Many substances we consume on a daily basis, quite apart from those foods we are allergic to, are digestive irritants.

This includes alcohol, antibiotics, pain killers, certain spices, wheat, coffee and tea. In excess, these alone can be the cause of digestive problems.

If you do suffer from digestive problems, having a week without any of these is a good way to ‘test’. Alcohol is always a digestive irritant but the quantity makes a big difference. Also, many people react to something in drinks, be it yeast in beer or sulphites in wines. So having yeast-free drink or a sulphite-free wine and seeing how you feel can test this out.

Caffeine, especially coffee, is a gastrointestinal irritant. Many use it to ‘force’ bowel evacuation, which should occur naturally, without the need for such a stimulant. We will be addressing this later, and giving you natural solutions, if this is a problem area for you.

Both antibiotics and NSAID painkillers irritate the gut. The current medical vogue is to also give antacid PPI drugs to counter this side-effect but that is adding one further digestive disruptor. In the case of antibiotics it is important to follow any course with two weeks of probiotics – beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifido bacteria – to reinoculate the gut.

Instead of relying on painkillers exploring what’s driving pain and resolving it is a better long-term solution.

Read this Report in your library: Digestive Irritants to Avoid