There is nothing worse than being unexpectedly hit with digestive issues.

It’s that feeling of going to a friends while looking 6 months pregnant (thanks a lot, constipation!).

Or being out on a date, but spending most of your time in the bathroom because … diarrhea, ugh.

Even worse, being so bloated that you can’t sleep on your stomach because of pain and well, hello distention.

And I’m going to guess that at one point or another you thought it would never happen to you, until it did. And it was game over.

But still, you may think that it was just a “one of” and that it will never happen again … but it will.

Whether it’s a regular occurrence or has only happened once (so far!), you definitely want to be prepared to deal with it next time it rears its ugly head!

So, let’s dig into this one …

COMMON CAUSES OF DIGESTIVE DISTURBANCES

First, it’s good to get an idea of what a digestive disturbance can look like. It can look different for everyone, but chances are you’ve experienced at least one of these symptoms:

DIGESTIVE

• Bloating or gas
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Indigestion or acid reflux
• Food sensitivities
• Nutrient deficiency or malabsorption

PHYSICAL

• Acne or eczema
• Hives or rash
• Headaches or migraines
• Hair loss or brittle nails
• Fatigue or insomnia
• Joint pain or inflammation
• Weakened immune system

MENTAL

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Brain Fog
• Poor memory
• Short fuse

Would you believe me if I told you this isn’t even the complete list? But at least it gives you a good idea of how the symptoms you’ve experienced are related to your gut.

Now let’s talk about some of the common causes or triggers, also referred to as root causes, that may be causing your digestive issues:

• Stress
• Poor diet
• Nutritional imbalances
• Damaged gut

Whether the root cause is related to your gut or not – all symptoms present themselves when the gut has already been damaged. This makes healing your gut top priority.

While healing your gut is critical, I get that you’re also looking for some instant relief or a “safe food” that you can go to so the embarrassing symptoms go away and you can move on with your day.

MY #1 WAY TO REDUCE DIGESTIVE SYMPTOMS

You may or may not be ready to take the leap into healing your gut, but regardless, you need a way to ease the symptoms ASAP so you can get back to life. Am I right??!

My go-to recommendation to ease these symptoms is Congee – which is simply an Asian rice pudding. While you can make this super fancy, I prefer to keep it simple for easier digestion.

As counterintuitive as this may seem, making it with white rice is the easiest on your digestive tract because of its low fibre content, making it simple to digest.

Adding in gut-healing ginger and a little sea salt make this dish flavourful and healing for your gut.