You really have to hand it to Pepto-Bismal. They did a great campaign, and that jingle is stuck in my head after seeing that e-card. Unfortunately for them, I prefer to deal with the root of the problem rather than just treat the symptoms. I'm having some stomach issues left over from my Lyme treatment, so these are a few of the changes I've made and I've seen big improvements. Stomach issues, regardless of whether or not antibiotic use was involved, is a pretty common thing so I figured I'd share what I've learned with you in the hopes that it'll help someone out there.
1. Taking a quality probiotic will help restore good flora back into the gut. This is especially important if you've been on any kind of antibiotic treatment. (I take this one, and it's even sold in Europe.)
2. Boiling water with lemon is an ancient tradition hailing from Ayurveda medicine. The hot lemon water will jumpstart the digestive system, balance the pH of the stomach, boost the immune system and cleanse the body (it's a diuretic). Bonus: It tastes good!
3. Incorporating fermented foods is so beneficial to the gut. You can try sauerkraut, kimchi (delicious with scrambled eggs), kefir and kombucha, just to name a few. They all contain probiotics and digestive enzymes which will help you to better absorb and break down the regular food you eat. Bonus: it's budget friendly! Just bought a giant container of sauerkraut today for under 2 euro! (Apparently it is really easy to make your own, but I haven't tried that.)
4. Drinking anything with meals interrupts the digestive process. It's as simple as that.
5. Surprisingly, digestion begins in your mouth. Our saliva contains digestive enzymes that are needed to break down and help in the absorption of our foods' nutrients. Not only that, but the more we chew, the smaller we make the food particles in our mouth which makes it easier on the stomach.
6. Bone broth doesn't have the most appetizing name, but it's cheap, easy to make, and has been used for hundreds of years to treat ailments. Ever wonder why we make chicken soup for the sick? The nutrients and enzymes in the bone broth are an excellent foundation for rapidly growing stomach cells (especially good for leaky gut syndrome). It's really cheap and easy to make. I've made three soups with it and they all taste far better than the ones I've made with bouillon.
PS- A gentle yoga sequence, and 7 easy ways to clean up your diet.