Coming up on Sunday on REALTalk, we are going to be delving DEEP into our digestion. I can’t wait to sit down with my favourite holistic nutritionist, Natasha Villeneuve to explore this complex and fascinating process.
For many people, digestion trouble can really interfere with their lives. They eat food, feel bloated, experience gas, tummy upset, heartburn, indigestion and have unhealthy bowel movements, but because this is “just the way it is”, they feel like this is their “normal”.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
As Natasha will help us understand, healthy digestion starts in the brain, when we think about or smell food, which gets our salivary glands and digestive enzymes working. It continues in the mouth, as we chew our food, incorporating those enzymes, and then it travels through its process before, finally, ending with a bowel movement.
Oh the JOY!
But for many, many people, elimination is not a joyful experience. In fact, it can cause a lot of anxiety and frustration along with the obvious discomfort, as people struggle with constipation, only going every few days, struggling and straining on the toilet only to pass tiny “pebbles” or “rabbit poop”. This is just no fun and it can signal other health issues that, again, Natasha will speak to on Sunday.
Roger’s mom has always struggled with constipation. It was just a part of her life growing up, and adding high stress to her life didn’t help things, and in fact she developed irritable bowel syndrome in her fourties as a result. Two years ago, she did my 28 Day Kick The Sugar Challenge and completely re-set her system by eliminating processed sugar, refined carbohydrates, gluten, dairy, alcohol and caffeine for 28 days. She felt amazing eating real, whole foods, adding in morning lemon water and ensuring she kept her blood sugar stable.
And the BEST part? She started POOPING! For the first time in her life, she was regular. Every single morning, she was experiencing that incredible feeling of complete elimination and she was doing a happy dance! It was exciting! (For anyone who struggles with constipation, you will appreciate this!).
She continued enjoying healthy elimination for years, but last April, she spiked a very high fever. From there, she continued to feel unwell, not able to pinpoint anything that made sense. She became constipated again and struggled every morning to pass “rabbit poop”. She was so disappointed because she had worked so hard to get her digestive system working so well. In the end, she learned she had become diabetic (a rare form called “LADA” or latent autoimmune diabetes of adults) and there is a good chance that because her blood sugar spiked so high that her entire system was thrown off, resulting in her constipation.
I had been emailing and calling her to make suggestions (exercise, water, pre- and probiotics, etc.) and nothing was really working. Until NOW.
I am writing this from Fredericton, where my in-laws live, and I decided to speak to a naturopathic doctor and ask for her recommendation for my mother-in-law before flying out here.
She suggested magnesium oxide.
Magnesium oxide is a mineral supplement used to treat or prevent low levels of magnesium in the blood. Many of us are deficient in magnesium and sometimes, we need to supplement. Magnesium is important for many systems in the body, but it is especially vital for healthy muscles and bones.
Magnesium oxide, in particular, helps with constipation.
The brand I picked up was Natural Factors and it comes in tablet form. It is recommended to take it with an entire glass of cold water. The naturopath recommended she take just one tablet and see how it worked, and if she didn’t find any relief, to up the dosage to two tablets.
Well, on the first day we arrived, she took one tablet in the late afternoon. And the next morning, she did a HAPPY DANCE!! She finally POOPED!!! And it was exactly the kind we all want to experience: Formed, sausage-like, smooth and soft (#4 on the Bristol Stool Chart). She didn’t struggle to go and it truly felt like such a a RELIEF to know that with a little magnesium boost, she was back to being regular!
There is NOTHING like the feeling of a GOOD POOP. If YOU are struggling with constipation or any of the common issues around digestion, then I highly recommend taking a closer look at your diet, your hydration, your exercise, your stress levels and, perhaps, your magnesium levels. And I hope you'll tune in to REALTalk With Sarah this Sunday. Nothing will be off limits as we aim to help you become your healthiest self...from the inside out.
Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.
P.S. My mother-in-law approved this post. 🙂 You can catch the show on Rogers channel 22 if you live in Ottawa, or else I will post the link to the live stream on my Facebook page at 8 pm ET.
P.P.S. If you want to learn all sorts of ways to live a healthier lifestyle and would like to register for my “One Bite At A Time” Group Coaching Program, registration for the winter session is NOW OPEN! Please email me at Sarah@SarahTalksFood.com and let me know that you’d like to join. From there, we will set up a short phone call to ensure we are a good fit for one another. The next group starts on Monday, January 7th. 2019. If you want to TRULY change the way you feel about yourself and your body, then I am confident I am the coach to help you achieve your goals.
P.P.P.S. If you haven’t already signed up, you might enjoy my 14 Days of Wellness. Simply enter your name and email address here. It’s free, with no diets, products, challenges or catches (you’ll just start getting a Tuesday email from me and you can unsubscribe at any time). I’d love to stay connected. xo
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