When your digestive enzymes are out of balance, your body is unable to digest your food properly and absorb the nutrients it needs to function effectively. In this episode, Jen talks about the signs your body will give you when your gut chemistry is out and what you can do to bring it back into balance.
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SHOWNOTES
Do you love eating rotten meat? Do you think it would be doing your body any good? No!
But think about it for a moment. Imagine meat sitting out for a few hours in the sun what is it like? It’s putrid, smelly and completely off – this is what can happen with the food in your digestive system if you don’t have the right enzymes to digest your food properly so that you can benefit from the nutrients.
It’s not what you eat, it’s what your body can take up in nutrients.
Without digestive enzymes, certain foods can lead to uncomfortable symptoms, food intolerances, and nutritional deficiencies. Gluten and dairy intolerances are the most common.
So how do you know if your gut chemistry is off?
- Bloating
- Gas
- Upset gut feeling
- Feeling sick or “a bit off” after eating
As a naturopath, we often see gut issues and digestive enzymes different to Western medicine. If symptoms are showing the gut chemistry is wrong, I look to get that in balance first as that gets the underlying issue under control.
Now a couple of questions to answer:
- Do digestive enzymes make you Poo – No, they aren’t going to solve this issue for you.
- Are they the same as prebiotics and probiotics – No, enzymes are what help your body break down food, probiotics are the “good” bacteria you can introduce to your diet to make your gut happier
For a long time now, people have been having apple cider vinegar before meals – tastes horrible, but is so great for you. But apple cider vinegar doesn’t contain digestive enzymes. Your stomach produces its own digestive enzymes, creating an environment for digestion that is about 100 times more acidic than apple cider vinegar. Is apple cider vinegar good for you? Yes! But it’s not going to help you if your gut chemistry is way out of balance – just so you know.
There are foods that can support you or you can have a supplement. Food is always better. If you do take a supplement, always take it before a meal, 10-15 minutes before is ideal.
If you’re having acid build up, some of the foods that can help settle you are:
- Bananas are a low-acid fruit that can help you with acid reflux by coating your irritated oesophageal lining and thereby helping to combat discomfort
- Melons, like bananas, also are a highly alkaline fruit
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Green Vegetables
- Lemon juice and warm water in the morning – although lemon juice is very acidic, small amounts mixed with water can have an alkalising affect when digested
Foods rich in digestive enzymes:
- Pineapple
- Pawpaw
- Kiwi fruit
- Kefer
- Tempeh
- Fermented foods
- Kombucha
- Miso
- Kimchi
- Krauts
Jens fav adaptogen tonic which contains the digestive enzyme she talks about.
Healthy Life Hacks
So, the healthy life hack I want to leave you with today is:
- Bring more digestive enzyme rich foods into your daily life!
Did you enjoy the podcast today? Please let me know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Every month I draw one lucky reviewer to have a free one-hour consultation with me. Also, remember to subscribe wherever you’re tuning in from so that you always catch the next episode.
Are you looking for more great resources? Get a free copy of my Feed Your Body ebook here and be sure to explore my blog while you are there.
