Be Nice To Your Gut & Yourself This Festive Season

It is safe to say, Gut health and Christmas rarely go hand-in-hand. Christmas parties and family feasts are an exciting time for social interaction and for treating your taste buds. It is lovely to sit around the table with friends and loved ones chatting and enjoying each other’s company, telling stories of the year that has passed.

But the indulgent meals and snacks that hit the Christmas table can cause your tummy to do backflips and cartwheels, for some, even by just looking at it. Your eyes and taste buds are saying “oh goody yes, yes Christmas food!”. But your gut is saying “nooooo don’t do this to me!”. Then, come the New Year celebrations not long after. Where is the time to rest and digest?

Here are some tips and tricks to guide you through the silly season.

Stress is enough to churn your gut

Preparing large meals for a big group of people can be stressful. By doing the majority of the prep work the day or night before, you will reduce your stress levels, make your gut happy for Christmas day and be able to enjoy yourself as you should.

Christmas lunch/dinner doesn’t have to be unhealthy

Turkey is a fantastic source of tryptophan, which helps us make our happy hormones serotonin and melatonin, both helping you to feel more relaxed and happier. Also, a lean source of vitamins B and protein, turkey is a great way to fill you up and give you energy for the socialising ahead. Remember to remove the skin to reduce the saturated fat you eat for the day. Fill your plate with mostly vegetables to fill your tummy with goodness and leave less room for dessert and nibbles that are not so tummy friendly.

You booze you lose

Well kind of. Its okay to have a drink or two with loved ones to celebrate gathering together but take care of the types of alcoholic beverages you choose. Reduce your champagne, wine and beer intake to just 1 and opt for vodka or gin and soda. These carry less calories and little sugar to disrupt your friendly little guys in the gut reducing impact on gut health. Alcohol in general is enough to aggravate some gut conditions so know your limits.  Stay hydrated between alcoholic beverages.

Get ahead of the dreaded post feast bloat

Stick to one smaller size plate with half vegetables and some protein. Chew your food slowly and thoroughly. Teas can be beneficial in reducing any bloating and nausea post meal, including ginger and peppermint tea.

Get your move on or your groove on

Exercise in the form of walking, pre-event gym or dancing with some Christmas music can help your body to prepare, process and digest food. It will also help you to burn off some of those extra calories.

Have fun, be merry and enjoy your Christmas.

Danielle x

Goss on Detox – Is it for you?

The Goss on Detox

Fatigue, Bowel Irritation, Bloating, Gas, Food Sensitives, Tummy Cramps

Bad Breath, Allergies, Abdominal Pain, Excess Fluid, Eczema, Dermatitis

Do any of these sound like you?

A detox may be your key to ridding these uncomfortable bodily ailments.

First of all.. what are toxins? 

Toxins are poisonous substances produced by almost everything we come into contact with…

The Importance of Detoxing

Our body has an amazing natural ability to process and eliminate toxins within itself. These toxins can come from a range of environmental sources, such as, breathing in chemicals, pollution, heavy metals, harmful cosmetic products, alcohol, parasites, food and medications. Toxins may also be the result of natural chemical reactions within our body- that is right, we produce our own toxic materials.

When we are exposed excessively to environmental toxins, our body struggles and is unable to keep up with the processing and eliminating. Much like when a machine is over worked, it either stops output altogether or slows down to become inefficient.

What do we do to encourage detoxification?

To counteract this breakdown, we need a steady balance of dietary:

  • antioxidants -specifically zinc, copper, vitamin C, glutathione
  • nutrients – such as amino acids, vitamins B
  • minerals magnesium and iron

These dietary inclusions with help to nurture our detoxifying organs.

The main organs of detoxification being the liver, kidneys, skin and lungs.

*note- everyone’s requirements for the mentions vitamins and minerals vary as each person is unique. If the diet holds variety and nutritional substance, additional intakes of these may not be necessary.

Other non-nutritive detoxing aids may be:

  • Intermittent fasting – fasting allows the digestive system to catch a break and work on waste elimination.
  • Exercise – sweat is not only a strategy to cool our body down but it releases toxins through our skin. Exercise also helps to circulate toxins to the appropriate organs for effective detoxification.

What could the consequences be if we don’t assist our body to detox?

Without these dietary supports we may develop consequential:

  • gastrointestinal problems
  • chronic fatigue
  • aches and pains
  • skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis)
  • weight gain
  • immune breakdown
  • mood disorders (depression, anxiety, irritability, rage)
  • learning and behavioural issues
  • neurodegenerative disorders
  • neurological complaints
  • poor cardiovascular health
  • fatty liver
  • hormonal dysregulation
  • fibromyalgia
  • triggering of autoimmune conditions

How do our organs detox?

Our skin sweats out toxic materials, sheds, causes other eruptions to pushes them out through pimples and acne – ever had a breakout after a big night or wondered why we sweat with fever?

Our kidneys send toxins our through our urine – this is one reason it is vital to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

The liver processes materials and excretes through the urine, skin and faeces. It is our most important organ of detoxification as almost everything we eat, drink, inhale and put on our body is sent through our liver.

Our lungs send out Co2 gases from our blood and lungs.

The digestive tract eliminates toxic foods by promoting vomiting, diarrhoea or normal bowel motions.

Because our body relies on us to get arm it with the appropriate tools for effective detoxification it is important to ensure we are consuming sufficient amounts of healthy fats, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and fibre to enhance and optimise its detoxing functions. Some great detoxing and antioxidant foods include:

  • asparagus
  • fresh beetroot
  • granny smith apples
  • ginger
  • turmeric
  • green leafy vegetables
  • lemons, grapefruit
  • garlic
  • green tea
  • capsicum
  • cucumber
  • broccoli sprouts
  • nuts and seeds

Include these into your daily routine and watch the magic happen!

IBS: Gut Problems Got You Beat?

Diet Consultation IBS

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Do you suffer from the following?

IBS

Gas
Bloating
Sore or upset stomach
Fatigue
Nausea
Irritability
Reflux or heartburn

Digestive Enzymes and IBS Type Symptoms

If you are suffering from one or more of the above digestive complaints, it is possible that you are lacking vital enzymes.

Digestive enzymes play a pivotal role in how the food we eat is broken down, digested, absorbed and used. These special little fellows occupy our digestion from our mouth (tongue) right through to our large intestine.

They are also present within our blood, assisting in anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic reactions, but that is a topic for another time.

Many things are known to deplete the number of digestive enzymes we secrete including, insufficient/incorrect pH environment for their survival and activation, tissue trauma to a secreting organ such as the pancreas, chemicals and pesticides stripping them from our plant foods, medications, drinking around food times, excessive intake of saturated and hydrogenated fats, fluorinated water, microwaving foods, heavy metals, dental fillings and pasteurisation.

As you can see, what happens to our foods has a lot to do with the number of enzymes that are viable to our body.

There are certain foods that are naturally designed to possess larger qualities of enzymes, but sometimes, eating enough of these at each meal can be a difficult task.

Sometimes the use of digestive enzyme supplements can fill this dietary gap.

But which enzymes are best for you? When do you take them? There are so many on the market, which provide the most benefit to your symptoms? It is important to speak with a dietary specialist to help determine the best fit for dietary intake of enzymatic foods as well as supplementation.

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