While these foods below, are not completely banned; we suggest for those of you that struggle with digestive health on a daily basis – restricting the below can help your gut immensely.

SUGAR

Without getting too ‘sciencey’ on you, there are a few reasons why the body doesn’t respond well to a diet high in sugar.

When we talk about sugar, we are referring to that mentioned above, sucrose, or ‘table sugar’. Glucose is an important molecule so we’ll leave that one alone, the real culprit in today’s sugar epidemic is fructose. So let’s discuss the nitty gritty.

Since we don’t need it, it’s the liver’s job to clear fructose from our system. Ingestion of a large amount of fructose will place significant strain on the liver, needing to work overtime to process the unnecessary.

A small amount of fructose from fruit is fine, where there is also the inclusion of fibre and essential vitamins and minerals. So we’re getting some bang for our buck…or snack. It’s almost impossible to over consume fructose from fruit, so don’t get too concerned over that one. The main culprit for fructose consumption in modern day diets comes from processed foods, where we have the inclusion of highly concentrated sugary syrups, such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

What happens when we overload the liver with fructose? Firstly, glycogen is produced, this is the molecule that gives us energy from food. After glycogen stores have been reached, the remaining fructose (that doesn’t convert to glycogen) will be STORED AS FAT, leading to potential obesity and other diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. If you’re going to give up the sweet stuff, it may be a good idea to do a LIVER CLEANSE to give the system a good dredge and put you on the right path, toward optimum health.

FRUITS

Yes, fruits and veggies are packed full of the vitamins and minerals your body needs, but digesting raw fruit and vegetables can be very difficult on your body. Especially if your digest system is already a little on the unhappy side.

Raw produce has high amounts of insoluble fiber, which moves quickly through your intestinal tract and results in loose stools, diarrhea, gas, and bloating. As always, we recommend cooking your veggies and fruit whenever possible. Cooking helps to break down the fiber so you can digest more easily.

BEANS AND LENTILS

While they’re handy for some bellies, they’re ideal for all.

Why so we hear you ask? You’ve probably heard the rhyme as a kid, “Beans, beans the wonderful fruit. The more you eat the more you toot.” Well, it’s all too true. Beans and lentils are filled with indigestible sugars called oligosaccharides; these sugars must be broken down by bacteria in the intestines, which can cause you to back up and get bloated. So, if you have a severe bloating issue, avoid the bean.

Yours in Eating Right,
Your Tea

Image via @dolciwithlove