BEAT THE HOLIDAY BLOAT NATURALLY

from November 2021 Natural Awakenings Volusia Flagler Edition

by Daytona, Volusia and Flagler Natural Awakenings Magazine

EAT WELL TO FEEL WELL

product spotlight

Beat the Holiday Bloat Naturally

The holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving, is a time to eat, drink and be merry. When occasional gas and bloating interfere with celebrations, it can be disappointing—and embarrassing. Thankfully, with the help of digestive enzymes, you can still enjoy everything on the table, from the turkey and stuffing to the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.

What Causes Gas?

Gas is normal but annoying, with two common culprits. Burping or belching? You’re likely swallowing excess air. Dealing with flatulence? That’s likely due to undigested food.

To banish burps, try swapping gum for mints or eating and drinking more slowly.

For undigested food issues, digestive enzymes can help. Normally, the small intestine releases enzymes to break down food. When there’s a shortage, undigested food moves to the large intestine, where harmless bacteria break it down, producing gases that cause flatulence. Your body needs more digestive enzymes to decrease flatulence.

How Digestive Enzymes Work

Enzymedica products help prevent holiday bloat. Your body naturally produces enzymes to help you fully digest specific macronutrients (lipase for fats, amylase for starches, and protease for proteins, for example). They also help unlock the full energy potential of food. If you eat hard-to-digest foods or are deficient in certain enzymes, your small intestine may not digest food entirely.

Enzyme deficiencies can be common or severe, with symptoms like occasional gas and loose bowel movements. (Talk to your doctor first!) If you don’t have a health problem, a high-quality enzyme formula may help speed up digestion and banish holiday bloat.

The Right Enzymes for Beating Gas

To find the right digestive enzyme, first identify which foods make you gassy. Dairy (usually the milk sugar lactose) and high-fiber foods (thanks to complex sugars called oligosaccharides) commonly cause gas. Supplementing with lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose) can help you enjoy buttery mashed potatoes and whipped cream without the gas. Formulas with alpha-galactosidase help break down complex carbs in green bean casserole or the veggie platter appetizer.

If you’re not sure which foods are to blame—or if you have major food intolerances—reach for a formula to break down all nutrients found in a typical meal (even Thanksgiving dinner), so you can enjoy holiday family favorites. Blended enzymes, like those in Enzymedica formulas, are best to travel through the digestive tract.

Digest Gold—America’s number one enzyme formula (and Enzymedica’s most advanced)—reduces occasional gas, bloating and indigestion. Digest Spectrum is Enzymedica’s multiple food intolerance formula, with enzymes for gluten, phenol, lactose, casein and more. Keep them nearby on Thanksgiving and all through the holidays.

Note: These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Save 25 percent on Enzymedica products during November at both Debbie’s Health Food Locations, in Port Orange and Orange City. See ad, back cover.