It is important to find out which foods your body cannot digest.  Once identified, stay away from these foods.  Stress, a sedentary lifestyle, and a lack of digestive enzymes can also cause intestinal problems.

Royal Recommendations for Prevention and Treatment

1. Avoid processed foods (e.g., white flour products), refined foods (e.g., white sugar products), deep-fried and greasy foods.  Reduce your consumption of coffee, salt, and dairy.

2. Check your food allergies.  (See “Allergy—Foods.”)  Be careful in your food combinations.  In general, protein and starches (including sugar), as well as fruits and vegetables, are poor combinations.

3. Avoid dairy products as these contain the sugar known as “lactose” which many people are not able to digest.  The digestive enzyme, lactase, needed to digest lactose is absent in approximately 85% of Asians, 70% of Negroes, and 15% of Caucasians.

4. Remember to chew your food thoroughly, to eat slowly, and refrain from drinking liquids with your meals.  Eating slowly will prevent you from gulping air.  Chewing your food stimulates saliva production that begins the process of digestion even before you swallow.  Drinking fluids with meals may dilute enzymes needed for digestion.

5. Increase your fiber intake.  This means increasing your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and grains.  Oat bran, psyllium husk, and guar gum are good sources of fiber, which act as bulking agents in the stool.  (See “Constipation.”)  However, start with a small dose so that the bowel can get used to it.  In addition, try to avoid foods that are promote gas such as beans, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, onions, peas, and peppers. Charcoal tablets are effective in eliminating gas, but can absorb supplements and medications.  They should not be taken continuously.

6. Get regular exercise.  Walking is usually best.  Also, observe your posture when eating.  If you are lying down or slouching at mealtime or during snacks, you may be trapping gas in your stomach that cannot escape.

7. Antacids are useless for gas bloating.  However, Simethicone, an over-the-counter product, is a defoaming agent that relieves symptoms of bloating, pressure and fullness due to gas.

8. Often, after the age of 40, the stomach produces less hydrochloric acid.  Hydrochloric acid is needed to breakdown proteins.  If heartburn is present, and there is no ulcer is present, you may to consider taking a hydrochloric acid supplement with your protein meals.  Another alternative to increase stomach acid is to use one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in a glass of water.  Sip on this at mealtime.  (See “Heartburn.”)

9. Supplements to consider include vitamin B-complex, multi-minerals, lecithin, acidophilus, aloe vera juice, alfalfa, and enzymes.  Digestive enzymes should be taken with meals.  If heartburn is present, avoid enzymes with hydrochloric acid.  Pancreatin may be taken as a digestive enzyme supplement after meals if upper intestinal gas is present.  Trace minerals are necessary for lower intestinal gas.

10. Herbs known to be of benefit for indigestion include anise, caraway, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, fennel, fenugreek, peppermint, slippery elm, and spearmint.  Rice water and barley broth both are known to be good in treating gas, bloating, and heartburn and may be sipped throughout the day.

11. Homeopathics found to be useful in the treatment of digestive disturbances include:   Arsenicum (difficulty digesting anything and often accompanied by diarrhea), Calcarea Carbonica (digestion is sluggish), Carbo Vegetabilis (worse after eating with both upper intestinal gas and flatulence), Lycopodium (empty sensation if meals are missed, craving for sweets, and much flatulence), Natrum Muriaticum (especially if excessive salt is taken and constipation is present), Nux Vomica (especially if a result of excessive eating and accompanied by nausea), Pulsatilla (when intolerant to fats and feeling of fullness two hours after eating), Sulphur (indicated in chronic stomach disorders and often associated with excessive alcohol consumption).

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