Your digestive system is the foundation of your well being.

Your digestive system is responsible for turning the food you eat into the energy needed to survive and carry out your normal daily activities. Read more about how you can support your healthy digestion with prebiotic supplements and digestive enzymes.

Modern lifestyle, poor diet, antibiotic use and stress can all wreak havoc with your digestive health. When the digestive system is functioning properly, the lining of the digestive tract acts as a filter to allow all good nutrients to enter the bloodstream and prevent toxins and waste products from entering, keeping them in the bowel so they can be eliminated.

Prebiotics
The good bacteria in your digestive system need a regular food supply in order to survive and thrive. Prebiotics are the food for these bacteria and consist of things like fibre from raw vegetables which the bacteria can digest. Good sources of prebiotics include:

• Almonds
• Chicory
• Garlic
• Chickpeas
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Onions, shallots, and spring onions
• Leeks
• Savoy cabbage
• Apple cider vinegar

By supplementing your diet with prebiotics you can help to improve the balance of good bacteria in your gut. 

Digestive enzymes These enzymes are needed in your gut to help break down food to smaller particles so they can be readily absorbed. Without them you will be unable to get the optimum digestion of all the food groups – proteins, fats, carbohydrates, cellulose and lactose.

If you don’t have enough digestive enzymes you may experience the symptoms of food intolerance such as flatulence and indigestion. Some foods of the foods which contain enzymes that help with digestion include:

• Pineapple
• Banana
• Ginger
• Kiwifruit

But these enzymes can be destroyed when the food is processed, canned or cooked.

Supplementing with digestive enzymes can assist the healthy functioning of the digestive tract so that good absorption of nutrients occurs, and they can reduce indigestion symptoms like bloating and gas.