Dealing with digestive issues
Food as medicine column
The main ailments I hear about in our shop are digestive issues, mainly IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), symptoms include bloating, constipation and/or diarrhorea, cramping, loss of appetite and general digestive discomfort. It is incredibly debilitating and it would seem to be something that is increasingly affecting people, both young and old.
The standard advice for digestive issues is to increase fibre, take medications such as proton pump inhibitors to suppress stomach acid and eliminate certain foods such as dairy and wheat/gluten. However, the intestines should really be viewed as an ecosystem within our bodies, comprised of different bacteria which affect the overall health and well-being of their host.
When we eat processed or poor quality food and take medications that disrupt our beneficial gut flora, dysbiosis sets in, our digestive systems struggle to function properly and all sorts of health problems occur. People with an array of health issues from arthritis and hay fever to headaches and hormonal issues all benefit from sorting out their digestion.
Like the soil that we grow our vegetables in, our guts need the right organisms to promote good health in the body. Good veg won't grow in poor quality soil and good health can't be achieved if our digestive systems are compromised. Rather than focus on increasing fibre which anyone with IBS will tell you is troublesome, it is important to look at the role fats play in digestion. Protein and carbohydrate both need fat for proper digestion, for example meat is much easier to digest when it is on the bone and has a little fat on it and vegetables, bread and grains are all more digestible when eaten with butter.
Egg whites should never be eaten without the yolks and salad leaves always benefit from a dressing of good olive oil and vinegar. Low fat diets have wreaked havoc on our digestion over the years, the good bacteria in our bowels need fats but the bad bacteria appear to thrive on sugars and refined carbs.
Properly prepared, fermented wholegrain carbohydrates are a better choice such as oats soaked overnight in plenty of water with a little yoghurt, sourdough bread or slow-cooked brown rice (see recipe below). Unless fermented or soaked, grains and nuts can cause inflammation in weakened digestive systems. I have seen people improve their digestion simply by switching from soda bread or a sliced pan to a good sourdough.
Lacto-fermented foods and drinks such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and kvass also play a huge role in digestion by supplying live enzymes and good bacteria and often a spoon of sauerkraut or a small glass of kefir or kvass can make a huge difference, I have a few customers whose digestion and overall health improved in as little as two weeks when they started to include these foods on a daily basis. Most of the foods we are used to eating nowadays are sweet or refined but these fermented foods are sour and bitter and this helps stimulate the liver and gall bladder, major organs of the digestive system.
Lactobacillus plantarum is a really important microorganism for healthy bowels and is found in vegetable leaves but in much higher numbers when the veg is fermented in the case of kraut or kimchi.
There are lots of herbs that help with digestion too, by reducing inflammation, cleansing the bowels, clearing parasites and stimulating the liver, try to include regularly:
Ginger, turmeric, sorrel, wormwood, dandelions, nettles, burdock, yellow dock, garlic, angelica, fennel, cleavers, cloves.
Digestive or herbal bitters incorporate several of these herbs and Spring can be a great time to take them, as a cleanse or detox!
Serves 2
Butter
1 cups short grain brown rice
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (bone broth is pure medicine for the bowels, containing vital amino acids) Pinch sea-salt
1. Melt a knob of butter in a cast iron pot of in a slow cooker.
2. Add in the cup of rice and the stock and a pinch of sea-salt.
3. Cook on a low heat until all the liquid is absorbed.
4. Fresh, chopped herbs can be added; enjoy with fish & kimchi or curries.
Live yoghurt or milk kefir
Spoon of homemade or good quality jam e.g. rhubarb & ginger is lovely at this time of year; or local raw honey
1. Stir a spoon of jam or honey into a bowl of live yoghurt; enjoy on its own or with ripe or stewed fruit.
Lynda McFarland is a local nutritional therapist, cheft and co-owner of Lowe. & Co Organic Grocery on O'Connell Street, Athlone along with her partner Eddie Lowe. Lowe & Co. opened in 2016 to provide nourishing chemical free food that Lynda's nutrition clients were finding it difficult to source locally, such as sourdough breads and other fermented foods, organic vegetables, meat and dairy. Lynda manages the shop and Eddie manages their small-holding where they grow vegetables and keep chickens and pigs, and hopefully this year, bees for honey. Lowe & Co. is open Thursday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm.