Some of the Best Foods for Digestive Health.
As a nutritionist and herbalist healer I have always been interested in what are the phyto (plant) chemical compounds that are found in herbs and plant foods that provide the healing properties to these foods.
I came to realize that it is the Diversity of plants & their healing substances that help prevent us from getting sick from diseases like cancer and that have anti-inflammatory and tonic effects on the body organ systems.
Now more than ever, we need to take care of ourselves; physically and emotionally.
The healing properties of plant foods, spices and herbs can help us to maintain good gut health that is so important for us right now, that will help keep our energy system vital and as full power as possible to help us to deal with the stresses we are facing.
Some of the key foods to help with gut health include: specific enzyme rich foods, soluble fiber rich foods, and fermented foods.
Enzyme rich foods.
On the note of batteries, enzymes are the spark plugs of body and to boost energy we can consume enzyme rich foods. These are often also anti-inflammatory that is super important to deal with the many toxins we consume from the environment for example: burnt foods, additives like nitrates in processed foods (sausages, pates etc), heavy metals, cigarette smoke and many drug medications to name a few. Enzymes are the worker bees of your body, and they affect every single one of its functions. They enable your body to break food down into usable nutrients through the integral role they play in the digestion process.
Some Enzyme Rich Food Examples:
Pineapple: Contains the protein-digesting enzyme called bromelain, which is known for its powerful ability to break down protein chains and has anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain relieving properties in studies). The stem is rich in bromelain. Use in food as a general digestive tonic! Pineapple on pizza will thus help digest the food!
Payaya: also contains a protease enzyme called papain that aids in the digestion of protein. As the fruit ripens, the amount of papain present decreases. Dry and grind the pips onto food to help with indigestion or poor digestion
Avocados: Other than being a superfood with good fats, fiber and high levels of minerals like potassium (more than bananas), avocados also contain lipase that helps break down the fats in the fruit and may help digest other ingested fats.
Sushi: contains plentiful enzymes being raw, and is a high energy food especially eaten may together with ginger that is full of Zinc and seaweed that is high in glyconutrients-special sugars that help with overall body functions.
Yoghurt: Probiotics (Flora) in youghurt like Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum not only inhibit other pathogenic bacteria through producing hydrogen peroxide but they break down fiber to release short chain fatty acids that help to maintain the integrity of the gut lining-so helping a protective barrier against pathogens!
Sauerkraut or fermented cabbage is a prebiotic that helps feed the flora in our digestive system and also contains glutamine. Glutamine consumption in small bowel mucosa exceeds the rate of production during catabolic stress such as trauma, sepsis and post surgery. In the small bowel mucosa, glutamine is an unique nutrient providing fuel for metabolism, regulating cell proliferation, repair and maintaining the gut barrier functions. Glutamine is wound healing and important in healing ulcers.
Ginger: Ginger is called Universal medicine in Ayurveda, and it not only kills gut unfriendly bacteria causing digestive infections and viruses but helps promote bile secretion and relieves digestive inflammation and nausea.
“By keeping a Diversity going and selecting Enzyme Rich foods in your diet will help your Gut and Mind to cope with the increased stresses we are facing today!
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Jean-Francois Sobiecki B.Sc Hons (ethnobotany) is a qualified ethnobotanist, nutritionist and herbalist with a holistic natural medicines practice in Johannesburg and is offering Online Herbal, Nutrition and South African Medicinal Plant Courses on a 40% Special Lockdown Offer here: http://phytoalchemy.co.za/faq/
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