Foods to Relieve Stomach Discomfort

by Noor H. Salem

With the arrival of the winter season, and your eagerness to see the winter snow, it’s essential that you take means to strengthen your immune system. To support your immunity overall, you should begin by enhancing the health state of your gut.

While the complex process of digestion begins when food enters your mouth, the condition of your gut can say a lot about your current health, and whether you are more prone to develop various health conditions in the future. When your gastrointestinal lining is thick and strong, it decreases the likelihood of foreign antigens and bacteria from entering your bloodstream; thus, it lowers your risk of catching infections or viruses. Moreover, having a healthy gut flora improves your digestion, decreases bloating or constipation, and makes nutrients from food more readily available for your body to absorb.

A healthy diet bursting with wholesome foods could improve your gut lining, strengthen your immunity, and provide you with vitality like no other. These foods are merely some of many choices that could ease your digestion, improve the health of your gut lining, and increase the good bacteria in your system.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is fundamentally fermented cabbage, and contains remarkable amounts of probiotics (good bacteria), enzymes, and amino acids. It improves your gut lining, eases digestion, and strengthens your immunity altogether. Essentially, today, many supermarkets carry shelf-stable sauerkraut. Whether in a fancy glass jar or not, if it’s not refrigerated, it’s most likely pasteurized. Thus, it won’t contain the same notable live bacteria is the ones you’d find the refrigerated section of the store. Sauerkraut is frankly easy to make; after conducting a demonstration in one of my group coaching sessions, my clients were able to make it at home frequently. Be sure to give several days for your sauerkraut to ferment, the more time it takes in the fermentation process, the more enzymes, nutrients, and live bacteria it will contain.

Ginger

Ginger root is used widespread as a tasty pungent spice, but its holistic medicinal properties puts it on an even higher pedestal. While it adds a unique aroma to food, and gives a kick of a spice to dishes, ginger improves digestion, diminishes inflammation in your boy, and reduces nausea and motion sickness altogether. If you have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, ginger can greatly reduce your joint aches and improve your mobility as it suppresses pro-inflammatory compounds if consumed regularly. Dealing with morning sickness while pregnant could also be draining; for that, I recommend adding ginger to your meals daily. You can even find organic ginger chews to relieve you of nausea and vomiting as well. Ginger tea, along with a bit of fresh lemon juice and organic raw honey could do you wonders in building immunity, or recovering quicker from a common cold or flu. I’ve recommended this tea, after taking on the custom from my father, to many of my clients, who now find it hard to let go of in their routine. When you are combating a cold or flu, cold sweating is in fact a means of healing; ginger does just that, as it detoxes your body and fights off the infections. Ginger also decrease the risk of cancer, and combats tumors, too. Try adding more fresh and dried ginger to your cooking, salad dressing, and even your tea choices.

Herbal teas

While indulging in highly-sweetened juices or iced teas may not be the best choice, there are various herbal teas that could do your health wonders. Peppermint tea is an incredible herbal choice that could help in reducing bloating, indigestion, and stomach discomfort. It reduces anxiety levels in the body as well, thus is a wonderful tea selection to sip right before heading to bed. Peppermint does not contain caffeine, and is linked to improving cardiovascular, cognitive, and intestinal health. I recommend adding a spoon of organic raw honey when sugar-cravings kick in. Chamomile is another wonderful choice, as it improves digestion, can calm your upset stomach, and help relieve you of insomnia. It is also caffeine free, so don’t worry about having to lay awake at night if you decide to drink it. Making homemade ginger tea will also do your digestion wonders; using fresh ginger to make the tea will give you a pungent taste and a myriad of health benefits alike.

Prunes

Prunes are merely dried plums, and carry some extraordinary health benefits. Although they are readily used to relieve constipation, they have much more benefits than just that. Prunes are very high in fiber; thus, they cleanse your colon and intestines. This decreases the risk of cancer, gastrointestinal conditions, and indigestion. Astonishingly, prunes are great for your eyesight, as they are a great source of vitamin A. Prunes are bursting with antioxidants, potassium, and boron, and for that are great for your heart’s health, can relieve your arthritis pain, and are a powerhouse of nutrients. Properly intaking a sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber will keep your gut health, and your immune system strong and prepared to combat and bacteria or virus. Essentially, I advise my clients to be cautious of additives and preservatives used on readily widespread prunes. Check your ingredients, and enjoy this delicious dried fruit more often.

Noor H. Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.