Following yesterday’s article, Fast Food Felonies, Part II: Top 10 Fatty Offenders, it only stands to reason that today’s article should be about indigestion. Anybody who felt compelled to try out any of the colossally colon-bursting burgers or fried foods is probably still suffering the aftereffects.
Symptoms of dyspepsia include:
• upper abdominal pain
• repetitive burping
• fierce nausea
• feeling of fullness or bloating
• heartburn
• vomiting
Help is just a teacup or spoonful away; here are some good treatments for indigestion, along with some very important behavior modifications.
Whoa, there!
It takes time for your body to get the message that it’s being fed; usually your brain needs about 20 minutes to receive the update from the stomach before it can start sending you happy “I’m full now” feelings.
Divide that by half.
Whatever portion you have heaped onto your plate- you probably only need about half that amount.
Chew on this for a while.
Remember to put your fork down between bites and chew slowly for better digestion.
No eating after 7.
Give your digestive system a chance to rest along with the rest of your body.
Can’t handle the heat?
Some people just can’t handle spicy foods and their tummies let them know it.
Join the tobacco-free revolution.
Quit smoking- along with lung damage, heart disease and emphysema it also causes indigestion.
Take it all in moderation.
That includes caffeine and alcohol.
Become your body’s journalist.
Keeping track of your eating habits can put things inter perspective.
Take a chill pill.
Relax! Those butterflies in your stomach are caused by excess stress.
Host a daily tea party.
Peppermint tea is naturally soothing to the stomach.
Host an army.
Drink probiotics and get a colony of “friendly” bacteria to live inside your digestive tract.
Holy basil!
Chewing a few leaves of the holy basil herb keeps acid production down to a minimum.
Just a spoonful of aloe…
Take a few teaspoons of Aloe Vera juice about 30 minutes before mealtime to boost digestion.
Get back to your roots.
Chewing a few tablets a day of deglycyrrhizinated licorice root (DGL) forms a healthy protective lining along the inside of your stomach.
Tried everything?
If symptoms are ongoing you should see a doctor to rule out irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Sources:
Huffington Post
NewsMax
National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
MedicineNet