“Happiness for me is largely a matter of digestion.”
― Lin Yutang,The Importance of Living
Dear Readers,
I’ve been asked many questions on Rebuilding the Body’s Digestive System After an Eating Disorder. I found this brilliant article by Gregory L. Jantz with 4 top tips on healthy digestion. Also I would like to share some tips by Nancy Spahr. Eating Disorders can destroy a person’s stomach lining and the lining of their intestines. When that happens, a person’s digestive tract can no longer absorb many of the nutrients in foods and supplements. Even after recovery and getting back to healthy body weight it takes years for our digestive system to heal and function properly.
“If there’s one thing to know about the human body; it’s this: the human body has a ringmaster. This ringmaster controls your digestion, your immunity, your brain, your weight, your health and even your happiness. This ringmaster is the gut”
― Nancy S. Mure
The most common problem with digestion health from eating disorders is gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach lining loses some or all of its ability to absorb nutrients from food. Gastroparesis often follows sudden and significant weight loss. Its main symptoms are bloating, nausea, loss of appetite and vomiting. Gastroparesis can also interfere with eating disorder victims’ recovery by making them feel pain or discomfort as they begin to eat normally and put on weight.
Digestion health problems can, on occasion, become life threatening. The stomach may become so distended that it perforates (tears) from excessive binging. Retching can cause tears in the esophagus, gastrointestinal bleeding, and ulcers. Anorexia can cause constipation and bloating. Purging may cause irritation of the walls of your esophagus and rectum. Repeated purging may also cause constipation.
Rebuilding the Body’s Digestion System After an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders can wreak havoc on all aspects of a person’s life: their mental wellness, emotional balance, relationships with the people around them, and most certainly their physical body. Recovering from an eating disorder therefore requires comprehensive treatment in order to address each of these areas of a person’s life. Healing the physical body after suffering from an eating disorder is a process that takes care and time, and in some cases needs to be supervised by medical specialists.
Typically, to start your body’s rebalancing process you must first rebuild your digestion, your gastrointestinal (GI) ecosystem. After all, if you are unable to digest what you need to rebalance your system, what you take to rebalance it will have little value. The first step is to re-establish your digestive system’s natural levels of healthy bacteria. Although each body is different, a healthy digestive system supports 300-1000 different species of beneficial flora. Together, these species account for the approximately 100 trillion microorganisms found in the GI system. When healthy digestive bacteria flourish, they provide the mechanism to break down the substances you eat into components your body can absorb and use. Likewise, digestive enzymes allow food to be broken down into its component parts for easy absorption and a reduction in intestinal bloating and gas. When your digestive enzyme level is out of whack, healthy flora can’t grow; unhealthy organisms like yeast Candida, make opportune use of this imbalance. Faulty digestion also affects mood and energy levels. If your stomach is upset, you get irritable and fatigued.
Eating disorders can take a major toll on the number and diversity of beneficial stomach flora. It is therefore paramount to rebuild the bacterial colonies before any sort of nutritional absorption can occur. There is not one quick solution to rebuilding healthy digestion, but instead healing requires multifaceted, continual progress. Here are four important nutritional practices to keep in mind when building or maintaining a healthy digestive system:
1. Eat fermented foods. Fermented foods can be the easiest and most cost-effective way of rebuilding your digestive enzymes. Some examples of fermented foods include yogurt, lacto-fermented pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, and keifer.
2. Stick to a clean, healthy diet. While fermented and fiber rich foods can help contribute to healthy flora in your system, there are also foods that negatively affect this process. Processed foods, sugary foods, and foods laden with chemicals and pesticides should be avoided.
3. Consume fiber. Another important step to rebuilding your digestion is the reintroduction of adequate fiber, to keep your elimination system regular. One of the best ways to do this is through the consumption of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Reintroduction of adequate fiber is especially important when there as been laxative abuse. The bowels need to relearn how to function again.
4. Supplement your diet with a probiotic supplement. Taking a probiotic supplement can dramatically speed up this flora rebuilding process. When looking for a good probiotic, it is important to find a supplement that includes many different strains of bacteria to ensure good diversity. Also, make sure to store your probiotics in the refrigerator to keep them alive and active.
Once you reestablish healthy digestive flora, your gastrointestinal ecosystem will be better equipped to begin absorbing the nutrients the rest of your body needs to heal. Again, this is a process that requires careful patience.
Excerpts taken from Gregory L. Jantz, Hope, Help & Healing From Eating Disorders: A Whole-Person Approach To Treatment of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Disordered Eating, WaterBrook 2010.
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Nancy Spahr’s key steps for your digestive health:
Choose high quality, fresh organic foods – Nancy has seen incredible changes when people go from boxed and canned foods to fresh, organic whole foods as part of the Body Ecology program.
Incorporate a healthy mix of raw and cooked foods – raw foods have their own enzymes which are especially important when your body is healing and may be low on enzymes in general.
Chew thoroughly -Digestion of carbohydrates (starches, sugars) starts in your mouth with saliva and enzymes. The enzymes not only help break down your food, they also attack bacteria. Most people don’t chew thoroughly, which makes digestion of food much harder when it reaches your stomach. Chewing is stage one of proper digestion.
Understand the importance of stomach acid (HCl) – Stage two of good digestion happens in stomach and it is your stomach’s job is to temporarily hold food and begin to break it down. Stomach acid is important for in this stage of digestion and while it does not actually digest the food, it triggers the enzyme pepsin to break down proteins. The stomach acid also destroys pathogenic bacteria and parasites, eggs and larvae.
Nancy recommends organic, unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar with “the mother.” An excellent prebiotic, it feeds healthy microflora and aids your digestion. Try it in salad dressings in place of regular vinegar.
Soda and coffee dehydrate your body, which can also sap your energy. Drinking filtered water, organic herbal teas and probiotic liquids provide energy and hydration.
Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine both say that cold drinks slow your “digestive fire” or your “chi” (energy). Since life and healing require energy, focus on room temperature water and beverages or warm tea.
