It’s important to listen to your body. We all have digestive systems of different strengths and speeds. You may be able to eat spicy food without getting heartburn, while your spouse might be kept up all night from a single slice of pizza. Listen to your digestive system, make active observations, and go with what works.
If you don’t know where to start, focus on taking away rather than making additions. If you’re struggling with regularity, for example, consider dietary elements that may be contributing constipation. Diets rich in meat and fat may have this problem, while diets abundant in vegetables and fruit will likely be just fine. Supplanting the non-plant, high-calorie foods with something natural and fiber-rich can often solve the problem without getting too complicated.
If your diet is good and you still have persistent digestive problems, it’s time to start investing in gut health on the molecular level. Taking probiotics every single day can change the flora of your digestive tract, making you more able to digest, fight off disease, and feel full of energy. Some of us have damaged gut flora from antibiotics and poor diet, and it can take time to rejuvenate these bacterial populations. If you don’t want to take expensive probiotics, consider eating bacteria-rich fermented foods, a little each day. A single dose of kombucha or sauerkraut can have as much or more living bacteria than a probiotic pill, and you can make the ferments at home for pennies.
Triphala, the ancient Ayurvedic herb, is likely effectively in improving gut health. Available from Banyan Botanicals and Gaia Herbs, the active components of triphala are not completely understood by science. However, centuries of anecdote, personal experience, and physician observation have established triphala as a standard treatment for gut health in a number of medical traditions. This is consistent with what many people experience: what works isn’t always the best understood method, but individuals seem to benefit nonetheless.
There are also many herbal remedies, like the triphala method already discussed. Numerous teas and Ayurvedic medicines have properties that can stimulate digestion and help stabilize other gut issues like dyspepsia. The simple effect of caffeine in black tea may be enough to promote regularity for most adults.
A key component in gut health is hydration. It’s hard to maintain a digestive schedule if you don’t have enough water in the system to lube up the works. Much is made of the role of fiber in digestive and gut health, but water is as important if not more so. Consult a guide about how much water someone of your age and gender should consume. Take into account your activity level, and extenuating factors like the dryness of the winter air. If in doubt, drink a little more. Spice up dull water by drinking seltzer, or using natural flavors to give it a bit more variety. Natural mineral waters can also be incredibly enjoyable, though these will likely be too expensive to be your primary hydration source.
Finally, exercise to promote the best operation of your gut. There’s something about getting the blood flowing, and having your tissues and muscles demanding sustenance, that makes our digestive systems jump into an active mode. Lots of us work from a seated position all day, and this can have deleterious effects on the gut. Simply by becoming more active, we can change things for the better.
Fortunately for your gut health, there are many things you can do to be more healthy. Practice these various methods little by little, and you should have good gut health for life.
Can You Consume Essential Oils? What You Need To Know
Essential oils are some of nature’s best blessings. Extracted from herbs, flowers and fruits, essential oils have unique and often enticing aromas. Essential oils’ many potential health benefits may be unlocked when used topically, through aromatherapy, and even - some would say - by ingesting them. Before investing in a bottle of essential oils, it is important to know a bit about what they are and what they can offer you.
Whether to Consume Essential Oils
One important thing to know about essential oils is that there is no added benefit for ingesting them. If someone recommends you ingest essential oils, it is likely they are trying to get you to use more product than is necessary. Essential oils have plenty to offer your health and well being through other avenues, and a small bottle ought to last you a long time.
You may hear about essential oils that are food grade, or food-safe. What this simply means is that you can cook with them if you feel led, but it does not mean they need to be taken that way. For instance, if you are seeking the health benefits of peppermint oil (memory, immunity, sinuses, etc.), you could put a drop of food grade peppermint essential oil in a cup of hot water, making some peppermint tea. But this is not necessarily the best way to take the essential oil; just one way. Food-grade essential oils may also be used in items such as dental floss, toothpaste and mouthwash.
Instead, taking essential oils topically or through aromatherapy is a much better choice. Some people like to include essential oils in a bath to gain the soothing properties of the oils. Another popular method is through massage. When used topically, a typical concentration is 1 percent when putting it on the body, and .5 percent when using it on the face. When using an essential oil for the first time, it is best to dab just a tiny bit on your arm to see whether there is a negative reaction.
Now Foods for Essential Oil Health Benefits
If you do choose to give essential oils a whirl, make sure to get them from a brand that is well trusted. May I suggest Now Foods, a brand whose supplements are often recognizable thanks to an orange label. A family-owned company tracing back to the 1940s, Now Foods is committed to the community and leading environmental efforts such as The Nature Conservatory. Now Foods’ comprehensive laboratory testing assures their products are high grade and consistent.
Now Foods makes quality products for sports nutrition, natural beauty, personal care products, and even nutritious organic foods. But some of their best products are in their essential oils line. Now Foods makes just about any essential oil you could need: Lemon Oil, Clove Oil, Rosemary Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Cedarwood Oil and many others. Many of these oils are great for topical use as well as aromatherapy.
Now Foods also makes variety pack oils for special use. Put Some Pep In Your Step is a four-pack of mostly citrus essential oils to boost your energy. Let There Be Peace and Quiet is a kit that comes in handy when you need the opposite effect: to wind down gently. And of course, there is Love At First Scent, another four-pack that is guaranteed to offer you warm feelings and good vibes. This product is the perfect asset for those times you want to look and feel lovely.
As you can see, there is a wide range of uses for essential oils. They really are remarkable. And what’s more is that a little goes a long way. You don’t need to ingest them. It can be fun to take essential oils a variety of different ways. There are so many to try that you are sure to find one or more that you love. Maybe start with a Now Foods variety pack to get things started. See where they take you -- I’m sure it will be a good time!
Pick-me-ups like coffee and energy drinks are good for a quick kick, but then comes the crash. Caffeine and sugars are great if you need to get over that final hump in your workday, but for almost all other situations they are bad news.
If you're looking for sustained energy that also helps with focus, exercise performance, and even weight management, then you want to start using MCT oil.
What Is MCT Oil?
MCT (medium chain triglycerides) are a type of fatty acid that combines complex molecules to form complete various biological functions in the body.
MCT is also a type of saturated fat, but other things that contribute to a range of long-term health problems, MCT oils are not processed in the body. Rather, MCT oils are more to digest through the digestive system where it becomes a source of sustained energy for the body.
MCT oils may also provide other potential health benefits, including support for:
Exercise performance
Energy production in cells during muscle contractions
MCT oil is most often derived from the oils or coconut or palm fruit. The source of MCT oil does not matter from a nutritional standpoint as manufacturers can standardize the dosage and filter out any unwanted compounds.
But if you’re environmentally conscious, you may have already seen the impact of deforestation linked to palm tree farming. On the other hand, coconut farming is not immune to the same criticism. Like with most things, you’ll need to do your research into the source of a company’s MCT oil, then decide who should get your money.
MCT Oil Supplements
MCT oil supplements are the best way to get more MCT in your daily diet. Many brands specialize in MCT products, but Jarrow Formulas is noteworthy for providing MCT oils from coconut oil as caprylic acid and capric acid. These two forms of MCT are thought to provide an ideal balance between digestion time and energy production.
Jarrow Formulas makes this exact combination of MCT oil available as a softgel and in a 20 ounce bottle . If you buy the oil, you can add it to your cooking, use it as a dressing, or mix it with your coffee, or shakes and smoothies.
Adding MCT oil to your diet is one of several changes that can help you bolster your energy levels. Make sure that you have a mix of fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and lean protein, which will provide a source of sustained energy and essential nutrients.
