I take a squirt (a dropperful) of digestive bitters after almost every meal. It helps my digestion.
Many folks take bitters before each meal to get their digestion revving – but I can never remember to do that! 🙁 Thankfully, after meals works great too!
So what are bitters exactly?
They are an herbal infusion of bitter herbs that are prepared in alcohol that tell your body, “hey, it’s time to digest! Get those digestive enzymes in gear!” that support digestion.
- Bitters nudge your gall bladder to excrete bile so that you can digest fats better.
- Bitters help regulate insulin which keeps your blood sugar levels stable – that means less cravings
- Bitters stimulate peristalsis – that means pooping easier
- Bitters get those digestive enzyme to secrete – that means a healthy amount of stomach acid which (counterintuitively) makes your system more alkaline versus acidic. That’s good for reducing inflammation!
Many cultures enjoy bitters in cocktails or as aperitifs (before a meal) or digestives (after a meal) think Campari or Amaro.
But you don’t have to be a fancy mixologist to enjoy the benefits of bitters.
Simply take a dropper-ful of bitters and squirt it right into your mouth or mix it with some water.
Here are my favorite varieties….
- Urban Moonshine Bitters (My favorite flavor is citrus – but they have several others that are delicious as well)
- St. Francis Canadian Bitters:
And the newest to my collection:
- Angelica Bitters from Sawmill Herb Farm
If you haven’t tried bitters yet, I encourage you to do it and let me know how it feels for you?
if you have bitters as part of your health routine, let me know your favorite kind!
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Nina Manolson, MA, CHC, certified Health Coach and Psychology of Eating Coach believes that every women deserves to feel good in their own body. She helps women create a healthy and positive relationship with their food and body so they can love their body and life! She’s the founder of NinaManolson.com and NourishedWomanNation.com
She helps busy women look and feel their best. She specializes in working with women over 40 who have tried other diets and approaches but are still struggling with their body and food. She helps women step into a new wellness paradigm that makes it real and do-able and makes self-care a sustainable healthy habit.
She’s the author of “Feed Your Kids Well In A World That Doesn’t: an everyday guide to make healthy food happen in your home and beyond”. She’s also the recipient of the prestigious Health Leadership Award from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
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Nina Manolson, MA, is the founder of Body-Peace®.She helps women end the war with food and body and finally feel truly at home in their body—as it is.
She is known for her deeply feminist, anti-diet, body-peace® approach. She brings her 30 years of experience as a therapist, Body-Trust® Guide and Psychology of Eating Teacher to helping women create a respectful and trusting relationship with their food and body.
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