It All Begins with Digestion

By: Shaya Mercer, FNTP 

You are what you eat. Even more importantly, though, you are what you eat AND are able to digest.

If your digestive system is not functioning properly, your ability to breakdown and absorb essential nutrients from your food (and supplements) is compromised while inflammation and toxicity caused by maldigestion increases.

Each year 62 million Americans are diagnosed with a digestive disorder. Most of these disorders are preventable, and in many cases reversible, with nutritional therapy – personalized recommendations for diet, lifestyle and supplementation - to support proper digestive function. Especially if they are addressed early, before medical intervention is required. Even after a medical diagnosis, nutritional therapy is a complementary method for supporting proper digestion and healing the gut.

That’s why, as a nutritional counselor, I prioritize assessing and supporting proper digestive function.

Wondering if you need digestive support? Some digestive issues are silent, meaning you may not have symptoms that you would immediately relate to digestion, while others are more obvious.

Here are some of the early warning signs that your digestion may be off:

• Acid reflux or heart burn

• Bad breath

• Brain fog

• Bloating or discomfort after eating

• Chipped or weak fingernails

• Cramping or pinching in abdomen

• Constipation, loose stool or both

• Excessive burping, flatulence

• Fatigue after meals

• Headaches

• Low appetite, change in appetite

• Nausea

Health begins in the gut, with proper function throughout the digestive system and related organs. That’s why when the gut is out of balance it can impact other systems in the body:

• Blood sugar

• Brain function

• Energy

• Hormonal balance

• Inflammation

• Joints and tendons

• Mood

• Skin

As a nutritional therapy practitioner, I am able to provide in-house assessments of digestive function and make recommendations for improving digestion in support of overall wellbeing. This also can be a great way to screen for digestive dysfunction and gut imbalances before investing in more expensive diagnostic tests.

If you suspect you might have less than optimal digestive function, want support for healing your gut, or just want to check that everything is working well, I encourage you to schedule a nutritional counseling appointment for a functional assessment of your digestive system.