credit: imallergic, flickr
Q: What clean eating/whole foods can you eat when you are having digestive issues? Every time you have some stomach issues, it’s recommended that you eat refined foods such as white rice, soda crackers, white bread, and to drink apple juice or other clear juices and electrolyte drinks like Gatorade. Now, those foods aren’t exactly clean eating and I find that even when I am barely eating these foods (because, well, I am sick and I can’t keep them down), I feel really bloated! What simple, whole foods can you suggest to eat and drink whenever someone is feeling sick?
A: I think we’ve all heard these – though, I’ve got to wonder about the white rice/white bread thing – and it feels like a challenge to move away from what we’ve always known to be “feel better” agents in the name of clean eating. In the same token, though, embracing clean eating takes a lot of “moving away from what we’ve always known.”
That being said, a cup of ginger tea and a grapefruit or an orange can work wonders for digestive issues, though I must admit that after embracing clean eating in its entirety, I don’t encounter digestive troubles. Everything goes where it’s supposed to go and does what it’s supposed to do now, so to speak. However, I do drink ginger tea when I have cramps – my cramps rival child birth, and I’ve actually birthed a child – and the relief is almost immediate. In fact, you can actually put a
Making ginger tea is pretty simple. If you don’t have fresh ginger around you, there’s nothing wrong with purchasing some pre-made tea bags at the store. If you can get your hands on a fresh piece of ginger, here are a few quick steps to help you make your own:
Clean your ginger, and slice it into very thin slices. Boil some water in a small pot, and drop in your slices. The more slices you add, the stronger the tea. I’d make it strong at first, then add water to dilute it as necessary. Cover your pot and give it about 15 minutes. Strain your tea and get all the slices out, and add your honey or fruit as necessary. Bada boom, bada bing.
Ginger is a big deal – from nausea to cramps to indigestion, it’s got you covered. It’s also really easy to work with, too. It might be hard to find in the stores – I had never seen actual ginger before I moved to South Florida – but you can always find the pre-made tea bags online.
What do you do for digestive issues, clean eaters? What did I leave out?