Ashley knows that digestive health is the foundation for overall health. She also knows it's critical to address your insides to feel good on the outside.
Ashley recommends that before you start a diet for weight loss, cleanse to remove toxins, or begin a new eating style (e.g., vegetarian, low carb, gluten free), you should start with a digestive makeover to get your system prepped for optimal digestion, absorption, and utilization.
About 75 percent of women surveyed are interested in getting a digestive health "makeover" with health experts. Ashley Koff, Registered Dietician, offers the following five valuable tips to support you in your journey toward digestive health and a better life. The results are bound to wow you—from the inside out.
Underwhelm your digestive system.
Take a few things off your plate... literally. This allows your gut to work on the lesser amount you've eaten at a pace that feels comfortable for it.
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Look out for sweet sensations.
Some sweets (e.g., sugar alcohols, dried fruit, fruits, starches, and vegetable juices) actually directly worsen digestive symptoms by causing gas, bloating, and/or diarrhea.*
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Choose foods in their natural forms.
Our bodies know what best to do with foods in their natural form. For example, we digest an apple from the tree better than apple juice, and better than fruit leather. Brown rice will be digested better than rice crackers or rice cakes. Food products, even the "healthy" ones, contain additional ingredients that can be harder to digest and cause our guts to skip a step in the metabolism process. This could be grounds for possible irritation.
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Achieve a natural inner balance.
Aside from feeling mentally balanced, we want our insides balanced as well. We need to replenish the essential good bacteria in our bodies, and one way to do so is by eating probiotic-rich foods. However, this might not be effective for people suffering from digestive upsets. Adding a daily probiotic supplement, such as Align®, can help protect against episodes of digestive upsets.
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Spice it up!
These natural treats range from being antimicrobial and calming, to being hormone supporters and more.
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