Ways to Address Chronic Constipation – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 241
Constipation is a major problem in this country. Our diet plays a major role into this. Here’s what you need to know in order to combat this.
Tag: digestion
What Research Reports About Irritable Bowel Syndrome – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 213
Let’s discuss changes to your diet and different nutrients that can be incredibly supportive when dealing with irritable bowel syndrome.
Key Nutrients for Common Digestive Health Concerns – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 114
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
Subscribe Today!
On today’s episode we are going to be discussing digestive health. Recently we released an episode that discussed the importance of digestive enzymes, especially in the setting of the aging process due to the fact that aging makes our ability to produce digestive enzymes slow down. Click here to listen to that episode now! Today we are going to be talking about key nutrients for digestive health and talk about the reason why so many people are impacted with digestive issues today, including H. Pylori.
Common Digestive Health Concerns
A large percentage of the United States population is impacted by digestive health conditions. GERD is one of them. Roughly about 40% of the US population has Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. There are a few reason why that is. If you look at the Standard American Diet that supplies high fat, high processed and high sugar foods, its clear that we are not obtaining the nutrients we need on a daily basis. To do this, the Mediterranean Diet is a good choice, as it supplies nutrients through high quality foods, like nuts, oils and protein. Learn more about the Mediterranean Diet by clicking here!
Only 12% of Americans are “metabolically healthy”.
– University of North Carolina study
Another factor to look at when it comes to digestive concerns are nutrient deficiencies, especially Zinc. Throughout the world, Zinc deficiency is quite common. About 15% of the general United States population is Zinc deficient. But this actually changes when you look at different age groups and races. The incidence of Zinc deficiencies certainly increase as we study older populations. This is very important, as Zinc plays a critical role in so many aspects of our overall health. We must have an adequate amount of Zinc in order to properly support our bodies immune system function, wound healing, and vision health. There is a strong correlation between Zinc deficiencies and GI issues, including H. Pylori infections.
What is H. Pylori?
Helicobacter pylori, or H. Pylori, is a common bacteria that can do a lot of damage to the stomach. It is one of the most common infections worldwide and is the number one cause of ulcers and gastric cancer. Where H. Pylori infections are high across the world, so are Zinc deficiencies. But most doctors do not even test for it.
This bacteria enters your body and lives in your digestive tract, causing ulcers in the lining of you stomach or your small intestine. For some, this infection can lead to stomach cancer. When this bacteria enters your body, it attacks the lining of your stomach which impacts your bodies ability to protect you from the acid it needs to digest food. Once the acid gets through the lining, an ulcer can occur, causing bleeding and infection. You can get this bacteria from contact through saliva or other body fluids. Countries or communities that lack clean water or good sewage systems seems to have more common occurrences. Two professors from the University of Western Australia won the Nobel prize for their findings of H. Pylori in 2005. The professors kept detecting this bacteria in different stomach biopsy’s and found a unique correlation between the severity of the inflammation and H. Pylori bacteria. It is estimated that 20% of people under the age of 40 in the United States have been infected by H. Pylori.
Key Nutrients that Support Healthy Digestion
As we previously discussed, Zinc is extremely important for digestion and overall wellness. A combination of nutrients that includes Zinc and Carnosine can help promote the health of the stomach and intestinal lining, relieve occasional gastric discomfort and help to maintain a healthy gastric intestinal environment.†
Research has shown that a certain amount of “good” bacteria in your intestines is necessary for proper digestion and overall health. The body needs certain strains of this healthy bacteria to counteract the negative effects of unhealthy bacteria in your system. Inadequate amounts of healthy bacteria in the intestines often lead to digestive problems such as bloating and gassiness. A superior Probiotic supplement offers different probiotic strains that work to fight off this unhealthy bacteria, improving bloating, flatulence, occasional gastric distress, diarrhea and constipation.†
Sourced from pineapple, Bromelain is a natural proteolytic enzyme supports comfortable digestion of proteins such as meat, eggs, and dairy proteins by breaking down these proteins into smaller components. Lactase is an enzyme that helps break down the lactose (milk, sugar) in your body to support healthy digestion of dairy products and relieve symptoms of occasional or severe lactose intolerance.†
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
The Key to Supporting Healthy Digestion – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 94
Though your body has natural defenses in place to keep your digestive system working properly, processed foods and sugar could be impacting its effectiveness. Here’s what you need to know about specific digestive-supporting nutrients.
Listen To Your Gut! What Your Digestive System is Trying to Tell You
Understanding the digestive system can seem intimidating. But could your system be trying to tell you something? It may not be fun to talk about but complications with digestion can result in a multitude of digestive issues and associated health problems, like heartburn, constipation, and …
The Benefits of Fiber and How to Increase Your Intake
Photo by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), you should be consuming anywhere between 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day. However, if you’re like most Americans following the Standard American Diet (SAD), your consumption is realistically around 10 to 15 grams per day. But what is fiber and why is it so important? Here’s what you need to know.
What is Fiber?
Fiber is the element in plants that our bodies do not digest. While other healthy foods are absorbed into our blood and digested through our bodies, fiber is not one of them. It quickly passes through your digestive tract and its main job in your body is to create bulk to aid in moving stool and harmful carcinogens throughout your digestive tract.
Flax seeds are a great source of fiber. Click here to learn more! >>
The Benefits of Fiber.
Fiber has been shown to have many health benefits including lowering cholesterol, maintaining digestive health, and helping to control blood sugar levels. According to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this element appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and constipation.
High intake of dietary fiber has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease in a number of large studies. In a study published in JAMA by the Department of Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, of over 40,000 male health professionals, researchers found that a high total dietary fiber intake was linked to a 40% lower risk of coronary heart disease.
Dietary fiber can be found in many foods, including artichokes, raspberries, avocados, pears, whole wheat pasta, brown rice and oatmeal. But the high quota of 20 to 35 grams each day can be hard to meet, especially for those following the Standard American Diet.
Struggling with Constipation? Here’s what you need to know. >>
A high fiber diet has also been shown to rebalance the gut microbiota, the ecosystem of bacteria, in the gut that help digest food and are important to overall health. Researchers randomized patients with type-2 diabetes into two groups – one who received standard patient education and dietary recommendations, the other was given large amounts of dietary fibers while ingesting a similar diet for energy and major nutrients. After 12 weeks, patients on the high-fiber diet had a greater reduction in a three-month average of blood glucose levels. Their fasting blood glucose levels also dropped faster and they lost more weight. This study was published in the journal Science by researches from China.
Be sure to increase your intake.
One way to make sure that you’re reaching the doctor recommended daily dose is by turning to supplementation.When searching for a high-quality supplement, turn to one that contains soluble fiber, which dissolves with water and creates a gel-like substance that helps to lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels.
Clinical studies show that Fibersol-2™ helps to relieve occasional constipation and select studies show that it improves stool consistency. When taken with a meal, Fibersol-2™ , digestion resistant maltodextrin, may help attenuate the rise in serum glucose following the meal. Fibersol-2™ has the potential to reduce peak postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels that are within the normal range in healthy individuals. This may even help support the level of triglycerides that are already within a healthy range. Fibersol-2™ may support satiety, helping you feel fuller for a longer time after the meal.†