Why Is Digestion So Important?

Every cell in our body is made up of the building blocks we obtain from our food – the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Every function in our body, every system, depends on having sufficient quantities of these essential factors available for the body to use. Being able to break down our food and absorb these nutrients is crucial to our health and well-being.

With our degraded food supply containing less vital nutrients than it did a century ago, the eating of processed and packaged food that is stripped of its vitamin and mineral content, the stress we live under and the pollution we are exposed to – means that we have an even higher need for good nutrition than we had in the past. To be able to absorb what we need though, we have to have a healthy digestive system.

How Do I Know
What Is Healthy and Normal?

Everyone is different but if you have had the same pattern of bowel movements over a long period of time, then you will call that “normal” for you.

However normal for you, does not necessarily mean “healthy”. I have heard many people describe their bowel movements as “normal”, but with further questioning I find out that they are anything but! Even though it is not the most pleasant of subjects, here is a list of things that are not normal: (If this makes you feel ill, quickly skip this bit!)

• Infrequent bowel movements; less frequent than once or twice a day (like every few days or even once a week) is not healthy!
• Bowel movements that are difficult to pass;
• Bowel movements that are often loose, or alternating between being formed one day and loose the next;
• Chronic diarrhoea;
• Constipation;
• Transit times of longer than 24 hours;
• Excessive gas and bad odour;
• Very long thin stools;
• Sticky or discoloured stools;
• Undigested food in the stool;
• Bloating, burping, gas, indigestion, heartburn, reflux, cramps, or pain.

Digestion should normally be a process that we hardly even notice. We shouldn’t bloat or have much gas, we should go to the toilet quickly and easily twice daily, the stool should be soft and well formed with very little odour and break up easily upon flushing the toilet.

That was something you always wanted to know wasn’t it?.

Grossed out yet? OK, let’s move on…

There Are Other Symptoms…

At times there might not be any overt digestive symptoms at all, but we can tell there is a digestive disorder because of some other signs that are showing up. These can include:

• Weak, peeling or cracked fingernails;
• Thinning hair;
• Nausea;
• Dry skin and skin conditions;
• Itchy anus;
• Weakened immune system (lots of colds and flu’s);
• Sugar cravings;
• Anaemia (iron deficiency);
• Bad breath;
• Weight loss;

We can measure numerous critical digestive functions – and much more – perfectly with Digestion Health testing.

Has your doctor ever tested you for this important digestive problem?…