Why is the Digestive System Important?

Discover why this body system is so important, five effective ways to enhance your digestive health, and a fantastic product specifically designed to support a healthy digestive system.

A well-functioning digestive system is essential for overall health and well-being.

When your digestive system is functioning as it should, it efficiently breaks down food, absorbs essential nutrients, and eliminates waste products, leading to increased energy levels, a strong immune system, and improved mental clarity.

On the other hand, a poorly functioning digestive system can lead to a range of health problems, including nutrient deficiencies, chronic fatigue, weakened immunity, and increased susceptibility to illnesses. Digestive issues like persistent bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, and acid reflux can become regular and uncomfortable occurrences.

Maintaining a healthy digestive system is crucial for supporting your body's overall functionality and promoting long-term health.

5 Ways to Keep Your Digestive System Healthy

1. Eat a High-Fibre Diet: Include a variety of high-fibre foods in your diet, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. Aim for at least 25-30 grams of fibre per day. Read our fibre blog.

2. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Aim for at least 8-10 glasses of water daily, and more if you are active. Incorporate water-rich foods like cucumbers, watermelon, and oranges into your diet. Find out about the signs of dehydration.

3. Include Probiotics and Prebiotics: Eat probiotic-rich foods such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso. Include prebiotic foods like garlic, onions, bananas, and asparagus in your diet. Read about the benefits of fermented food and probiotics.

4. Exercise Regularly: Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. Activities like walking, jogging, cycling, and yoga can be particularly beneficial for digestive health. Find out how to make your workouts more interesting.

5. Manage Stress: Practice stress-reducing techniques such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, or tai chi. Ensure you get enough sleep and take time to relax and unwind each day. Learn how to create the perfect meditation space.

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How Lily & Loaf Help Support Good Digestive Health

If you feel that making our suggested lifestyle changes might be challenging, or if you can make these changes but want to accelerate the progress, then we have a great product for you.

Enzymes + is our key system product for the digestive system.

It is an advanced, full-spectrum enzyme supplement that aids digestion by breaking down various components of your food. This plant-based enzyme blend includes fungal amylase, alpha galactosidase, cellulase, invertase, papain, lipase, lactase, and others. These enzymes work together to support the digestion of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, helping to alleviate discomfort after meals and promoting digestive health.

OUR ASSURANCE TO YOU

We offer a 90-day money-back guarantee on all of our products, so if for any reason you are not satisfied or find that the product did not work for you, we'll give you your money back!

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Your Health Check Results Explained

Your body is a complex network of systems working together to maintain balance and well-being.

Each system plays a vital role in supporting your overall health, and when one is under strain, it can affect how you feel and function. Through our Lifestyle Analysis health check quiz, we identify areas where additional support may be needed by focusing on key indicators related to each system. The questions you answer help us understand how lifestyle factors, habits, and health concerns may be impacting specific body systems. In this section, we’ll explore your results, explain the significance of your answers, and provide additional supplementary product recommendations to help you support and maintain the health of this system.

Lifestyle Analysis Answers Relating to the Digestive System

Body Odour and/or Bad Breath

Body odour and bad breath are often signs of inefficient digestion or an imbalanced gut microbiome. When the digestive system struggles to fully break down food, especially proteins and fats, these undigested particles can ferment in the intestines, creating odorous compounds like sulphur gases. These compounds can be absorbed into the bloodstream and expelled through the lungs (causing bad breath) or through sweat glands (causing body odour). An imbalanced gut microbiome can further contribute to this by promoting the growth of bacteria that produce malodorous by-products.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Liquid Chlorophyll: Works by neutralising odorous compounds in the body, particularly sulphur-based gases, which are common contributors to bad breath and body odour. It binds to these compounds as well as various toxins, aiding in their elimination from the body. Beyond its deodorising effects, chlorophyll supports gut health by promoting a balanced microbiome, which helps reduce the production of odour-causing gases at the source. By creating a healthier digestive environment, Liquid Chlorophyll can help maintain internal freshness and support the body’s natural detoxification processes.

Difficulty Digesting Certain Foods

Difficulty digesting certain foods, such as fats, dairy, or fibrous vegetables, often indicates insufficient digestive enzymes or imbalances in stomach acid. This leads to partially digested food passing into the intestines, where it can ferment and cause bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort. When certain foods consistently cause digestive issues, the body may struggle to absorb key nutrients, which can negatively impact energy levels, immune function, and overall gut health.

Eat Red Meat at Least Twice Weekly

Red meat requires significant digestive resources, including stomach acid and enzymes, to properly break down its proteins and fats. Frequent consumption of red meat can lead to undigested particles lingering in the intestines, which can promote the growth of gas-producing bacteria. Over time, this can cause bloating, discomfort, and a sluggish digestive system. Additionally, red meat is lower in fibre, which can further slow digestion and contribute to irregular bowel movements.

Use of Antibiotics/Medication (last 3 years)

Antibiotics and some medications disrupt the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which are essential for proper digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune support. A diminished population of good bacteria allows harmful bacteria and yeast to proliferate, potentially leading to symptoms like bloating, gas, and irregular bowel movements. The resulting imbalance, known as dysbiosis, can weaken digestive efficiency and increase susceptibility to food sensitivities.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Pre + Pro 15: Works to replenish beneficial bacteria in the gut, which is especially important after antibiotic use that can disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome. By restoring this balance, Pre + Pro helps support regular bowel movements, reduce digestive discomfort, and promote overall digestive health. The combination of prebiotics and probiotics fosters a healthy environment for good bacteria to thrive, aiding in efficient digestion and nutrient absorption. This balance is essential not only for comfortable digestion but also for supporting immune function and overall well-being.

Regular Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol irritates the stomach lining and can increase the permeability of the gut, allowing toxins to enter the bloodstream. It also disrupts the balance of gut bacteria and burdens the liver, an essential organ for digestion and detoxification. Over time, this can lead to symptoms like indigestion, bloating, and impaired nutrient absorption, ultimately weakening the digestive system.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Liver Health Formula: Supports the liver’s natural detoxification processes, which are crucial for processing and eliminating toxins. This formula contains ingredients that aid in the repair of liver cells, helping to protect and restore liver function affected by alcohol consumption. By assisting the liver in managing its detoxification workload, Liver Health Formula can improve digestion and reduce the strain that regular alcohol consumption places on the digestive system, supporting both liver health and overall digestive efficiency.

Food Allergies

Food allergies can cause inflammation and damage in the digestive tract. When the body reacts to an allergen, it can inflame the intestinal lining, affecting nutrient absorption and promoting digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, and discomfort. Over time, constant exposure to allergens can weaken gut integrity and contribute to conditions like leaky gut.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Pre + Pro 15: Helps balance the gut microbiome, which can be particularly beneficial for individuals with food allergies. By supporting a healthy population of beneficial bacteria, this formula aids in reducing gut inflammation and creating a more stable digestive environment. This balance can alleviate symptoms often associated with food allergies, such as bloating and discomfort, by promoting better digestion and reducing the body’s inflammatory response to allergens.

Discomfort After Eating

Discomfort after eating is often a sign of indigestion, low stomach acid, or food sensitivities. It can cause symptoms like acid reflux, bloating, and general discomfort. Left unaddressed, these issues can interfere with the body’s ability to properly digest and absorb nutrients, leading to further digestive and overall health complications.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Liquid Chlorophyll: Helps to balance stomach acidity, which can contribute to a more comfortable and efficient digestive process. By soothing the digestive tract, chlorophyll provides relief from post-meal discomfort, such as bloating or mild indigestion. This supportive environment aids in digestion, helping the stomach process food more smoothly and promoting overall gut comfort.

Skin Problems

Skin issues, such as acne or eczema, are often a sign of digestive imbalances. When digestion is sluggish or the liver is overburdened, the body may release toxins through the skin, contributing to flare-ups. Poor digestion also affects nutrient absorption, which can result in dull or problem-prone skin.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Liquid Chlorophyll: Aids in the body’s natural detoxification processes by supporting liver and kidney function, helping these organs eliminate waste more efficiently. By reducing the body’s toxic load, chlorophyll can alleviate the internal build-up that often affects skin clarity, promoting a healthier and clearer complexion as the body’s detox pathways are optimised.

Crave Sweet/Processed Food

Craving sugary and processed foods often reflects an imbalanced gut microbiome, as harmful bacteria feed on sugars and encourage cravings. This cycle can lead to further digestive issues, like bloating, irregular bowel movements, and even inflammation, as excess sugar disrupts the gut's delicate balance.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Magnesium: Helps control food cravings by stabilising blood sugar levels, supporting energy production, and calming the nervous system. It enhances insulin sensitivity, preventing sudden dips in blood sugar that can trigger cravings for sugary foods. Magnesium also aids in dopamine regulation, reducing cravings for "reward" foods, and lowers cortisol, helping to manage stress-related cravings.

Consume Dairy Products

Many people have difficulty digesting lactose, the sugar found in dairy. This can lead to gas, bloating, and discomfort, as undigested lactose ferments in the gut. Frequent dairy consumption without the proper enzymes to break it down can strain the digestive system and increase digestive discomfort.

High Fat/Cholesterol Diet

A diet high in fats, especially saturated fats, can slow digestion and cause digestive distress, as it requires more bile production for breakdown. Unhealthy fats can also disrupt gut bacteria and contribute to inflammation, leading to issues like acid reflux and bloating.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Fat Grabbers: Contains guar gum, psyllium husk, chickweed, and soy lecithin. Fat Grabbers can support a high-fat diet by aiding in the reduction and absorption of dietary fats. Guar gum and psyllium husk are rich in soluble fibre, which binds to fats in the digestive tract, forming a gel-like substance that can reduce the absorption of fats and cholesterol. Chickweed has been traditionally used to support digestion and reduce fat accumulation, while soy lecithin emulsifies fats, breaking them down into smaller particles that the body can process more efficiently. Together, these ingredients help limit the amount of fat absorbed, making Fat Grabbers a useful supplement for those on high-fat diets who want to manage fat intake and support overall digestive health.

Difficulty in Maintaining Ideal Weight

Digestive health plays a key role in maintaining a healthy weight. Poor digestion can impair nutrient absorption, disrupt hunger signals, and cause imbalances in blood sugar and gut bacteria, making it difficult to achieve or maintain an ideal weight.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Super Protein with Fibre: Can assist with maintaining an ideal weight by providing a balanced source of plant-based proteins and fibre that help control appetite and support metabolism. The blend of rice, green bean, and hemp proteins offers sustained energy and promotes muscle maintenance, which is essential for an active metabolism. Fibre sources like apple fibre, fructo-oligosaccharides, and guar gum aid digestion, promote satiety, and help stabilise blood sugar levels, reducing cravings for unhealthy snacks. Additionally, maca extract may enhance energy and endurance, supporting active lifestyles. Together, these ingredients make Super Protein with Fibre an effective supplement for those looking to manage their weight in a healthy, balanced way.

Poor Eating Habits

Inconsistent or poor eating habits, such as skipping meals or overeating, can disrupt the digestive process. Irregular eating patterns strain the digestive organs, making it harder to absorb nutrients efficiently and increasing the risk of indigestion and nutrient deficiencies.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Soya Protein with Vitamins & Minerals: With its blend of organic soya protein, essential vitamins, minerals, and vegetable-based nutrients, Soya Protein can help support poor eating habits by providing a well-rounded nutritional boost to fill gaps in a less-than-ideal diet. The high-quality protein aids in muscle maintenance and satiety, helping to curb cravings and reduce the likelihood of overeating. Essential vitamins like B6, B12, C, and D support energy production and immune health, counteracting nutrient deficiencies that often result from inconsistent eating habits. Additionally, fibre-rich coconut flour and guar gum aid digestion and promote a feeling of fullness, which can help stabilise appetite and improve eating patterns. This nutrient-dense blend makes Soya Protein an excellent supplement for those needing balanced nutrition on days when healthy food choices may be limited.

Irregular/Infrequent Bowel Activity

Regular bowel movements are essential for eliminating toxins and maintaining gut health. Infrequent bowel activity can lead to waste build-up in the intestines, causing bloating, discomfort, and even toxin reabsorption, which can affect other body systems.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Psyllium Hulls: Is highly effective for promoting regular bowel activity. As a source of soluble fibre, psyllium absorbs water in the intestines, forming a gel-like substance that adds bulk to the stool and stimulates peristalsis, the muscle contractions that move waste through the digestive tract. This bulk helps soften stools, making them easier to pass and reducing discomfort associated with constipation. Additionally, psyllium supports the gut microbiome by acting as a prebiotic, nourishing beneficial bacteria that play a role in digestive health. With regular use, Psyllium Hulls can help establish more consistent bowel movements, improving overall digestive function and comfort.

Low Fibre Diet (less than 30g per day)

Fibre is essential for regular digestion and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. A low-fibre diet can slow down digestion, lead to constipation, and reduce beneficial gut bacteria, leading to a sluggish digestive system and increased risk of bowel irregularity.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Super Protein with Fibre: Provides a convenient and effective way for those struggling to meet their daily protein needs, offering 17g of high-quality plant-based protein per serving. With a blend of rice, green bean, and hemp proteins, it delivers a complete amino acid profile essential for muscle maintenance, recovery, and overall body function. This combination of proteins is easily digestible and ideal for individuals with dietary restrictions or those seeking non-dairy protein sources. The added fibre from apple fibre, guar gum, and fructo-oligosaccharides supports digestion and promotes a feeling of fullness, making it a satisfying option between meals or as part of a balanced diet. Additionally, maca extract adds a natural energy boost, making Super Protein with Fibre a versatile supplement to help meet daily protein requirements and maintain sustained energy.

Lack of Appetite

A lack of appetite often signals underlying digestive issues, such as low stomach acid or a sluggish digestive system, which can hinder the body’s ability to break down food efficiently. When appetite remains low, the body may not receive enough essential nutrients, leading to deficiencies that can weaken the digestive system further. This cycle can create a lasting impact, reducing energy levels, disrupting gut health, and causing imbalances that contribute to poor nutrient absorption, fatigue, and even reduced immune function.

Supplementary Product Recommendation
Omega-3 Fish Oil: Can help gently stimulate appetite by reducing inflammation in the digestive tract, making digestion smoother and less taxing. Omega-3s support healthy cell membranes in the gut lining, which improves nutrient absorption and encourages a balanced digestive process. They also aid in maintaining adequate stomach acid production and healthy blood flow to the digestive organs, which can promote a natural appetite response. By supporting gut health, Omega-3s help foster a healthier appetite, ultimately encouraging more balanced eating habits and better nutrient intake for overall well-being.

  • Circulatory System

    A healthy circulatory system ensures efficient blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs while removing waste products.

  • Digestive System

    When your digestive system is functioning as it should, it efficiently breaks down food, absorbs essential nutrients, and eliminates waste products.

  • Glandular System

    A well-balanced glandular system ensures proper hormone production and regulation, which is crucial for metabolism, growth, mood, and overall health.

  • Immune System

    A robust immune system protects against infections and diseases, promoting overall health and longevity.

  • Intestinal System

    A healthy intestinal system promotes efficient nutrient absorption and waste elimination, leading to better overall digestive health and nutrient utilisation.

  • Nervous System

    A healthy nervous system efficiently controls and coordinates bodily functions, enhancing cognitive function, mood stability, and overall health.

  • Respiratory System

    A healthy respiratory system ensures that your body gets the oxygen it needs for all its functions, leading to increased energy levels.

  • Structural System

    A well-maintained structural system supports mobility, stability, and overall physical function, allowing you to perform daily activities with ease.

  • Urinary System

    A healthy urinary system effectively removes waste and maintains the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance, contributing to detoxification and overall health.

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Digestive System