Feeling Bloated?

The holidays are great but they do take a toll on us. I for one enjoy all the goodies and enjoy myself! After all I have all year to eat consciously, a little indulgence is fine with me. As a nutritionist I do notice that I feel quite bloated and have some intestinal distress after eating sugar, pastries, cookies and cakes. For one thing it is very important to me to eat organic wheat if I eat it. Not only must it be organic, it needs to be soaked or sprouted for digestion. Wheat has changed over the years and today the product we eat is nothing like what our ancestors ate. For one the pesticides used are very harmful to our digestive systems. It has been discovered that in the last 10 years the farmers have found that if they soak the wheat fields with pesticides right before they harvest, the grains are more easily expelled from the plant and they obtain a greater harvest. These massive doses of pesticides are hurting our digestive systems. The use of Monsanto’s glyphosate ( known as Round-up)) has risen at the same rate as the rise in celiac disease. Glyphosate has been shown to severely damage the gut flora and cause chronic diseases rooted in gut dysfunction.
The second issue with wheat is that it contains phytic acid, a mineral blocker that is contained in all grains. By soaking grains with an acidic medium the phytic acid is nullified. Sprouting grains also has the same action. Flour can be ground from grains that have been soaked or sprouted and dried, this makes bread and other flour products easier to digest. Wheat also contains gluten which breaks down the microvilli in your small intestine, eventually letting particles of food leech into your blood stream  causing allergies, digestive disturbances and auto immune problems.
All of these factors can leave you feeling bloated and out of sorts after the holidays. I generally do a cleanse the first of the year where I eliminate wheat, dairy, sugar, caffeine and all processed foods. The best New Years Resolution you could make for yourself would be to buy organic, fresh, real foods and you will see how much better you feel.
Submitted by Tricia @ Nutrition by Tricia