Do you often suffer from bloating, painful belly, or heartburn after eating? Then this may indicate digestive problems, something that unfortunately more and more people are suffering from. In this blog we will talk about how digestion works, the symptoms of digestive problems, the influence of stress and we will conclude with tips to improve your digestion.
What is digestion?
Digestion is the process by which the body loosens, absorbs and converts nutrients from your food and drink into usable energy and building blocks. This total process from mouth to butt takes about 24 to 48 hours and involves numerous organs. Think of your mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, colon, rectum and microbiome.
In practice, human digestion is not always without problems. This is not surprising because so many organs with different functions are involved. A small hitch already has consequences. The most common causes of poor digestion are chronic stress and an unhealthy diet with lots of processed, sugary and low-fiber foods.
Digestive problems? These are the symptoms.
Problems with digestion lead to unpleasant symptoms. These include:
- Bloating
- Sore belly
- Heartburn
- Rumbling bowels
- Fatigue
- Flatulence
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Allergic reactions
- Poor absorption of nutrients
Do you regularly suffer from one or more of the above symptoms? Improving your digestion starts with eating healthier and lowering your stress levels.
In addition, it may help to support your digestion with enzymes that your own body may not produce enough of or with enzymes derived from animals, plants, bacteria or fungi.
During a colon consultation, our therapists can also take a very targeted look at your symptoms and gain insight into your gut microbiome based on an intestinal examination in order to create a targeted plan for improvement.
The impact of stress on your digestion
More and more people today are in a continuous state of stress and high alertness, also called chronic stress. Once the brain signals stress, the entire system is geared to ward off this impending danger. The result? Other important processes in the body, including digestion, no longer have priority and are therefore put on hold.
Thus, because your digestion is not working as well during times of stress, you may experience the following symptoms, among others:
- Esophageal cramps (also known as esophageal spasms)
- Stomach Acid
- Nausea
- Sleeping badly
- A swollen abdomen
- Diarrhea or just constipation
- Gastric mucosal inflammation (gastritis)
In addition, poor digestion can exacerbate existing gastrointestinal symptoms, such as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Stomach ulcers
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Stress can therefore lead to poor digestion and thus fatigue and poor nutrient absorption. This in turn leads to a higher susceptibility to stress and so the vicious circle is complete. Do you want to reduce chronic stress? Read how to do that in this blog!
Improve digestion
A poorly functioning digestive system can cause many unpleasant symptoms. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do yourself to support your digestive system.
7 tips for better digestion
- good chewing
- reduce the intake of sugars
- Eat whole-food and high-fiber foods
- reduce stress
- digestive enzymes
- drink plenty of water
- eat ginger and turmeric regularly
Improve digestion with enzymes
Digestive enzymes are proteins released in the digestive system when you eat. The pancreas and small intestine play an important role in this process.
The job of digestive enzymes is to break down food into usable nutrients for the body. The non-usable nutrients leave your body again through the stool.
When this process stagnates, your body can no longer absorb important nutrients properly, resulting in a nutrient deficiency. Gastrointestinal problems can also occur.
For example, when your body does not produce enough lactase, it has trouble digesting lactose. This can cause symptoms such as abdominal bloating and flatulence. It can then be nice to use a lactase enzyme with every lactose-containing meal.
Our digestive support contains four enzymes:
- Amylase converts carbohydrates to sugars
- Protease converts proteins into amino acids
- Lipase converts fats (lipids) into fatty acids and glycerol
- Lactase is needed to digest lactose