Why we want to optimise digestion before we swallow....
It may come as a surprise to some of your that optimal digestion actually starts even before we put anything in our mouth. What we do in the moments before we take a bite can play a pivotal role in how well we extract the nourishment from the delicious food we are about to ingest.
Read MoreGAPS, or Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or Gut and Physiology Syndrome, is becoming a term that more and more people are familiar with. Do you have ANY digestive issues? How about anxiety or depression? OCD? Allergies, asthma or intolerances? Autoimmune disease? Unhealthy eating behaviour? Addictions? Are you overweight or obese? Does dementia run in the family?
Heading in to Christmas when you are on GAPS can seem a little daunting, so here are some of our tricks and tips to help you get through the holiday season more smoothly!
Read MoreSauerkraut can be made with almost any combination of vegetables, herbs and spices.
Cabbage and apple, combined with cinnamon, clove and allspice creates a delicious and colourful kraut to serve with your Christmas ham, turkey or seafood.
Read MoreTreatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) with a low FODMAP diet has become very popular over the last 5-10 years, with most practitioners who specialise in gut health recommending a low FODMAP diet to relieve symptoms. At the Well Belly Health Clinic, the low FODMAP diet is something that we do not ever recommend to our clients.
Read MoreBone broth has been getting a lot of attention lately as the perfect food for gut healing, and whilst it is definitely beneficial, little known is that meat stocks are actually the most healing food for a damaged gut lining. Dr Natasha Campbell McBride (founder of the GAPS nutritional protocol) credits meat stocks with actually healing ulcerations in the gut lining, which is the root cause of many health issues.
Read MoreApproaching the GAPS protocol (or any gut healing protocol) with a histamine intolerance is something I am asked about often. Understanding the role histamine plays can be very confusing when it comes to deciding the right approach, but one thing is clear, GAPS and healing the gut is the way to resolve histamine issues. Histamine is a compound which is found in some foods, and is also made in our own bodies. Histamines play an important role in our immune function, digestion and our brain function. For some people, damage to the gut can decrease the bodies ability to break down histamines, and an unbalanced gut flora can result in an overgrowth of histamine producing bacteria, these are just some of the conditions that can lead to histamine intolerance.
Read MoreFor anyone that has experienced constipation, it really is not fun! Constipation is a very common complaint for people with digestive issues. When the digestive system is damaged and not functioning optimally, there are various reasons why constipation may occur. The stool is one of the ways in which our body eliminates toxins, so when we are constipated we are leaving this toxicity sitting in the colon where it can be reabsorbed, and the stool will begin to rot. It is vital to have the bowels moving AT LEAST every 36 hour to help keep this toxicity moving out of the body. It is alway best to resolve constipation on Full GAPS before starting the intro diet if constipation is an ongoing issue. Ultimately, nutrient density, healing foods and probiotics will resolve the long term issue of constipation, and in the meantime there are plenty of tips and tricks for short term relief.
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