Dearest readers, I care a lot about my health and yours. I am a firm believer that the best retirement plan is when two goals share the number one spot in that plan- retirement investments (RRSP, 401K, occasional YOLO's haha) and investing in your health on a daily basis. Bottom line, the healthier you are, the less retirement money you will need; if you get to save a lot for retirement and your health does not need too much of it, you will enjoy your golden years more. While I wish that this was the focus for many generations now, we simply did not have widespread, affordable ways or nutritional know how to do it in the past. Whoever can benefit from it now, definitely should. With that said, I want to touch on something I have been doing for months now that has brought me significant health benefits. Have you eaten something bitter lately? No? Here is why you should and what your best options might be.
Bitter foods, or even better mixes called bitters, have been famous in the cocktail world for ages. In addition, there is an entire category of drinks, the vast majority of them European, that are called bitters. These include amaro type drinks, Jägermeister, Chartreuse, Aperol and more. What these drinks and cocktail bitters have in common is that their makers infuse them with a mix of plant bitters that have a major role in boosting our digestion. According to sources such as Healthline, as well as numerous natural health sites and some research studies (at least one sighted under digestive bitters on WebMD), digestive bitters help the body produce more saliva and to create much more digestive enzymes than usual. This means that digestive bitters help your body get more nutrients out of the food (and supplements) that you are consuming every day.
Why does this matter? Well, there are many reasons. First, we assume that we get the full nutritional value of everything we consume. That assumption can often be wrong. Our digestive systems have many reasons not to function at peak efficiency. The first obvious reason is age- the older you get, the more of an edge you need when digesting food. The second reason is that substances like alcohol have been proven to diminish your ability to properly digest food. The third major reason is that you may have a mild food intolerance (e.g. lactose or gluten) that does not categorize as an actual condition, but may cause you bouts of diarrhea, bloating or gas. Well, digestive bitters may be able to take care of that for you. It is something you also need to look into if you have or suspect you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome); however, you need to avoid it if you have ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease- talk to your doctor. Finally, it can potentially help with heartburn or protect you from ever getting it- a major plus.
So, how do I use digestive bitters? Well, bitter alcoholic drinks are out of the question because I would have to take a shot with every major meal and that is a no go. Besides, alcohol (in larger amounts) can interfere with digestion so that is another reason why I do not go this route. Instead, I prefer to take digestive bitter extracts and there are many choices on Amazon and in local health stores. So far, I have used St. Francis' Canadian bitters (currently) and Salus Gallexier (in the past). Personally, I have never had issues with either. There are only two basic rules I suggest you follow. Whichever one you choose, try to make sure that the plants used to make the bitters are grown in a country that has higher standards for how they grow their plants (pesticides, pollution levels etc.) and that have ostensibly high quality processing facilities. ideally, you want to go for organic, non GMO, that kind of stuff. Now, on to how I use them. I follow dosage instructions from the bottle and take them with my two major meals ( I take most supplements with the meals, so I do not need to take digestive bitters separately just for the supplements). It is as simple as that.
I hope that I inspired you to look into using digestive bitters- after you look into it some more as well. Bottom line, if you want to make sure that you absorb as close to one hundred percent of nutrients from your food and supplements as you possibly can, while at the same time getting a handle on occasional bloating, gas and similar stuff, this is one of the best ways to go. Do a search, talk to your doctor if need be, and if these are right for you, what can I say- enjoy the benefits. :)
Bitter foods, or even better mixes called bitters, have been famous in the cocktail world for ages. In addition, there is an entire category of drinks, the vast majority of them European, that are called bitters. These include amaro type drinks, Jägermeister, Chartreuse, Aperol and more. What these drinks and cocktail bitters have in common is that their makers infuse them with a mix of plant bitters that have a major role in boosting our digestion. According to sources such as Healthline, as well as numerous natural health sites and some research studies (at least one sighted under digestive bitters on WebMD), digestive bitters help the body produce more saliva and to create much more digestive enzymes than usual. This means that digestive bitters help your body get more nutrients out of the food (and supplements) that you are consuming every day.
Why does this matter? Well, there are many reasons. First, we assume that we get the full nutritional value of everything we consume. That assumption can often be wrong. Our digestive systems have many reasons not to function at peak efficiency. The first obvious reason is age- the older you get, the more of an edge you need when digesting food. The second reason is that substances like alcohol have been proven to diminish your ability to properly digest food. The third major reason is that you may have a mild food intolerance (e.g. lactose or gluten) that does not categorize as an actual condition, but may cause you bouts of diarrhea, bloating or gas. Well, digestive bitters may be able to take care of that for you. It is something you also need to look into if you have or suspect you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome); however, you need to avoid it if you have ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease- talk to your doctor. Finally, it can potentially help with heartburn or protect you from ever getting it- a major plus.
So, how do I use digestive bitters? Well, bitter alcoholic drinks are out of the question because I would have to take a shot with every major meal and that is a no go. Besides, alcohol (in larger amounts) can interfere with digestion so that is another reason why I do not go this route. Instead, I prefer to take digestive bitter extracts and there are many choices on Amazon and in local health stores. So far, I have used St. Francis' Canadian bitters (currently) and Salus Gallexier (in the past). Personally, I have never had issues with either. There are only two basic rules I suggest you follow. Whichever one you choose, try to make sure that the plants used to make the bitters are grown in a country that has higher standards for how they grow their plants (pesticides, pollution levels etc.) and that have ostensibly high quality processing facilities. ideally, you want to go for organic, non GMO, that kind of stuff. Now, on to how I use them. I follow dosage instructions from the bottle and take them with my two major meals ( I take most supplements with the meals, so I do not need to take digestive bitters separately just for the supplements). It is as simple as that.
I hope that I inspired you to look into using digestive bitters- after you look into it some more as well. Bottom line, if you want to make sure that you absorb as close to one hundred percent of nutrients from your food and supplements as you possibly can, while at the same time getting a handle on occasional bloating, gas and similar stuff, this is one of the best ways to go. Do a search, talk to your doctor if need be, and if these are right for you, what can I say- enjoy the benefits. :)