What can I do when I make bad food choices?

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Tips to counter the effect of toxic food — get over intestinal issues quickly.

It is very challenging to eat “clean” in America. The standard American diet is not that healthy. And billions of dollars of marketing entice people to eat unhealthy foods regularly. It is safe to say that many people eat foods that are not considered healthy. In addition, our society does not teach people to listen to their bodies, to pay attention to what happens when they eat certain foods, and instead people eat food that typically make them sick. If you are not eating foods that truly feed your body, then you are eating foods that are creating illness. It isn’t rocket science, it’s common sense really.

Some people do work towards eating healthy. But even the best can fall astray to nibble on foods that can cause health symptoms. The idea is to maintain homeostasis, but if and when you do eat some pizza, French fries or something that has gone bad, there are a few tools I often recommend to thwart any painful symptoms.

Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that can help digest our foods. They are naturally in raw foods but are often depleted in our bodies as we get older. When looking at a bottle of enzymes, you should see items with a suffix of -ase. For example, Lipase, Protease, etc. These are enzymes. There are many kinds of enzymes you can buy. Some are better than others, some help with overall digestive issues, and some help with overacid/underacid. Be sure to look at the ingredients on the bottle as there can be other ingredients to work on specific issues which may be beneficial or not based on what you are looking to resolve in your digestive system. For example, if your body is underacidic/hyperacidic, then taking enzymes with hydrochloric acid can be beneficial. If you are overacidic, then it might not make it better. You can read more about enzymes here.

Slippery Elm

My clients have renamed Slippery Elm, herbal Pepto Bismal. This wonderful herb is beneficial to stop intestinal spasms, diarrhea and/or intestinal gas. It is very mild and nourishing to the body. It is even credited with saving George Washington’s army during their bitter winter in Valley Forge. His men ate the bark off the Slippery Elm tree for 12 days straight, and it saved their lives. I never go anywhere without this herb. You can find chewables, or capsules in health food stores or online. Slippery Elm chewables can also be used for sore throats.

Activated Charcoal

Charcoal has been used for many centuries, going back to the beginning of recorded history but fell into general disuse around the 1950s, most likely because of the growing pharmaceutical industry. Activated means to remove certain gases and liquids to enable the porosity of the charcoal to be increased. As an example, 1 quart of activated charcoal can neutralize 80 quarts of ammonia gas. Activated charcoal can neutralize most poisons and can be used safely by anyone. It is wonderful to counter the effects of food poisoning. Even EMTs use Activated Charcoal for patients that have ingested poisons. Again, this is something I keep with me at all times, in case I eat something bad.

Ginger

We’ve all been there. We go to a party or event where there is fried food, and later we pay for it. Taking ginger can help intestinal cramping spasms and soothe intestinal inflammation. You can take ginger capsules, or another option is to put some ground ginger in some water with some fresh lime or lemon juice. It is very refreshing and helps to calm down the gallbladder, stomach and intestines from eating damaging fats and other harmful ingredients from fried foods.

Bitters

There are many flavors we taste; sweet, sour, salty, savory, umami, spicy, and bitter. Out of these tastes, bitter isn’t promoted in food products because the mixture of salt and sugar together tastes wonderful and sells much better. Unfortunately for us, packaged food companies, and drink companies have figured this out.

Bitter flavors may not taste good to many people, but they are very important for our digestion. One reasons salads are so good for us isn’t just because of the fiber, but more importantly the bitterness of the lettuces/endives they contain which aid in digestion, especially of fats. It is possible to purchase bitters in a liquid form to take medicinally to assist digestion. Some bitter formulas contain sweeteners, which defeats the purpose of taking them. It is best to eat bitter foods regularly to keep your digestion optimized, but if this isn’t possible for some reason, adding bitters such as Swedish Bitters, can be very helpful for many.

Probiotics

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in our intestines. They build B vitamins for us and work to remove harmful organisms in our bodies. Many drugs deplete these organisms out of our body, and if you are missing your appendix, you may also be deficient as the appendix is considered a holding tank for beneficial bacteria. Probiotics are beneficial for many issues, especially intestinal issues. There has been a lot of marketing lately selling probiotics. What the commercials don’t tell you, is that there are many kinds of probiotics, it is important that the beneficial bacteria are living when you take them, and that not everyone needs them. If you have had a bout of diarrhea or take certain medications that deplete probiotics (you can easily google your medication to see what it depletes out of your body) it can be beneficial to take probiotics. However, taking beneficial bacteria regularly may not be necessary, and instead may be wasting your money. Check with your health professional to make sure you are taking the best product for health issue — they are not all the same.

Coconut Water

One thing I always keep on hand and in my car is coconut water. If you have been vomiting or have diarrhea from eating bad foods, it is important to be hydrated as quickly as possible and getting the proper mineral balance is even more important. Coconut water is one of the best ways to get hydrated with minerals. If you are dehydrated from being sick, drinking a coconut water can get your body balanced quickly, often stopping headaches and other issues after eating something bad.

It isn’t necessary to take all of these items at once. And you don’t have to wait till you are sick to take them. You could take them right after you eat the bad food, to prevent feeling crappy in the morning. Only take what feels best for the issue you are having. As always, it is your choice.

Please comment below if you have any questions.

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About the Author

Kasara is educated as a Mental Health Therapist, Master Herbalist, Traditional Naturopath and Energy Worker with over 35 years of helping thousands of clients find alternative health options that work. She writes articles on Medium, and on her website Truhealth.com. You may subscribe to her Medium account or her newsletter to stay connected.