Quick Facts:
Poor digestion leaves the body and the immune system in the same predicament that poor nutrition does – a lack of nutritional factors that support immune functioning and the function of the entire body. This is because a poor functioning digestive system has lost some of the ability to turn what’s consumed into a form the body can use.
We’re using up pancreatic enzymes (digestive enzymes) faster than we used to and we have a limited amount of them. Processed food is a contributing factor. There are numerous symptoms like gas, bloating, belching, muscle pain, skin disorders, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn.
An inadequate digestive system will “steal” enzymes from the immune system to operate therefore weakening immune function. Poor digestive capability increases the body’s toxic load.
So here are 5 things you can do if you are having digestive difficulties:
1. Don’t drink liquid with a meal. Do not dilute your hydrochloric acid, unless you have soup which is ok.
Hydrochloric acid, also called HCl, is a clear, highly corrosive liquid. HCl is one of the many chemicals released in our stomach when we eat a meal. The role of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, along with the other gastric juices, is to break down foods and cause the release of enzymes that further aid digestion. HCl also protects the body from illness by killing pathogens commonly found on foods.
2. No cold beverages with a hot meal. This changes the P.H. in the stomach and disrupts normal digestion.
A healthy stomach pH is important to maintaining proper digestion. As you consume foods and beverages, the gastric acids in your stomach respond to help break down the compounds of your meal and transport nutrients throughout the body.
3. Chew your food slowly. The speed at which you eat affects digestion.
Most people think that digestion begins in the stomach. This is not true. Digestion actually starts in the mouth. Saliva in your mouth contains enzymes that are important to food digestion. One of the enzymes that your saliva contains is called alpha amylase. This enzyme is responsible for breaking down the starches that you eat into smaller molecules that the cells in your body can use for energy. When your food is not chewed properly, the alpha amylase in your saliva does not have the opportunity to break down these starches, leaving body cells starved.
4. This is very beneficial; incorporate papaya into your diet.
Papayas have some of the strongest digestive enzymes of any food that help in the breakdown of proteins. The most beneficial way and cheapest way to incorporate papaya would be buying the fruit itself. However, many westerners are not partial to the taste. In that case you can take tablets; 4 or 5 after a meal, or you can take it in concentrated powdered form; 2 tablespoons will do.
5.Good old cultured or fermented Foods and they are very inexpensive to make.
Cultures around the world have been eating fermented foods for years, from Sauerkraut in Germany to Kimchi in Korea and everywhere in between. Natural fermentation of foods has also been shown to preserve nutrients in food and break the food down to a more digestible form. This, along with the bevy of probiotics created during the fermentation process could explain the link between consumption of fermented foods and improved digestion.
The best thing would be to have sauerkraut juice or raw cabbage juice about half hour or twenty minutes before a meal, about 6 oz glass will do. However, the following are also phenomenal: sauerkraut, kimchi; raw apple cider vinegar; kombucha; natto; core a pineapple and juice. Miso is very beneficial, it is loaded with micro nutrients
Health W.H.O.R.E.S. 