Your body is like a giant illuminated signpost.
It will always message you when something’s happening inside – positively and negatively. The presence of toxins is signalled by physiological responses – aches, pains and negative bio-feelings.
By Scott Mathias CHHC AADP
Five signs you have digestive overload in your body
- Our small lymph nodes do an important job in toxin control, acting as filters and immunity monitors by removing fluids and bacterium from the blood stream. When they are not working to full capacity, this can lead to a build-up of toxins. It is indicated by a slight pain across the top of the chest, when you apply finger pressure from your shoulder into your sternum.
- A second sign is tiredness and lethargy, most often as a result of over-worked adrenals – a collection of glands around the kidneys, which control stress by producing cortisol and managing blood pressure. Adrenal fatigue can cause not only tiredness and an inability to handle stress but also low blood sugar, a weakened immune system and cravings for salty foods. The salty food craving is a dead giveaway.
- Another signal is wanting to sleep after you have eaten lunch, usually between 2.00pm and 3.00pm. You will usually feel this way if the body is struggling to digest what you have had for lunch, making you feel tired because all its energy is going towards the overworked gut muscle. This can be a symptom of a dietary intolerance, such as gluten or lactose, or that you have eaten too much animal protein. Easily fixed!
- Also watch out for a change in frequency of how often you need to use the bathroom – and a recurrence of unusual odors when you do. When I was suffering from a dysfunctional gut this was one of the classic symptoms that my body wasn’t discharging toxins appropriately, along with chronic tiredness. This situation is usually accompanied by smelly, almost acrid underarm fragrance – in other words bad BO!!
- Finally, a loss of clarity in thought, such as forgetfulness and indecision, along with mild anxiety and a fear to move forward, can also signal a toxins build-up. When the body wants to close down the cerebral fluid literally becomes toxic and cannot feed the brain with the appropriate nutrients it needs. The mind is therefore affected by a lack of ‘good food’ in the cerebral cavity.
Top four solutions
- Introduce some natural supplements to your diet. For example, a good fibre supplement like psyllium will help assuage or gently cleanse the intestinal and elimination tracts. Metamucil is 100% psyllium, freely available and a recognised and reputable brand. Or try green papaya powder after you eat food, as it helps break down proteins and relieve stress on the gut muscle. This also helps with the relief of food intolerance issues; mine took a year to heal and I have never looked back.
- Include whole fruit with your breakfast. Not only is there good fibre in the fruit, their enzymes help activate the colon assisting in the ‘natural release’ of yesterday’s waste. As much as 60% of the simple carbs in fruit actually flow to the brain, so fruit is good brain and bowel food!
- Eating LESS is the new MORE! The planet is over protein-ised and under fiber-ised. Far too much food is eaten. In the last 7 years I decreased the volume of food I ingest by as much as 80%, losing nearly 25 kilos. I literally became a new person, and all my aches and pains disappeared. By following a sensible balanced daily diet of a good environment and whole foods intake, you too can become a new person.
- Examine workplace and personal relationships. Do they prosper you? If not, it’s time to move out, move on and move forward.
Scott Mathias is a Certified Holistic Health Coach (CHHC) and a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). Scott is the author of ‘Understanding The Divine Gut – How To Eat Your Way To Ultimate Digestive Health’ and the acclaimed, ‘Lets Eat RAW’ Vegan recipe book.