The older I get the more I suffer from digestive health issues. When I was younger I’d get a stomach ache here and there when I ate dried fruit, drank white wine and ate too much dairy but now, a few years later and my reactions are way more severe.

I don’t want to give up any of my favourite foods and I thankfully I don’t have to. There are so many remedies you can use to improve your digestive health. One amazing trick is apple cider vinegar.

Sipping on apple cider vinegar can reduce digestive stress

Apple cider vinegar has long been suggested as a weight loss aid which isn’t why I plan to use it regularly, but it’s certainly an added bonus! It helps to keep blood sugar and insulin levels lower, helps reduce cravings and increases your level of fullness after eating. That’s according to a 2009 study reported in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, not some fad diet. It also neutralises stomach acid and helps to improve sleep. It also removes lint from clothes and is excellent for cleaning, but that’s another story for another time.

Back to my love of cheese, chocolate and all things sugar and sweet.

So here’s what happens when I accidentally eat dried fruit and white wine with a preservative that my body does not like. First I get sharp pains in my stomach. Then I start to bloat. The only way to relieve the bloat is to pass gas but that doesn’t happen for hours. I wish it would. I pray for it just so I can experience some relief. And when it comes it’s powerful enough to fling me across the room.

Charming, right? So why don’t I just stop eating dried fruit and drinking white wine?

Because sometimes it doesn’t affect me that badly. Sometimes for no reason at all I can tolerate it in small amounts. Other times I’m left in so much pain I’m seeing stars.

You think that’s tough? Here’s what happens to me when I eat too much dairy.

...and back to my love of all things sugar and sweet.

I can tolerate milk in my coffee and some yoghurts, however after eating some yoghurts and delicious cheeses I am left with a dull ache, horrible heartburn, bloating and then walk hunched over until I have to rush to the toilet with moments to spare. Once again, it doesn’t happen every time. I’m sure it has something to do with what I’m eating it with, something about the food combining that I haven’t quite figured out.

Is that why we eat cheese with crackers, drink wine with cheese and eat dried fruit with nuts?

We eat 3-5 times each day, sometimes more so making sure our bodies can digest food properly is important for our ability to live a good life. Otherwise it can be incapacitating.

So aside from combining your foods correctly and sipping on apple cider vinegar, what else can you do? Plenty, it turns out:

Okay, so there you have it. I’ve just explained how you can have your cake (cheese, wine, dried fruit) and eat it too. All these amazing products are at your local health food store. Stock up and enjoy your food without the usual suffering afterwards.

Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds can help with digestive issues.

Slow down

Don't rush through your meals: eat mindfully

Cut back on coffee

Having multiple coffees a day may cause digestive issues

Apple cider vinegar

Sipping on apple cider vinegar can reduce digestive stress

What do you do to help digestion when you eat rich foods?