Nutrients that support healthy digestion
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Have you ever considered that common nutrients in your food might help your digestion? Naturopath Kathryn Terrill takes a look at a few of these helpful allies.
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- Tips & Advice on Improving your Digestive Health/
- Nutrients that support healthy digestion
Zinc
This essential mineral is involved in a huge variety of body processes, such as immunity, skin health and antioxidant protection. Zinc is also associated with healthy digestive function.
Did you know, for example, that zinc is involved in the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach? Hydrochloric acid is important for kick-starting protein digestion and it helps to protect against harmful bugs.
Foods high in zinc include:
- seafood (particularly oysters)
- red meats
- poultry
- eggs
- cheeses
- legumes (eg. lentils, chickpeas)
- whole grains and cereals (eg. oats)
- nuts and seeds (eg sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts)
The foods highest in zinc are also good sources of protein. Zinc binds to protein and is better absorbed when protein is being absorbed as well.
Zinc is usually better absorbed when the protein is from an animal source, so vegetarians need to make sure they are eating lots of zinc-containing foods.
Glutamine
Glutamate is an amino acid, or building block of protein, found in the form of glutamine in foods such as cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and rolled oats, as well as most food sources of protein. It is also available in supplemental form.
Glutamine is a major fuel for our intestinal cells and encourages their growth, maintenance and integrity. Glutamine also helps to support the immune function in our digestive tract.
Scientific research suggests that glutamine may help repair the lining of the digestive tract and protect against any further damage.
Vitamin A (Betacarotene)
Like glutamine, vitamin A is important for the health of the cells lining the digestive tract. This is important because these cells produce mucus which lubricates the surface and protects against ulcers. The mucus also helps the smooth mixing of food matter.
Betacarotene is sometimes called ‘plant vitamin A’ because it is converted to vitamin A in the body as required, and it is found in high amounts in plant foods. It has a characteristic orange colour so it may come as no surprise that the highest amounts are found in foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, rock melon and apricots. Spinach, broccoli and other dark green leafy vegetables are also good sources.
Vitamin A is only found in foods of animal origin such as liver, some seafood, butter, milk and egg yolks.
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