By Derek Henry, Holistic Health Coach for Healing the Body
Digestive health could easily be touted as one of the most important aspects of your health. Unfortunately, our digestive systems have been compromised due to a highly refined and nutrient deficient food supply, various toxins, and stress. The good news is that digestive balance can be restored by eliminating gut menacing habits and introducing these foods to significantly aid in the digestive process.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a type of vinegar made from fermented apples. It has a pale to medium amber color. It can be substituted in many food preparations for white vinegar (like salad dressing) with exponentially more health benefits.
Consuming apple cider vinegar will introduce beneficial enzymes, probiotics, and amino acids into your diet that will improve digestion, relieve heartburn, stimulate the lymphatic system, help get rid of Candida, and help strengthen the immune system.
Apple cider vinegar will also help strengthen the pH of your stomach acid, a key component in the digestive process. In fact, weakened stomach acid along with a lack of enzymes and probiotics are incriminating factors for acid reflux and heartburn. Fortunately, apple cider vinegar can help remedy all of these conditions.
Chia Seeds
Unlike flax seeds, chia seeds do not need to be ground in order to unlock their nutritional benefits. However, the healing benefits dramatically improve when they are soaked, as they become a beneficial “scourer” of the intestinal tract without robbing it of precious fluid (chia seeds can soak up to 10x its weight in water).
With their beneficial prebiotics (“food” for gut friendly probiotics) and scouring effects, chia has been known to be very soothing to the digestive tract and helpful in preventing and improving aggravated digestive conditions like diverticulitis.
Fermented Vegetables
Fermented vegetables keeps bad bacteria and yeast in check as the lactic acid producing lactobacilli in these foods alter the acidity in the intestine, which helps prevent the overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria, molds, and Candida.
One of the most commonly fermented vegetables is sauerkraut, which simply consists of cabbage, salt, and a culture starter if desired. However, nearly any vegetable can be fermented and can be stored for months or even years under the right conditions. Recently, a lab test of homemade sauerkraut revealed a probiotic count of 10 trillion, which dwarfs most of the probiotic supplements on the market.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is such a healing plant because it addresses the core reasons why most people are sick – systematic inflammation and compromised immune systems due to a poorly functioning digestive system due to an infestation of pathogenic bacteria. It does this mainly through its highly oxygenated, nutrient rich, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti fungal properties.
Aloe vera helps improve the digestive system by:
- Healing ulcers, IBS, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and other digestive disorders
- Treating and preventing Candida and parasitic infections
- Relieving constipation
- Reducing and reversing acid reflux
Ensure to get it raw with no synthetic preservatives for best results.
Garlic
Garlic is an amazing superfood that can dramatically alter your inner ecology with its antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Quite simply, it helps safely remove all those little critters that are destroying your digestive system.
In fact,Washington State University has confirmed that garlic is far more effective than pharmaceutical antibiotics in fighting common bacteria known as +campylobacter bacterium, which currently infects 2.4 million Americans per year. Keeping your gut clear of these harmful bacteria will go a long way to healing your gut.
In addition to these foods, keep processed foods, sugar, gluten, caffeine, alcohol, and GMO’s out of your diet. Eat as organic as possible, and keep your stress to a minimum.
*Image of “Chia Seeds Pudding with mango” via Shutterstock
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