Healing your gut: a workable morning routine

 What is it about the human mind that allows useful information to be filtered out just as easily as useless information? Scientists say while we sleep, the brain filters out useless information, but I'll tell you what, my brain doesn't discriminate. The adage "use it or lose it" is so, painfully, apropos to memory. 

And so, over time, I had lost my morning digestive routine to the sinkhole of time, chock full as it is with endlessly entertaining distractions. And for some reason I started feeling like crap again! Go figure.

Here's what I take/drink every morning to keep everything in balance:

• Zenwise prebiotics (greens) and probiotics (not a compensated endorsement- it's just what works)
• Magnesium
  
• matcha with a little manuka honey
• a small glass of aloe juice with my various supplements (mainly D and B complex)
• a shot of kefir, or a cup of miso broth with seaweed (I alternate)
  

Thanks to these things, my stomach almost always just feels right.

Papaya: an LPR sufferer's friend

As an LPR sufferer, I'll consider whatever I can do to improve my digestion, and my latest interest is papaya. We can't make all of the amino acids we need for proper digestion. Papaya contains a digestive enzyme called Papain which helps out in that area. Also, Papain reduces swelling and promotes healing, which I figure could only help with LPR.

The other nice thing about papaya is it is not a very acid fruit. I could be eating a bunch of pineapple to get my digestive enzymes: Pineapple is loaded with Bromelain, another digestive enzyme. But it's way too acid for me to consider noshing on because of my LPR damage. Papaya fits the bill perfectly.

Here's a delicious smoothie I made this morning which is packed with papaya and other good-for-you stuff.

Papaya Smoothie

1/4 Mexican papaya (the bigger kind you see in the stores), peeled and roughly diced

1 banana, in slices, frozen, or 1 banana, sliced

1 cup of coconut water

If you aren't already freezing banana slices- and why aren't you, by the way- add 1/2 cup ice to the mix. If you are using frozen banana, then add some water or additional coconut water to just cover the fruit.

Whiz on low in the blender until incorporated, then kick it up to liquefy.

Makes enough for two tall smoothies.

Papaya is also good in more savory applications. I know as soon as I feel good enough to eat raw onion again, I'm going to make salsa with it. And this sounds delicious too: Papaya Mint Salad.