Healthy Digestion, Happy Life!

Followed by the feastings and gatherings from Christmas and New Year, we can look forward to all the delicious foods and snacks in the upcoming Chinese New Year.

But before that, are you feeling bloated or experiencing any minor digestive issues after all the feasting from one after another? Perhaps, it is time to reflect on your past consumption and enhance your digestive health before going all out for Chinese New Year.

Here are 4 warning signals[1] your body is giving regarding your digestive health:

• Fatigue

One of the biggest indicators is when you are constantly sleepy or feeling groggy despite having a full 8 hours of sleep. It could happen because your body is constantly working to correct itself.

• Irregular bowel movements

The liver plays an important role in identifying toxins and eliminating them from the body. Constipation is dangerous because if those toxins stay in your body for longer than intended, they can be reabsorbed into circulation instead of leaving through the bowels.

• Inability to lose weight

If you are not losing weight despite the efforts of eating clean and exercising regularly, it could be a sign that the adipose tissue, also known as “fat cells,” might be the ones holding on to the toxins. The body understands this and may declare it unsafe to break down the adipose tissue and release the toxins within, which makes it more difficult to lose weight. 

• Skin issues

When the body isn’t eliminating its toxins through normal pathways like daily bowel movements, it will seek other alternative ways to get rid itself of those toxins. Those alternative ways include sweating or resulting in skin conditions like rashes, rosacea, and eczema. These skin conditions, as well as foul body odor, can all be signs of serious toxins build-up within the body. 

There are many ways to do a detox cleanse. Fortunately, our body already has a highly efficient detoxification system to eliminate toxins from the body[2]. Rather than relying solely on a liquid cleanse diet or fasting that lacks vital nutrients, we recommend these safe steps to optimise your body’s natural detoxification system:

1. Reduce Your Salt & Sugar Intake

Consuming food with too much salt can cause water retention in your body. This excess fluid buildup can cause bloating and makes you feel heavier than usual. If you find yourself consuming too much salt from takeaways or processed foods recently, try to increase your water intake to eliminate excess water weight away.

By increasing your water intake, your body reduces the secretion of the antidiuretic hormone (a type of hormone that prevents urinating) and increases urination, thus eliminating more water and waste away from the body[3].

On the other hand, high consumption of sugary foods can also cause chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. These diseases will hinder your body’s ability to naturally detoxify itself by harming organs that play an important role, such as your liver and kidneys.

To counterbalance some of the sodium effects, you should increase your intake of potassium-rich foods such as potatoes, kidney beans, bananas, and spinach. If you are not eating enough fibres, get additional help from supplements formulated with a proprietary fermented fruits & vegetable blend, with added cassia fistula extract to help regulate bowel movement and prevent constipation.

2. Eat Foods Rich in Prebiotics & Probiotics

Gut health is one of the most important roles in keeping your detoxification system healthy. Your intestinal cells have a detoxification and excretion system that protects your gut and body from harmful toxins.

When the good bacteria in your gut are affected by the bad bacteria due to unhealthy lifestyles, the unhealthy shift of bacteria can weaken your immunity as well as your detoxification system.

Hence, start eating foods rich in prebiotics to feed the good bacteria in your gut for a healthier digestive system. Some food rich in prebiotics include tomatoes, artichokes, bananas, asparagus, onions, garlic, leeks, apples and oats.

Additionally, make sure to also consume probiotic foods to increase good bacteria and maintain the right balance of good bacteria in the digestive tract. For example, kimchi, kombucha tea, yoghurt are great probiotic food options to include in your daily diet. You may go for probiotic supplements too for easier accessibility to probiotics daily.

3. Get Quality Sleep

Getting sufficient sleep allows your brain to reorganize, recharge and remove toxic wastes that were accumulated throughout the day[4]. If you are always lacking quality sleep, your body might not have time to perform these functions where toxins can slowly build up and affect your overall health.

Take some efforts to fix a regular bedtime schedule of at least 7 hours per night and avoid snacking 2 hours before your bedtime. As easy as it may sound, but it takes discipline and determination to change your bad habits. It is a good idea to read a physical book and refrain from using any electronic devices to improve overall sleep quality.

4. Limit Alcohol Consumption

About 90% – 98% of the alcohol that you consume is metabolized in your liver. Excessive drinking can cause multiple health issues which include severely damaging your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring[5].

When this happens, your liver can’t function adequately and perform its necessary tasks such as filtering waste and other toxins from your body. Thus, it is always the better option to limit alcohol consumption to keep your liver healthy. Apart from that, you can consume liver tonics that are formulated with Traditional Chinese Medicinal to soothe the liver and promote healthy blood circulation.

Our body is capable of identifying and eliminating unwanted substances from the body itself but that can only be done if our organs are healthy. So start taking conscious efforts by caring about what you consume into your body and avoid your liver from overworking this Chinese New Year.