Resetting Your Digestion After Indulging

You have given in and eaten that cream bun. But because you are intolerant to dairy, you are going to pay for it. Sound familiar?

Or you have just overdone it in the food department due to family gatherings and the like. You are feeling bloated and just yuck for the next few days. I’m sure that this may sound familiar to many of you as well.

Below are some ways that you can ‘re-set’ your digestive system, allowing you to recover quicker from these indulgences. This isn’t saying that you should overindulge and not worry about the consequences, because there is a reason why your body doesn’t like those particular foods and you need to respect that. The points below are for you to get you feeling back to your best, quicker, for those few times that you need it.

Probiotics, probiotics, probiotics! These good bugs work in so many different ways that they are the perfect way to bring the gut back into balance. They work by reducing inflammation, supporting your immune system, maintaining healthy bowel motions among many other actions.

Ways to get your probiotics: supplements, fermented foods such as kombucha, kefir, yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi and tempeh.

Intermittent fasting is great way to give your digestive system a rest and time for it to reset. I’m not talking about going days without food, but restricting your eating from 10am-8pm is a relatively easy way to allow your digestive system to clear anything that might be backlogged by resting it a few times a week for these 14 hour blocks.

Water really is the most important aspect when it comes to re-setting your digestive system. Without adequate water the ability for your digestive tract to clear wastes from the body will be reduced. This can contribute irregular bowel movement and increased bloating, non of which you should have to put up with!

Detox. This is something can be as simple as cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, excess sugar and refined carbohydrates for a few days while your gut rebalances. Reducing these foods will take the burden off the gut by reducing any irritating factors and pro-inflammatory foods that may be maintaining your symptoms. Increasing fresh fruit and veg, lots of fresh herbs and spices and lean sources of protein will help to feed the good bacteria in the gut, fuel the body and help to bring the balance back.

Overall these tips and tricks don’t just have to be confined to when you overindulge. But you should be doing little bits of each of these points everyday anyway in order to maintain a healthy digestive system and body. So fill the drink bottle up, put the chocolate down and get the sauerkraut jar out- and bring on a balanced digestive system!