals mindfully
😍 avoid triggering foods
😍 lose a little weight if you need to
😍 make some ginger tea by steeping root ginger in boiling water and sipping when cooled ⠀
BLOATING and STOMACH PAIN maybe an indication that you have rushed your food and your stomach was not fully ready to receive it. If this is the case more mindfully eating and chewing your food properly will help.
But for many of us this bloating and stomach pain can be an indication of stress; reduced stomach acid; sensitivities or intolerance to certain foods; infection; or possibly another underlying health condition.⠀⠀
If your bloating and pain does not disappear after a couple of hours it is important to seek medical advice as soon as possible. ⠀
If in doubt ... get it checked out!⠀⠀
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Do you know what happens in the small and large intestine or is it all a bit of a mystery to you?
Would you rather not know? Most of us don't until something goes wrong!!
Today I am going to explain a little bit about the function of this part of the gut. I will do a separate posts on when things can go wrong, the gut's function in immunity and Pooh!!
I could go into lots of detail but haven't got enough characters so here goes the quick version.
The small intestine is the where the churned up, mushed up and liquidised food leaves the stomach. The technical name for this is chyme and looks a bit like porridge.
Interesting facts about the small intestine:
🌟 it is about 3 times the length of your body
🌟 the surface is covered in villi and micro villi that look like little fingers so increase the surface area to that of about a tennis court!! 🌟 it is where 90% of the nutrients from our food are absorbed
🌟 it can take around 4 hours for the chyme to pass through
🌟the liver and the pancreas secretions are added here
🌟it plays host to some types of bacteria
🌟some vitamins absorbed here
The large intestine is the last section of our gut. It has a number of important functions as well. The
🌟absorption of water and electrolytes from undigested chyme
🌟formation of stools and its removal from the body
🌟fermentation of non-soluble fibres by bacteria
🌟creation of some vitamins by bacteria
🌟absorption of vitamins made by the bacteria
🌟produces gas
🌟home for a large variety of bacteria
The small and large intestine play a vital role in the nutrient up take of our foods therefore it is important to make sure that we have good gut health. ⠀⠀
Interested in finding out exactly what is going on with your gut bacteria and digestive tract? I have added gut tests to my 1 to 1 packages. To find out more get in touch by clicking the link HERE.
Lesley x