Thanks Open for raising the topic again.

I have been exploring intermittent fasting for some weeks now and it feels much more aligned than spreading the eating window through out the day. One thing i noticed which got amplified was my poor digestion with gas,bloating,irritable bowel syndrome,irregular bowel movements and also inability to absorb nutrients ,fat from the food i consume. I have been doing some research and to me it boiled down to two important points.

1) Poor HCl acid production in the stomach and consequently less bile secretion from the gall bladder and enzyme secretion from the pancreas to neutralize the acid in the intestine. This results in poor breakdown of food and hence results in food sitting in the stomach for longer periods of time and fermenting resulting in gas production.Suggestion i found in DR Berg's videos was to put more acid in the form of diluted apple cider vinegar before meals. However this seems to worsen some conditions due to inflammation of stomach walls. Also apple cider vinegar turns the body more acidic which is ideally in an alkaline condition.

2) Poor gut flora or lack of good bacteria in the intestine which actually does most of the digestion for us. This may have been due to unhealthy lifestyles with fast foods and ingestion of antibiotics. To re-establish the gut flora i have made a batch sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) and also another one with pineapple sugar and lemon which is supposed to supply the enzymes. These are both in the fermenting stage ,so i haven't actually tested it. I have also ordered a probiotic supplement which arrived today. I feel determined to get to the bottom it ! Yay!

In India we usually consume cooked foods,so i have had very poor luck with raw foods which seems to pass right through me! Since the eating window is very close i find it impossible to consume 3 big meals and find its better to consume steamed vegetables with nuts and pulses ,smoothies and green juices at least once a day. With meals i have the feeling of the food sitting in the stomach and this is more noticeable during intermittent fasting where one feels more expanded which otherwise usually gets drowned in the density. Other thing i found really essential is to really slow down and chew the foods many times before ingestion which releases enzymes within the mouth helping digestion.

I love to hear your thoughts..