Personal trainers are always looking for quick and effective tips to share with their clients. Tips on exercise performance, enhanced recovery, improved sleep, digestive health, nutrient intake, and stress levels are all beneficial for our overall training results and our healthspan.
So, here is a simple, effective, safe, cheap and easily accessible nutrition tip that clients can use to lower inflammation and improve digestive health.
Our modern lifestyle has lead to an increase in inflammation and gut issues. If left unchecked, gut issues and inflammation can prevent clients from reaching their goals and lead to illness in the future.
Baking soda!
Yep, baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda), the same stuff you use in cooking and home cleaning products.
There are plenty of studies that show baking soda has positive effects on kidney health, digestive health, urinary infections, muscle pain, muscle fatigue, chemotherapy side effects, physical performance, heartburn, and more...
But, did you know that a daily dose of baking soda may reduce the inflammation that is associated with autoimmune diseases? A study published a few years ago found just that!
When the subjects in the study consumed baking soda, their stomachs produced more acid to help them digest the next meal. The baking soda also had another effect: it seemed to send a “chemical message” to the spleen, instructing it to inhibit the inflammatory response.
This was only a small study (12 subjects), and it had some issues. But given how safe, cheap, and accessible baking soda is, I've started trying this with some of myself, and with a few of my clients. For some, it made a pretty significant difference.
I'm not saying that baking soda is a miracle cure that works for everyone I’m not here to sell snake oils. But it's a low-risk natural treatment, and the potential benefits are high, so it’s worth experimenting with for a week or two and seeing if you notice a difference.
Here’s how to do it:
Start with ⅛ teaspoon per day, and build up to a maximum of ⅓ teaspoon per day.
Mix baking soda with 250 mL (1 cup) of water.
Take on an empty stomach.
I also add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
Note: If your sodium intake is high, or you have high blood pressure, consider using potassium bicarbonate instead of sodium bicarbonate. You can buy this online or at a health food store.
The good thing about simple client tips like this is that they empower clients to take charge of their own health.