…Or should I say, do you have gut troubles?


My entire family has “digestive issues,” ranging from Crohn’s Disease to IBS to the odd lactose “semi-tolerance” as I”ll call it. None of us should probably eat peanut butter, but most of us do. While a few of my family members have actual diseases or diagnosed issues, I am more on the “I don’t eat crap that makes my guts hurt but there is nothing really wrong with me” end of the spectrum


Enter my curiosity of this product on a recent food co-op visit:

I got out this “nervous glass” which hasn’t seen anything but whiskey in years, and sloppily measured the 2 oz dose. With a caramello at the ready should I need a quick remedy for bad taste.


The verdict?
taste: not bad, not good. It doesn’t taste like anything I’ve ever had before. It didn’t make me gag like I thought it would, but I did eat a cinnamon raisin bagel right quick. The caramello seemed too sweet after the “juice.”


the benefit: I will drink the whole bottle and report back if I find any difference in overall functioning. 2 oz a day until it’s gone, no more. The bottle says you can have this dose twice a day but I’m taking it slow.


So you know I’m not going to leave you without a list, soooo…


Better than Cod Liver Oil, Cheaper than Tums: Meri’s Tummy Tamers:


**DISCLAIMER** The tummy troubles I speak of deal more with heartburn/ cramping/ bloating/ “twisty guts” as I call it , and less with actual ‘ahem” elimination, so some of these are mere reports and not tried and or true per se. You’ll have to let me know if they work or are hogwash.


1. Tea. Ginger (anti nausea), chamomile (stress reducing), Peppermint (tummy “soothing”) and rooibos all are prescribed for tummy trouble. It just so happens these are my favorite kinds of teas! Alternately, I take my “ginger supplement” in the form of ginger chews, the best candy ever created.


2. Blackberries– for diarrhea (per my friend “google.”)


3. Brazil Nuts– for constipation (per google report)


4. Oatmeal– solves all of life’s problems, including digestive iffiness.


5. Honey– anti-bacteria, anti-viral. My mom has a recipe for a tonic with honey and vinegar and water, I think. Mom- you out there? write the recipe in the comments!


6. Yogurt/ Kefir– the probiotics. I’m limited to store bought yogurts thus far. After a nasty bout with the flu I once bought probiotic pills, but don’t think I took them long enough for it to make a difference.


7. Saltines– because my mommy and everybody’s mommy says so.


8. Bananas– cramps begone! Winning!


9. Cabbage– sounds counterintuitive, but I just read today they help with stomach ulcers. I always think of people saying cabbage makes you “windy,” but I have never liked it so I guess I can’t speak for its pro/con in the digestive world. 


10. Animal crackers- because if I have a tummy ache already, I might as well get some animal crackers out of the deal!


                                                                                                                


Now, truth be told… I take Tums every day pretty much, since I’ve decided they are a worthy and slightly more cost effective calcium supplement, and they help when I eat too many tomatoes or vodka or both together. Ruh-roh!


Do you all have tummy troubles (often or once in awhile?) Have you ever been diagnosed or do you “self diagnose” like me? What are your tummy ache or nausea remedies?


-Meri