Your digestion
You need to empty your bowels at least once per day without effort and straining. Any less than once per day and you are very likely to be constipated. If faecal matter sits around in your digestive system for too long it reacts with bacteria in your gut and causes gas!
What causes improper bowel function?
There are many things that can affect the proper functioning of our digestive systems, our diets have a big part to play and so can stress. What people can forget is that your digestive tract contains a layer of muscle and just as your shoulders might get a bit tight when you’re stressed so can the muscles in your bowel. When there is tension and spasm through the digestive system it doesn’t work correctly and food matter isn’t always moved through effectively. This leads to back-up and inflammation!
Here are some tips for reducing gas:-
Check your bowel habits – Are you opening your bowels regularly? Is it easy to go? If not why not start by increasing your intake of water, reducing your intake of dairy, red meat, wheat, saturated fats, sugar and tea/coffee. Replace these foods with fresh fruits (eat first thing in the morning on their own! Otherwise they cause gas), green vegetables like asparagus and spring greens, wholegrain foods, nuts and seeds.
Check your eating habits – Do you always eat on the run, when you’re stressed or late at night? The digestive system needs time to digest! When eating make sure that you sit down and savour your food. Try not to eat any later than 8pm as this is when the stomach energy is low and you’ll be guaranteed some digestive disturbance. Try and eat regularly and avoid large meals. CHEW your food! As your stomach doesn’t have teeth!
If after changing your diet and eating habits you are still suffering it may be that your digestive system needs a bit of help. Herbal Medicines, Hypnotherapy, Osteopathy and Reflexology can all be used to improve digestive function. We treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome as well as other digestive complaints here at Foreman & Jones.
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