“Digestion: The mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic
process whereby ingested food is converted into material suitable for
assimilation for synthesis of tissues or liberation of energy.” (From Natural Standard dictionary)
What does this mean in
layman’s terms? Digestion is simply the
process of how the food you eat is broken down by enzymes and acids in your
saliva and other bodily fluids from the time it enters through your lips until
it is eliminated in various ways, so that your body can absorb the vitamins and
other nutrients in the food.
What happens when the digestion
tract isn’t working properly? The
digestive system is directly related to the immune system. Your body has the
unique ability to warn you that the digestion process isn’t working optimally
by creating symptoms. In many cases,
these symptoms have been given medical disease names such as Flatulence, Irritable
Bowel Syndrome, Colic, Pancreatitis, Heartburn, Reflux Disease, Lactose
Intolerance, Heartburn, Constipation, Diarrhea, Migraine, Gastric Erosion, Mal-absorption, Bowel Distention, Celiac Disease, Food Allergies, and the list
goes on and on.
What can be done to rid
your body of these symptoms? There
are ways to temporarily suppress these warning symptoms. For example, you can take pharmaceutical drugs
or even certain supplements or herbs.
However, once the temporary “fix” has worn off, it is only a matter of
time before the symptoms reappear. If
these symptoms are allowed to simmer in your body without the underlying
problem (an unhealthy digestive tract) being addressed, more chronic—sometimes debilitating
or even fatal—health indications can manifest, including Obesity, Diabetes,
Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Ulcers, Heart Disease, Depression, and even Cancer. These can also materialize with no warning
symptoms. (Other factors may contribute
to these disorders, but the sole focus of this article is digestion education,
so we are using that perspective here.)
What causes an unhealthy
digestive tract? In our fast-paced
world and certainly with our western diet of chemical-laced, processed, and
“fast” food, it’s no wonder that 40% of Americans suffer from indigestion. There are many lifestyle factors that can
contribute to an unhealthy digestive tract, ranging from improper diet or
eating habits, stress, undesirable sleep patterns, dehydration, sedentary
lifestyle (lack of body movement—exercise) or a combination of these or other
factors. If needed, you can evaluate
your individual lifestyle habits with your health care professional.
What can be done to keep
the digestive tract healthy? Most
importantly, we need to feed it healthy food, prepared and eaten in a healthy
way, which can be confusing, since there are so many different opinions of what
“healthy” is. (Please be aware that a food advertisement,
whether on television, radio, magazine, news publication, the World Wide Web, endorsement,
or anywhere else, is just that—an advertisement. The sole purpose of an advertisement is to
sell the product. The advertisement
experts are paid well to use psychological strategies to lead you to believe
the product is beneficial to you, even if that could be the farthest from the
truth.)
As stated by Rosemary Gladstar, author of Herbal Recipes for vibrant health, “It is not always necessary or even beneficial to follow strict
dietary disciplines. Rather, follow the
laws of healthy eating: Eat [organic]
food as close to nature as possible, eat what’s in season, prepare it simply,
chew slowly, and give thanks.” With this in mind, a suggested diet to
promote healthy digestion, provided by Michael Tierra in his book, The Way of Herbs, consists of:
·
Whole grains (not refined or milled, nor flour
products). 20-30% of the diet.
·
Protein (including lean animal protein, tofu,
tempeh, and beans--not red meat, which is below). 20-30% of the diet.
·
Fresh seasonal vegetables (raw or lightly
cooked). 30-40% of the diet.
·
Dairy, eggs, and fruits (also red meat). 5-10% of the diet.
·
Fats and oils (including olive, sesame oils, and
ghee). 2% of the diet.
To expand on this, it is advisable to eat organic or locally grown
food. One reason for this, in addition
to consuming unsafe chemicals, is that big food companies and grocery store
chains are known to irradiate non-organic food.
Irradiation is a process much like microwaving, which kills beneficial
bacteria, phytonutrients, and enzymes that are necessary for healthy digestion
of the food. Additionally, raw milk may be preferable to
pasteurized, since the pasteurization process kills beneficial nutrients
including lactase, the enzyme that helps to digest the milk sugar, lactose, thus
possibly contributing to lactose intolerance symptoms.
Protein is very important for the digestion process. Tierra stresses that it is needed “to repair damaged tissues and
cells as they naturally break down”, and “to stimulate and maintain bodily
metabolism,” which helps to stimulate organ activity.
Also, quality unsaturated fats and oils are beneficial in the
burning of stored fat, and have been found to aid in the absorption of vitamins
A, D, E, and K. Tierra writes,“Even the American Heart
Association recommends getting between 15 to 30 percent of our calories from
that wonderful substance that makes food so delicious.”
What else can be done to
help the body digest and absorb the nourishment in the food that is eaten? Oh, there is a lot! Here are a few things that have been proven
to help:
·
One could
eat a raw-or-close-to-raw variety of food and/or supplement with vitamins. Food loses its vitamin and nutrient potency
the more it is processed or cooked, especially when cooked in the microwave. Vitamins are essential to life itself. Vitamin deficiencies cause harm to your
entire body, creating havoc to your immune system—most of which is in your
digestive tract.
·
One could
supplement with beneficial enzymes such as acidophilus culture complex,
including lactobacillus, bulgaricus, and bifida bacterium, which maintains a
healthy intestinal environment.
·
One could
eat food that has been seasoned with traditional kitchen spices. You can also make a tea with these herbs, or
take them in capsule form. Almost all
kitchen spices aid in digestion. The
long list includes names you might recognize like: Basil, Black Pepper, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin, Garlic,
Ginger, Marjoram, Oregano, Mustard Seed, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, and Turmeric.
·
One could
get enough sleep. This can be a
challenge, and many books have been written on this subject alone. Seven to eight hours of sleep per night is
recommended for an average adult.
·
One could
get enough exercise. Any kind of
exercise will do: walking, jogging,
aerobics, yoga, swimming, sports, weight bearing, etc. Lack of exercise leads to oxygen-deficient
cells in our bodies, which can affect our digestive tract, along with causing
many other ailments. Doing anything that
makes you breath deeply can help fill those cells with the oxygen they crave!
·
One could
say no to unnecessary activities. Almost
everyone has had digestive upset due to a stressfully over-booked calendar or
lack of relaxation in their life, such as “butterflies”, diarrhea, or
constipation. A body needs down time to
do its important internal work.
·
One could
drink enough water. This is another
subject that would need a book to cover it completely. Just adequately hydrating your body can
prevent or alleviate so many aches, pains and ailments. It is recommended to drink at least a quart
of clean, pure water every day. Other beverages such as juice, soda, coffee,
and alcohol don’t count. In fact, they
can contribute to and aggravate dehydration symptoms, like headache,
constipation, nausea, irritability, etc.
·
One could
take herbs that aid in the digestion process. In addition to the kitchen spices noted
above, there are other herbs that can be ingested to help digestion. Some of those are burdock, chamomile, dandelion
root, fennel, marsh mallow root, peppermint (can be made into an alcohol
tincture, but the commercial alcohol doesn’t count), spearmint, and yellow
dock. These can be found at local health
food stores, and can be taken in a capsule, tea, tincture, syrup, or powder
form. One good thing about taking herbs
is that virtually all of them have no side affects, unlike their
counterpart: pharmaceutical drugs. In many cases, they are just as (or more) effective too.
Having a healthy digestive tract is one of the best ways to lead a
healthy, happy life! Once a person is
truly healthy, the lifestyle that comes with it can become addictive—an
addiction that is recommended!
(Disclaimer: This article
is for educational purposes only, and not intended to diagnose or treat a
medical condition.)
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Thank you!
References
Gladstar, R. (2008).
Chapter 2: A Prescription for Life. In
N. W. Ringer (Ed.), Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health (pp. 13-41). North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.
Mercola, J. (April 6,
2007). Do you know what pasteurization
and irradiation really mean? Retrieved December 16, 2009, from
http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2007/04/06/do-you-know-what-pasteurization-and-irradiation-really-mean.aspx
Mercola, J. (n.d.). Don’t drink your milk! Retrieved
December 16, 2009, from http://www.mercola.com/article/milk/no-milk.htm
Natural Standard from
http://www.naturalstandard.com/index.asp
Page, L. (2006).
Indigestion and Heartburn. In Linda
Page’s Guide to Self Healing (12th ed., pp. 470-471). Del Rey Oaks, CA:
Healthy Healing.
Page, L. (2006). Vitamins.
In Linda Page’s healthy healing, A guide
to self healing for everone (12th, pp. 619-620). : Healthy Healing.
Tierra, M. (1998). Chapter
7: A Balanced Diet. In S.
Dharmananda
(Ed.), The Way of Herbs (pp. 47-70). New York, NY:
Pocket Books.
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