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I think it’s safe to say that there is an abundance of people who have what are commonly called “stomach problems” including bloating, belching, burping, indigestion and an ability to play a symphony with one’s flatulence.
In fact, an astonishing 74 percent (nearly three out of four) of us suffer occasional or chronic (as in several times a week or daily) digestive problems.
The pharmaceutical industry pops the champagne corks in celebration as they tally up the profits from their sales of laxatives, stool softeners, acid reducers, antacids, and gas remedies.
But am I the only one who is wondering why this is occurring in the first place?
None of us came into this world destined for digestive issues…in fact, our GI tracts were perfectly designed to break down our foods, absorb nutrients, and get rid of what’s left over.
So why is this happening?
Well, here are some possibilities…
Is your stomach truly the guilty party?
When people have indigestion, they say their “stomach” is messed up, but that’s not always true.
Your stomach is responsible for the initial breakdown of protein foods that you eat, plus it continues the breakdown of starches that started in your mouth with your saliva.
So when it doesn’t do its job right, understandably that can cause digestive issues. Things that can throw the stomach off include medications, ulcers, gastritis, and low acid production.
But there’s another “player” further south that may be the culprit, arguably even more often than the stomach.
It’s your pancreas.
Meet your pancreas
Your pancreas does FAR more work carrying out your digestion than your stomach would ever dream of doing.
After your stomach has finished its prep work, it passes your pre-digested food (called chyme) into the small intestine where it is greeted by your pancreas.
The pancreas secretes a substance that is like baking soda which neutralizes the acid in your chyme and prepares it to glide easily through the alkaline environment of the small intestine.
Then the pancreas secretes up to nine other enzymes to further break down all the various types of foods you've eaten -- protein, sugars, starches and fats.
Your pancreas is smart -- it knows exactly how much of each enzyme you need depending on what you ate, and it puts together the right mix of catalysts to get everything broken down like it should be.
The gallbladder makes an appearance here too, secreting bile that it has concentrated from your liver to help with the digestion of fats.
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The problem with this perfect digestive picture is that your body has a limited capability to produce pancreatic enzymes throughout your lifetime...
And when it starts slowing down (called pancreatic insufficiency, or the new disease “EPI”), so does your digestion and that spells trouble.
When your body can't produce adequate pancreatic enzymes to complete the breakdown your foods, that can cause poor nutrient absorption (and resulting deficiencies), waste and toxin build-up, an unhealthy gut microbiome, constipation, diverticulosis, inflammation and eventually even colon cancer!
Pancreatic insufficiency is common in the elderly as well as people with celiac disease, autoimmune conditions, parasites, harmful bacteria overgrowth and cirrhosis.
But a significant cause is your DIET!
That’s right--when your meals consist primarily of "dead foods" (processed and fast foods, refined foods and lots of cooked foods in general), your pancreas must use up truckloads of its enzymes to break everything down.
On the other hand, what most people don’t realize is that fresh fruits and vegetables have their OWN enzymes built right in!
When your food provides its own enzymes, your pancreas doesn't need to supply as many. So it gets a break, and you help conserve your precious enzyme resources.
Mom’s advice to “eat your vegetables” when you were a kid had a lot of merit, didn’t it?
How will I know?
Here are the most common signs of a pancreas that is getting overworked:
- Abdominal cramps
- Indigestion or belching 1-3 hours after eating
- Tendency to bleed easily
- Fatigue after eating
- Gas and bloating
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Greasy, shiny stools; stools that float
- Poorly formed, loose stools
- Undigested food in your stool
- Very foul-smelling stools or flatulence
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar)
- Dry, flaky skin and/or dry, brittle hair
- Pain in your left side under the rib cage
- Acne or skin rashes
- Food allergies or sensitivities
The more of those that apply to you, the more likely it is that you are pushing your pancreas’ buttons.
How to pamper YOUR precious pancreas
Here is the ideal plan to take care of your pancreas (and all your digestive organs!), and help ensure comfortable, complete digestion:
Start by making your stomach’s job easier
When your stomach can do a good job with its prep work, your pancreas doesn’t have to work as hard.
Problem is, our typical meals are extremely taxing on your stomach, so it doesn’t do as good a job as it should…and your pancreas must work like crazy (and expend lots of enzymes) to pick up the slack!
But when you eat meals that your stomach can efficiently tackle, you make the pancreas’ job much easier—and you end up feeling great after meals, instead of painful, gassy and bloated.
The key is to avoid combining proteins (such as meat, fish and poultry) and starches (bread, potatoes, rice or pasta) together in the same meal. The presence of two very concentrated foods (protein and starch) makes it very difficult for the stomach to break down everything efficiently, and this paves the way for digestive disaster.
Instead, pair proteins OR starches with lots of vegetables, and add in a tossed salad for extra enzyme benefit.
Your stomach will rejoice, and your system will say, “Thank you!”
Help your body compensate for any “shortages”
If you feel like your body is already running a little low in enzymes, or if you just want to help conserve your supplies or have a little “digestion insurance” when you need it, then a top-notch enzyme formula like Digestizol Max is your ticket.
Digestizol Max provides a complete blend of 15 plant-based enzymes that will help your body tackle virtually anything you can eat!
Plus its blend of gentle, cooling herbs (including peppermint, ginger and fennel) help to soothe any inflammation you may already have going on in your intestinal tract.
Help bring your gut microbiome into balance
If you’ve had a long history of poor digestion and/or low pancreatic output, it’s highly likely that your gut microbiome is topsy-turvy.
This is not good, because not only does your microbiome help break down sugars and fibers and enhance nutrient absorption, but it also houses most of your immune system (which protects you from infections, viruses and even diseases like cancer)!
The best way to turn around an unhealthy gut environment is to have a wholesome, real foods diet and supplement with an outstanding probiotic like Super Shield PLUS multi-strain probiotic formula.
Super Shield PLUS’s full-spectrum blend of 15 robust, well-studied bacteria can help whip your microbiome into shape and support your optimal health and sound digestion.
Now you are on the road to pain-free digestion and a very pleased pancreas!
To your health,
Sherry Brescia
