Why I want you to pay attention to your poop
It's Laura here, I wanted to take this opportunity to write to you about one of the most common issues I see in my clients: Digestive disorders. In my practice I see SO MANY people with gut imbalances and they have no idea. Generally, I start all my treatment protocols by assessing gut health; because without adequate digestion, all the herbs and supplements we take won’t be able to do their job. As my practice continued, I realized I was giving the same advice over and over again. So I thought I would share some easy food & nutrition based approaches to a healthy balanced gut!
I love using food as medicine, kitchen herbs and making things easy for people to incorporate herbal medicine into their lives. The wonderful thing about gut healing is so much can be done with food alone. When we are eating the proper foods for our constitution we are creating the conditions for our internal organs to thrive; the body is incredibly efficient when given the right fuel.
If you have specific questions about digestion or a condition you are looking to treat book a free discovery call with me HERE
Now…. my top tips!
✦ Fat and protein ✦
High quality fats and protein are essential for skin, hair, joints, hormone production, and digestive function. Ideally, your first meal of the day will be high in fat and protein. This ensures you will have a long lasting energy source to kick start your day. Giving yourself a fat and protein rich meal helps balance blood sugar over a longer period of time. This is because your body takes longer to break down and absorb these molecules than it does sugar molecules.
Another reason I suggest fat and protein is to curb sugar cravings. When you are craving sugar, your body is asking you for a fast, easily absorbable source of energy. Which is great in the moment, but this can lead to a cycle of sugar highs and lows, cravings and gut bacteria imbalance.
✦ Look at your poop ✦
Yes that is for real. You can tell so much about your health by the quality of your bowel movements (BM’s). Is it sinking or floating? Floating stools can indicate liver stagnation and poor digestion of fats. Well formed, loose or little pellets? All of these qualities have meaning; plus this is an invitation to get to know your body better and be your own observer. You know your body best, learn to pay attention to the little changes and nuances of the way your vessel communicates with you. This practice of observation is so helpful for you to track your own health journey; this also helps your practitioner prescribe the correct herbs for you.
✦ Bitters ✦
Digestive bitters have been used for as long as humans have been eating. Before the industrialization of food products, humans used to consume bitter food plants on a regular basis. You know the classic aperitif, typically taken before meals? The word aperitif comes from latin and means “to open”; which is so interesting because bitters literally prepare the digestive system for the food you are about to eat, creating enzymes and producing bile for fat digestion. An aperitif is essentially a tincture of bitter herbs, many of which enhance assimilation of nutrients. Digestive bitters are particularly useful for those with indigestion, food sensitivities, constipation, low appetite, hormone imbalance and fatigue.
Get our fave digestive bitter formula HERE
✦ Prebiotic & Probiotic foods ✦
Did you know you have more bacteria cells in your body than your own human cells? We are literally a walking ecosystem. We have a symbiotic relationship with the bacteria in our gut (the microbiome), relying on them for breakdown of food and even vitamin absorption. The western diet is really hard on gut bacteria; a lot of the sugar and carb rich foods we eat directly contribute to the growth of bad bacteria. Bacterial imbalance can lead to all kinds of issues like leaky gut, candida, SIBO and IBS just to name a few.
A great way to support a healthy microbiome is through foods that support a diverse species of bacteria. Prebiotic foods are foods that feed the good bacteria. Some examples of prebiotic foods & plants are: onions, sweet potatoes, garlic, leeks, chicory, dandelion, elecampane, marshmallow root, and slippery elm.
Probiotic foods actually contain the living bacteria essential for gut health. Some of our favourites are: miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, fermented pickles & carrots, beet kvass and coconut kefir.
Incorporating prebiotic and probiotic foods on a daily basis is ideal for maintaining microbiome balance.
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