By Alison Cullen
As if menopause doesn’t bring enough challenges to the multitasking miracle that is a midlife woman, her gut is quite likely to start agitating. Because stomach ache and a bloated belly are just what she needs right now…
Why is this happening?? And what can you do about it?
As hormone levels fall in perimenopause and menopause, gut function can become less efficient. This means more digestive distress, which can easily translate into feeling more mentally and physically uncomfortable and irritated. We may enjoy bellyaching but not an actual belly ache, especially when accompanied by heartburn and slight paranoia about where the nearest loo might be…
What to do
- Drink more water!
Do drink it warm – your gut likes it warm.
Don’t drink it with meals – it’ll just dilute your digestive enzymes and make them less effective.
- Sit down to eat and chew your food. Taking your time to eat – never on a midlife woman’s agenda! Put it there, and your gut will love you!
Do enjoy the fact that this will make you feel fuller faster and reduce your cravings.
Don’t default to smoothies and sloppy foods to avoid chewing. Your gut needs you to chew so it can poo!
Brewing up a storm
If your digestive enzymes aren’t on point, you’ll be brewing up a windy storm. Poorly digested foods ferment, and not in a good, kimchi-type way… Before you know it, you’re a bag of wind; and what’s more, a sugar-craving bag of wind, as unfriendly, sugar-loving bacteria adore a poo party.
What to do
- Take silicol®gel an hour before main meals. It’s super-simple to take in water, but the sachets are extremely handy for taking when you’re out and about. I’ve been recommending this excellent remedy in my clinic for years, and it never disappoints. I particularly like how quickly it calms turbulent symptoms.
Do take it consistently for a few days if your symptoms have been around for a while.
Don’t be surprised when incipient stomach ache and heartburn subside.
Keep a food diary for a few days, and check to see if particular foods are annoying your gut. You may be surprised to realise how much coffee you’re drinking or how many times you dip into the sweetie drawer, and how this correlates with an unquiet gut.
You can continue taking silicol®gel for up to four weeks at a time; but if you implement the advice here then you may well find it’s only needed on occasion, when a sachet in your handbag is a very welcome safeguard against stomach storms!