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Almost all of you have been through digestive disturbances at some point despite eating a healthy diet. Common digestive upsets can be related to the balance between the good and bad bacteria (gut flora). The balance of bacteria in our gut is affected by a wide variety of factors including stress, lack of sleep, travel, over-indulgence in rich food, excessive sugar and refined carbohydrates, alcohol, smoking and medication like antibiotics, steroids and hormones. Gut flora is also affected by the natural ageing process and hormonal fluctuations like menstruation and pregnancy. Illness or food poisoning can also play havoc with our digestive system.
Sleep
The amount of sleep and changes in sleep patterns can affect our bowel habits. Just like the rest of our body, our digestive system needs time to relax and recuperate. In current urban lifestyles, many of us don’t get enough sleep and many also stay up until early hours of morning either watching TV or surfing the net. This is often accompanied by late night snacking. This makes our digestive system go to work at a time when it should be resting. Eating in the early hours of morning coupled with insufficient sleep not only puts pressure on the digestive system but also predisposes to weight gain.
Sedentary habits Without regular exercise, the digestive system, like the rest of the body, becomes sluggish and leads to feeling of bloatedness, wind, lethargy and often abdominal pain.
Antibiotics
Although antibiotics kill harmful bacteria, many antibiotics also kill beneficial bacteria which keep our digestive system healthy. In fact, when we take antibiotics, up to 60% of the total amount of bacteria in our gut - both good and bad - can be killed. The result can sometimes be diarrhea. The negative effects of antibiotics can be countered by eating plenty of foods containing prebiotics such as onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, banana, psyllium husk etc. These foods help the friendly bacteria in the digestive system to multiply. Having a probiotic preparation everyday can help restore the balance of good bacteria in the gut.
Alcohol
Excessive alcohol is a toxin, and can negatively affect our health including our digestion. Most of those who drink know a hangover with a throbbing headache and irritation in the tummy. It is most potent when it is consumed empty stomach or in large amounts. Alcohol puts tremendous pressure on the liver, which is where it is detoxified.
Smoking
Smoking can contribute to heart burn, hyper-acidity and ulcers. It also raises the risk of inflammatory disorders like Crohn’s disease and gallstones. The combination of smoking with alcohol is a double burden on the digestive system as smoking reduces the ability to handle alcohol.
Stress
While a certain amount of stress is a stimulus to performance, excessive stress can be pathogenic. Stress induces production of adrenaline which speeds up the rate at which food is passed through the body. It may also lead to an irritated bowel resulting in nervous diarrhea. Worse still, excessive stress can cause food cravings, emotional eating, imbalanced diets, substance abuse like smoking and drinking and reduced physical activity. Coupled with adrenaline, stress can have disastrous effects on digestion.
Sleep
The amount of sleep and changes in sleep patterns can affect our bowel habits. Just like the rest of our body, our digestive system needs time to relax and recuperate. In current urban lifestyles, many of us don’t get enough sleep and many also stay up until early hours of morning either watching TV or surfing the net. This is often accompanied by late night snacking. This makes our digestive system go to work at a time when it should be resting. Eating in the early hours of morning coupled with insufficient sleep not only puts pressure on the digestive system but also predisposes to weight gain.
Sedentary habits Without regular exercise, the digestive system, like the rest of the body, becomes sluggish and leads to feeling of bloatedness, wind, lethargy and often abdominal pain.
Antibiotics
Although antibiotics kill harmful bacteria, many antibiotics also kill beneficial bacteria which keep our digestive system healthy. In fact, when we take antibiotics, up to 60% of the total amount of bacteria in our gut - both good and bad - can be killed. The result can sometimes be diarrhea. The negative effects of antibiotics can be countered by eating plenty of foods containing prebiotics such as onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, banana, psyllium husk etc. These foods help the friendly bacteria in the digestive system to multiply. Having a probiotic preparation everyday can help restore the balance of good bacteria in the gut.
Alcohol
Excessive alcohol is a toxin, and can negatively affect our health including our digestion. Most of those who drink know a hangover with a throbbing headache and irritation in the tummy. It is most potent when it is consumed empty stomach or in large amounts. Alcohol puts tremendous pressure on the liver, which is where it is detoxified.
Smoking
Smoking can contribute to heart burn, hyper-acidity and ulcers. It also raises the risk of inflammatory disorders like Crohn’s disease and gallstones. The combination of smoking with alcohol is a double burden on the digestive system as smoking reduces the ability to handle alcohol.
Stress
While a certain amount of stress is a stimulus to performance, excessive stress can be pathogenic. Stress induces production of adrenaline which speeds up the rate at which food is passed through the body. It may also lead to an irritated bowel resulting in nervous diarrhea. Worse still, excessive stress can cause food cravings, emotional eating, imbalanced diets, substance abuse like smoking and drinking and reduced physical activity. Coupled with adrenaline, stress can have disastrous effects on digestion.