15 all natural ways to help gas and bloating

1. Peppermint tea

Peppermint is great for soothing upset tummies and easing gas pains. Its essential oil contains menthol, which has an antispasmodic effect of the smooth muscle of the digestive track. It also soothes nerves, and therefore can soothe stomachs that really feel the effect of nervousness and stress. Drink a cup after dinner to help keep things moving slowly.

You will need…

-1 bag of herbal peppermint tea
-1 cup or so of freshly boiled water

Steeping tea seems like something that’s simple enough, but there’s a proper way to go about it. We often times let the tea bag sit in the water for several minutes, then pull the bag and drink the liquid. This doesn’t allow all the goodness of the tea to infuse thoroughly, and we’re shorting ourselves a good chunk of the benefits. After you boil your water, pour it over the tea bag in a mug, and then cover the mug (a plate works fine.) Let it sit for a full 10-15 minutes. Remove the cover and take out the tea bag, squeezing it to get out every last bit of the healing mixture. If it’s too hot to grab, press it against the side of the mug with a spoon. Sip, relax, and enjoy.

2. Let it out

Forever I can remember my mom telling me.. don't hold it in. She'd always say if you hold it in your gonna make your tummy mad.  I know it may sound silly but your tummy depends on your bodies ability to relieve itself.  Yes it can be embarrassing to let it out, but it is imperative to maintain health to be able to do so.   So try your best to find a quiet place to do it, but definitely do it if you need to.

3. Ginger tames

Ginger makes a great tea, it's great mixed in with your recipes and it has an amazing way to tame and calm your nausea, indigestion, or other tummy upsets.  It is capable of performing its wonders because of several different chemical components it possesses. Two chemicals-gingerols and shgaols- relax the intestinal track and ease any inflammation, while the root in its entirety act as a carminative-that is it prevents the formation of excess gas, or helps expel it.

You will need…

-1 fresh gingerroot
-A grater (optional)
-1 cup of boiling water, if making tea
-Lemon and honey (optional)

There are several ways to make gingerroot tea but for gas, we liked this one. Get a medium sized piece of raw gingerroot that looks nice and fresh. Scrub it clean, much like a potato, under warm water. Slice 4-6 thin quarter sized pieces and place them in a large mug. Add a touch of honey or lemon if you like, and then pour very hot water over the slices. Don’t let it boil-turn off the kettle just before or immediately afterwards. Cover and steep for 10 minutes before enjoying. Drink a cup before or after a meal to help with digestion.
Another way to reap the benefits of ginger is to eat a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger before meals, or nibble a root throughout the day.

4. Crunch on caraway

For centuries caraway has been used to give trapped gas in the digestive track a little shove out the back door. In England from the Middle Ages onward, it has been reported to help gas “caused by wind trapped in the body.” Of course air is only part of it but, if you find yourself puffing up from too much trapped gas, munching on a small handful of caraway seeds straight, or caraway crackers if the taste is too strong, might help.

You will need…

-a pinch of caraway seeds OR several caraway crackers
When you feel bloated and you’re unable to pass gas, eat a pinch of caraway seeds or a few caraway crackers. If you suffer from regular bloating due to gas, try eating a pinch every morning until you feel you no longer need to.

5. Drink chamomile tea

If you like the calming effect of chamomile over peppermint a cup of tea may be the way to go. In Germany,  they call chamomile alles zutraut which translates to “capable of anything,” because it is so useful. Antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and just plain relaxing, chamomile can help with gas due to indigestion as well as heartburn, whereas peppermint is better for gas caused solely by indigestion.

You will need…

-1 bag of chamomile tea
-1 cup or so of freshly boiled water
-honey or lemon juice (optional)

Boil approximately 1 cup of water and pour over tea bag. Cover the mug, and let the tea steep for a full 10-15 minutes. Squeeze the bag to get out all the last bits of goodness, and add a bit of honey and lemon if you like. Avoid milk, which tends to trigger gas.

6. Eat pumpkin

Gas is usually caused by improper digestion and nutrition.   Fiber is hard for us to digest, so it passes through our gut in bulk, especially when one does not chew properly. When food does not break down in the small intestine, it goes into the large intestine where natural bacteria feasts on it. As a by-product of their munching they produce a variety of gases, which produces a whole range of problems for us. Pumpkin is helpful because it can reduce the amount of gas created. Eat along with any meal to nip your problem in the bud.

7. Activate your tummy

Activated charcoal can be a great help when you really feel like you've over done it.   Activated charcoal is porous, great at trapping chemicals and binding to toxins, which is why it is used in the case of drug overdoses and for food poisoning.   Especially helpful for holiday dinners when you might be eating items you don't normally eat, also great when you want to do a detox.  Activated charcoal is best taken in capsule form. We have found that 4 capsules is plenty in a normal situation and at times mainly during detox we have taken up to 8 at a time.  If you have any questions about activated charcoal please read the insert provided with the bottle or seek the advice of your physician.

8. Chew Chew Chew

My parents used to tell me.. chew chew chew your food.  At least 70 times before you allow it to pass to your intestines.  I never understood why this was so important.  Not only does gas form by food that has not broken down, but with each chew you are producing essential digestive enzymes and making it easier for the nutrients of your food to be absorbed into your blood stream and easier for your body to digest. 

9. Drink warm or cold glass of lemon water

The key is alkalinity. Although lemons appear to be acidic once ingested they become the most alkaline food  to start your day add it to some water and drink.  This has been an age old model trick to kick starting your  metabolism while starting your body off with an a great alkaline kick.   Lemon is good for you in a number of ways, including lending a hand when it comes to easing your gas pain. The acidity in lemon stimulates the production of HCL (hydrochloric acid) which is what breaks down our food. More HCL = food breaking down more efficiently = less bloating and gas. The water flushes your system and keeps your digesting tract moving along smoothly. This mixture also works as a mighty fine way to detoxify your entire body, because the lemon helps the livers enzymes work more efficiently. This is a great daily habit to adopt.

You will need…

-3 fresh lemon wedges OR a fully squeezed lemon
-A cup of water
When you wake up in the morning, before you eat and when you have an empty stomach, warm up one cup of water or live it at room temperature.  Add your fresh lemon by squeezing the juice into the water. Give it a little stir and drink the whole glass. Repeat every morning.

10. Eat foods that can help you

Many of the foods we eat today can do more harm than good reeking havoc on our digestive systems.  Caffeine laden beverages, sugary sweets, fatty fried foods,  processed foods, dairy, grain and a number of other items claiming to be nutritious can cause gas, bloating and eventually even IBS (irrital bowel syndrome). Bad food choices can contribute to more bad bacterial growth in your tummy resulting in more opportunities for bloating, gas and other complications.  Focus on foods that are meant to help you nutritiously with 80% being alkaline and 20% acidic.  CLICK HERE FOR THE ALKALINITY CHART!. Please keep in mind that there are some vegetables like cabbage and broccoli which are known to expel gasses, however these are natural gases that eventually will come to pass leaving you feeling better overall.

11. Get your body moving

Together diet and exercise make one of the most powerful remedies for a vast number of ailments that plague us. If feeling good is something you are looking for you'll need to do a little moving everyday.  Walk, swim, yoga, sports, the gym can all go a long way when it comes to feeling good.  Active lifestyles promote a healthier digestion. Personally I have found that yoga or stretching for an hour every day can really change your life and how you feel.  Yoga is an easy way to naturally effect every organ, tissue, cell and muscle in your body and the results are amazing.

12. Anise Seed

Anise has anti-spasmodic properties and helps to relax your digestive track and any cramping you may be feeling. It is also a carminative, which is just a fancy way to say that it is known to expel pent up gas and relieve the bloating that goes with it.

13.  Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are generally produced when we chew chew chew.  When we chew our saliva produces valuable enzymes Protease, Amalyse and Lipase.  The enzymes then make there way to our stomach and are used to aid in the process of digestion.  When we eat plants especially the green leafy raw kind more enzymes are added from the vegetables; however, if we do not chew enough, if we do not eat enough raw green vegetables and if we eat too many cooked or processed foods then there is a high likelihood that you are enzyme deficient.  I discovered this to be true about myself 3 years ago when I was suffering from allergies.    There are many digestive enzymes you can look into taking. Bromelain can help your body digest proteins better or Super Enzymes are great as an all overall supplement  An enzyme supplement that I have found to be particularly helpful has been Allerase. Enzyme supplements can be found at your local health store or online at http://vitacost.com. 



14.  Probiotics
 
There are about 1000 different bacterial species that can be found in the human gut, including microorganisms like Lactobacillus acidophilus. Each individual is host to its own subgroup of around 160 of those species, like a unique fingerprint. Humans actually have more bacterial cells than human cells - in fact, we are 90% bacteria, and only 10% human cells.

Most of these estimated 100 trillion live bacteria perform valuable functions in our gastrointestinal system, including helping to manage undesirable microorganisms and relieving occasional gas, indigestion and irregularity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines probiotics as "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Probiotics are acidophilus-type bacteria that benefit our gastrointestinal tract and aid digestion. The best on the market over the counter that I have found is "Healthy Trinity".  Personally this brand has been a life saver in our lives as well as our dogs lives.


15.  Fermented Foods

Eating fermented foods is something that our ancestors did regularly but with the modern day convenience of processed and packaged food the art of fermentation is left to the  hard core believers.  When you eat a fermented food it is like eating a food that has been partially digested.  It restores the proper balance of good bacteria in the gut.  They are a great source of enzymes that can help you with your digestion. Fermented foods can actually increase your vitamin count and aid in nutritional absorption.  Fermentation can help preserve good food for longer, it is inexpensive and full of flavor.  Go crazy make your own.

Kombucha
Kefir
Salsa
Kefir Soda Pop
BBQ Natto with Shrimp
Traditional Korean Kimchi from Homemade Mommy
Easy Homemade Sauerkraut from Gutsy by Nature
Sauerkraut from Cheerfully Imperfect
Ridiculously Easy Homemade Dill Pickles from Primally Inspired
Lacto-Fermented Banana Peppers from Elston Backyard Farms
Easy Homemade Ginger Carrot Sauerkraut from The Savory Lotus
Fermented Apple Juice from Oh Lardy
Homemade Soda from Cheerfully Imperfect
Fermented Beet Kvass from The Yogi Mami
Coconut Water Kefir Beet Kvass from The Healthy Habit Coach
Lychee Coconut Water Kefir from Loula Natural
Fermented Ketchup from Homemade Mommy
Not Your Mama’s Yogurt from The Yogi Mami
Simple Milk Kefir from Cheerfully Imperfect
Coconut Milk Yogurt from Gutsy by Nature
Traditional Sourdough Bread from Pure Traditions
Savory Soured Oatcakes from Cheerfully Imperfect
Real Ranch Dressing from Homemade Mommy
Mason Jar Sangria from The Darling Bakers
Lacto-Fermented Ketchup from Suzy Homemaker
Spicy Fermented Cranberry Orange Relish from Homemade Mommy



 SOURCE:   
EVERYDAY ROOTS, 
UNDERGROUND HEALTH
CHEESE SLAVE
 


Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of I'm Holistic, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experiences of I'm Holistic. I'm Holistic encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

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Sleep is not overrated

I had spent much of my life saying that sleep was overrated, and how wrong was I?  The truth is that sleep is when your body gets the opportunity to heal itself.  After battling the physical, mental and environmental issues all day your body needs this chance to help you rest and restore.  I always thought that I would be missing out on something, or if I just took one more hour to finish that project it could actually help me out the next day when really I was only making it harder on myself in the long run.  Sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise, and if you don't give your body enough of it then you are actually reducing the effectiveness of any efforts you may be giving yourself.  It would be like running a marathon and then smoking a cigarette right after.

Understanding Sleep and how it works for you:

There are two main types of sleep:

• Non-REM (NREM) sleep consists of four stages of sleep, each deeper than the last.
• REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is when you do most active dreaming. Your eyes actually move back and forth during this stage, which is why it is called Rapid Eye Movement sleep.

The Stages of Sleep
Non-REM sleep
Stage 1 (Transition to sleep) – Stage 1 lasts about five minutes. Eyes move slowly under the eyelids, muscle activity slows down, and you are easily awakened.
Stage 2 (Light sleep) – This is the first stage of true sleep, lasting from 10 to 25 minutes. Eye movement stops, heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases.
Stage 3 (Deep sleep) – You’re difficult to awaken, and if you are awakened, you do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes.
Stage 4 (More intense deep sleep) – The deepest stage of sleep. Brain waves are extremely slow. Blood flow is directed away from the brain and towards the muscles, restoring physical energy.
REM sleep
REM sleep (Dream sleep) – About 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep, you enter REM sleep, where dreaming occurs. Eyes move rapidly. Breathing is shallow. Heart rate and blood pressure increase. Arm and leg muscles are paralyzed.

The sleep cycle: Understanding the architecture of sleep

You may think that once you go to bed, you soon fall into a deep sleep that lasts for most of the night, progressing back into light sleep in the morning when it’s time to wake up. In reality, the sleep cycle is a lot more complicated.

When you chart the sleep stages over the course of the night, the result looks like a city skyline—which is why it is called "sleep architecture"

During the night, your sleep follows a predictable pattern, moving back and forth between deep restorative sleep (deep sleep) and more alert stages and dreaming (REM sleep). Together, the stages of REM and non-REM sleep form a complete sleep cycle that repeats until you wake up.
The amount of time you spend in each stage of sleep changes as the night progresses. For example, most deep sleep occurs in the first half of the night. Later in the night, your REM sleep stages become longer, alternating with light Stage 2 sleep. This is why if you are sensitive to waking up in the middle of the night, it is probably in the early morning hours, not immediately after going to bed.

Having a hard time getting up? Take advantage of the 90-minute sleep cycle.

Even if you’ve enjoyed a full night’s sleep, getting out of bed isn’t easy if your alarm goes off when you’re in the middle of the deeper stages of sleep (especially stages 3 and 4). If you want to make mornings less painful, set a wake-up time that’s a multiple of 90 minutes, the length of the average sleep cycle. For example, if you go to bed at 10 p.m., set your alarm for 5:30 (a total of 7 ½ hours of sleep) instead of 6:00 or 6:30. You’ll feel more refreshed at 5:30 than you will with another 30 to 60 minutes of sleep, because you’re getting up when your body and brain are already close to wakefulness.

You may be sleep deprived if you...

• Need an alarm clock in order to wake up on time.
• Rely on the snooze button.
• Have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.
• Feel sluggish in the afternoon.
• Get sleepy in meetings, lectures, or warm rooms.
• Get drowsy after heavy meals or when driving.
• Need to nap to get through the day.
• Fall asleep while watching TV or relaxing in the evening.
• Feel the need to sleep in on weekends.
• Fall asleep within five minutes of going to bed.

While it may seem like losing sleep isn’t such a big deal, sleep deprivation has a wide range of negative effects that go way beyond daytime drowsiness.

The effects of sleep deprivation and chronic lack of sleep

• Fatigue, lethargy, and lack of motivation
• Moodiness and irritability
• Reduced creativity and problem-solving skills
• Inability to cope with stress
• Reduced immunity; frequent colds and infections
• Concentration and memory problems
• Weight gain
• Impaired motor skills and increased risk of accidents
• Difficulty making decisions
• Increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems

Think six hours of sleep is enough?

Think again. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to do well on 6 hours of sleep a night. But the gene is very rare, appearing in less than 3% of the population. For the other 97% of us, six hours doesn’t come close to cutting it.

How Many Hours of Sleep Do We Need?

According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult sleeps less than 7 hours per night. In today’s fast-paced society, 6 or 7 hours of sleep may sound pretty good. In reality, it’s a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation.

While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Children and teens need even more (see box at right). And despite the notion that sleep needs decrease with age, older people still need at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap.

Myths and Facts about Sleep

Myth 1: Getting just 1 hour less sleep per night won’t effect your daytime functioning. You may not be noticeably sleepy during the day. But even slightly less sleep can affect your ability to think properly and respond quickly, and compromise your cardiovascular health, energy balance, and ability to fight infections.
Myth 2: Your body adjusts quickly to different sleep schedules. Most people can reset their biological clock, but only by appropriately timed cues—and even then, by 1–2 hours per day at best. Consequently, it can take more than a week to adjust after traveling across several time zones or switching to the night shift.
Myth 3: Extra sleep at night can cure you of problems with excessive daytime fatigue. Not only is the quantity of sleep important but also the quality of sleep. Some people sleep 8 or 9 hours a night but don’t feel well rested when they wake up because the quality of their sleep is poor.
Myth 4: You can make up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping more on the weekends. Although this sleeping pattern will help relieve part of a sleep debt, it will not completely make up for the lack of sleep. Furthermore, sleeping later on the weekends can affect your biological clock so that it is much harder to go to sleep at the right time on Sunday nights and get up early on Monday mornings.

Adapted from Your Guide to Healthy Sleep (PDF) - The National Institutes of Health


How Sleep Effects Your Body

Hormones
During sleep you enable your body to start producing human growth hormone (HGH). HGH, the protein hormone,  promotes the growth, maintenance and repair of muscles and bones by facilitating the use of amino acids (the essential building blocks of protein). Every tissue in the body is renewed faster while you are asleep.

Melatonin is another hormone produced helps you control body rhythms and sleep-wake cycles. Levels of melatonin rise as the body temperature falls, to encourage feelings of sleepiness. The opposite occurs to wake us up.

It is mostly during sleep that the sex hormone testosterone and the fertility hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone and leuteinising hormone, are secreted.

Immune system
Your immune system can benefit from proper sleep by aiding your body's ability to fight infection and resist more opportunities of infection.   Studies have shown that by getting proper amounts of sleep you are also increasing your bodies ability of producing higher levels of white blood cells and certain proteins which can aid your body's defense systems.

Our body also contain cells that aid in reducing cancer with a cancer killer called TNF, turmour necrosis factor.    Research has shown that people who stayed up until 3am had one-third fewer cells containing TNF the next day, and that the effectiveness of those remaining was greatly reduced.

We also have a built in clock called the circadian rhythm.  The circadian rhythm regulates all the processes of the body, from digestion to cell renewal. All these body rhythms are triggered by an action of a network of chemical messengers and nerves which are controlled by the circadian clock.
Ensuring regular periods of sleep at night lets the bodyclock regulate hormone production, helps you feel awake when you need to be awake and at rest while you need to sleep.

Body temperature
It is normal for your body temperature to slowly fall during sleep as your body is designed to,  low body temperatures increase your likelihood of sleeping deeply, allowing the body a chance to rest and rebuild.

The skin
Your skin depends on a deep sleep in order to help it repair from the damaging effects from the day.   As proteins are the building blocks for cell growth and repair on the inside, so are they for your skin.  While you are sleeping your skin's metabolic rate actually speeds up and allows the body's cells to increase their production while reducing the breakdown of those beneficial proteins, giving added meaning to getting your beauty sleep.


Muscles
While sleeping your body gains the opportunity to relax giving it the opportunity for tissues to be repaired and restored.

Blood
During sleep, the cells and tissues that break down to produce toxic waste then become less active. This gives the chance for broken-down tissue to be rebuilt.  Studies have shown that during sleep your body is given the opportunity to detoxify your tissues through your bloodstream aiding in producing better lung, kidney, bowels, liver, and skin functions.

Digestive system
The body requires a regular supply of energy and its key source is glucose. This is constantly burned up to release energy for muscle contraction, nerve impulses and regulating body temperature.
When we sleep, your need for these energy reserves is reduced allowing your body more time to find the balance it needs to restore it's glucose levels.

In summary, your body and your life depend on you to get the sleep you need to function, fight disease, stay healthy mentally and physically.  Give your body the sleep you need and you can reclaim your life and your body.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of I'm Holistic, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experiences of I'm Holistic. I'm Holistic encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

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An anti aging combo that works...

I'm a big fan of eating raw green vegetables and it has been discovered that the same substance that makes Pink flamingos pink is the salmon substance fueling salmon.  

Introducing Astaxanthin a microalgae (the green vegetable from the sea)... 

When it comes to free radical scavenging, astaxanthin can be as much as…

• 65 times more powerful than vitamin C
• 54 times stronger than beta-carotene
• 14 times more potent than vitamin E

Plus, astaxanthin has been shown to be more effective than other carotenoids and other nutrients at ‘singlet oxygen quenching’ by being up to…

• 550 times more powerful than vitamin E
• 800 times stronger than CoQ10
• 6000 times greater than vitamin C
• 550 times more powerful than green tea catechins
• 11 times stronger than beta-carotene

As a singlet oxygen quenching’ substance... Astaxanthin was even found to be as much as 2.75 stronger than lutein.  

What if you could…

• Reduce the appearance of wrinkles, dry skin, age spots, and freckles?
• Boost your brain and nervous system protection from free radicals?
• Help reduce the visible signs of aging?
• Promote your joint and skeletal system health?
• Potentially enhance your skin protection from sun-induced free radicals?

And if you’re an athlete, or even a weekend warrior, what if you could…

• Increase your strength and stamina?
• Improve your endurance?
• Enable faster recovery from exercise?
• Reduce joint and muscle soreness after a vigorous workout?
• Enhance your visual acuity and depth perception?

Here's how it is so effective:

• Able to cross the blood-brain barrier and the blood-retinal barrier (beta-carotene and some others don’t do this)…
• Protects your eyes, brain, and nervous system from oxidative stress
• Potentially reduces DNA damage caused by free radicals

By adding antioxidants to your diet to help combat sun-induced free radicals in your skin, you can help to potentially avoid…

• Premature skin aging
• Excessive wrinkling
• Skin Dryness
• Excessive number of age spots
• Proliferation of freckles

Antioxidants are generally classified into two broad categories…water soluble (hydrophilic) and lipid soluble (hydrophobic).  Your body needs both types of antioxidants because each one targets different types of cells and tissues for free radical scavenging…

• Water soluble antioxidants –  Examples of water soluble antioxidants include… vitamin C, glutathione, and catechins.
• Lipid soluble antioxidants –  Examples of lipid-soluble antioxidants include… vitamins E, A, and beta carotene.

The efficacy of water- and lipid-soluble antioxidants is more powerful when taken together

I strongly recommend Resveratrol as your water soluble antioxidant.

HERE IS THE POWER DUO:

RESOURCES:

Dr. Mercola

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of I'm Holistic, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experiences of I'm Holistic. I'm Holistic encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

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