To keep it simple and easily digestible -- sorry, I couldn't resist the temptation -- I will present my findings in an outline format. Here are the top TEN things you can do to ensure excellent gastric health. They are in random order:
1) Drink lots of water!
The health benefits of drinking 4-6 glasses of water (16 oz each) a day cannot be counted on your fingers and toes. But it is absolutely vital for healthy digestion.
2) Take probiotics.
They are becoming more popular, but the majority of us are still not familiar with them. I take Jarro-Dophilus +FOS capsules, but there are many good ones out there. An excellent probiotic should be kept refrigerated at all times. They can be taken before a meal during times of illness, high stress or after you've undergone antibiotic therapy. If you don't like taking pills, try eating yogurt. Although yogurts do not have the multiple strains of good bacteria that probiotic supplements have, it is a natural delivery system, and will be beneficial to digestive health.
3) Take digestive enzymes.
I take one before I eat anything that is cooked. Heating anything even slightly kills the beneficial live enzymes which are desperately needed for every chemical reaction in our bodies. If your GI tract doesn't have them, you can't properly digest food or access all the nutrients from it. And every system in your body is negatively impacted due to slower chemical reactions. Again, if you hate taking pills, try eating more RAW food. That is unprocessed, unadulterated food. I've heard it referred to as "clean eating." It's simple. If you eat plenty of LIVE foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.), you will also feel ALIVE.
4) Fiber, fiber and more fiber!
Women should get 25 g of fiber per day, while men should get 38 g per day. But it's important to get both insoluble and soluble fiber, because BOTH are needed for healthy tummies. Good sources of insoluble fiber, which increases stool bulk and promotes movement of material through the GI tract, are whole wheat flour, nuts and many vegetables. Good sources of soluble fiber, makes the transit of material in the bowel easier by forming a gel-like substance, is found in oats, beans, apples, etc. It also lowers blood cholesterol and glucose levels.
According to Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, a recent long-term study on 500,000 individuals, found that those who consumed a great amount of fiber lived longer. There was a decreased number of cardiovascular, infectious or respiratory diseases by 24% to 56% in men and 34% to 59% in women.
Check out this excellent article from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033
An excellent morning ritual to ensure a clean GI tract and all the good things that go with it is to mix the following in a bowl with milk: 1 heaping tsp each of Oat bran, Wheat bran or germ, Ground Psyllium Husk and Ground Flaxseed, as well as 15-20 raisins. Eat this and then drink 12 oz (or more) of water immediately after. Within days, you'll feel a huge difference. Do it every day! Don't miss a day. It's nutty, tasty and a healthy, easy start to every day.
An excellent morning ritual to ensure a clean GI tract and all the good things that go with it is to mix the following in a bowl with milk: 1 heaping tsp each of Oat bran, Wheat bran or germ, Ground Psyllium Husk and Ground Flaxseed, as well as 15-20 raisins. Eat this and then drink 12 oz (or more) of water immediately after. Within days, you'll feel a huge difference. Do it every day! Don't miss a day. It's nutty, tasty and a healthy, easy start to every day.
5) Exercise.
It's simple. If you, as one physician calls it, "move like your ancestors," you will be healthy. One of the most important benefits of exercise is that it increase peristalsis or the muscular contractions in the gut which makes material move through the digestive tract. Another excellent article appears on a very informative website that I refer to all the time (www.livestrong.com): http://www.livestrong.com/article/434866-peristalsis-exercises/. Yoga, breathing and increasing your core strength will give you the digestive system of a superhero.
6) Stop eating processed foods.
Food that has chemicals in it are treated as alien invaders by your body. If you don't want a real life Star Wars going on in your belly, stop eating alien substances. Good rules of thumb are: If it comes in a box, don't buy it. If it has more than five ingredients, don't buy it. If you can't pronounce one of the ingredients, don't buy it. Avoid the center shelves of the supermarket like the plague and focus on the outside aisles where the real food is, the food your body can recognize.
7) Eat a plant-based diet.
Eat mostly plant-based foods, and you'll be doing yourself (and the environment) a huge favor. Of our total calorie intake each day, we need to get 50% from carbs, 30% from fat and 20% from protein each day. Most of us have this backwards. We've been told that carbs make you fat. This is simply not true. Carbs, the right kind of carbs, make you lose weight and keep it off! Most of us get way too much fat and protein and far fewer carbs. Or we get too many of the wrong kinds of carbs, such as simple sugar (candy, pastries, etc.) vs. complex sugar (fruits and vegetables). Plants, in addition to all the nutrients they provide, have lots of fiber, which we need for tummy health. And with most plants (broccoli, carrots, green leafy vegetables, squash, papaya, grapes, pineapple, etc.), you can usually eat as much as you want, feeling fuller in the process.
8) Keep the weight off but stop dieting.
This might seem like an oxymoron to some. How can you do both? Many studies have shown that calorie-counting type diets create a vicious circle in your body. And since your digestion is the center for your metabolism, it's seriously impacted by dieting. Any cyclical weight loss, weight gain, weight loss, weight gain makes it harder to lose fat, especially tummy fat. When you are on a calorie-reduced diet, your body makes metabolic adjustments that make it harder and harder for you to lose weight. Your body becomes more efficient, and thus, you have to eat fewer and fewer calories to lose the same amount of weight. You're basically playing with fire when you diet. Don't mess with nature. It has an amazing way of adjusting to any conditions in order to preserve life.
So how do you do it without dieting? Follow the other steps, and you will also achieve a healthy weight. The speed at which you will achieve this healthy weight depends on how many steps you actually follow. The more you follow, the faster you'll lose weight. And they work hand-in-hands. If your digestion is healthy, you'll stay trim. If you stay trim, your digestion is healthy. Check this out: http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20070411/diets-dont-work-long-term
9) Breathe more.
Breathing aids in digestion. Oxygen is vital to good health, but most of us are so pent up with stress, rushing from place to place all day, that we don't stop to really take a good deep breath. The constant habit of breathing too shallow can affect your digestion and your overall health. In general, what is good for the digestion is good for your overall health because 70% of your body's immune cells are found in the digestive tract.
You don't have to be wear a white robe, burn candles and sit on a hilltop to meditate. Meditating only means focused breathing. Breathe deeply and bring focus to the breath. You don't have to listen to chimes or sit twist your legs up into the lotus position. Just practice good breathing. Make it a habit to spend 15 minutes to an hour each day with focused breathing, and wella! Your digestion improves. You'll notice the change in bowel habits, and in many other aspects of your life, in a very short time. An easy breathing exercise that can be done while lying down or in a comfortable sitting position is this: Inhale to a count of four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for six seconds, hold for two seconds. And repeat ten times. Do three sets of 10, resting a few minutes between each set, ten times a day.
This organization is an excellent source for breathing and meditation courses: http://www.artofliving.org/us-en
10) Eliminate stress.
Okay, it may seem like a no-brainer. But most people do not realize how much stress impacts their digestion or how fast it affects it. We've all heard the term "gut-wrenching" experience. Or the term, "I felt it in my gut." Both refer to what happens to the body the moment we let stress occur. You start to breathe faster, your heart races and your stomach tightens. Stress can affect every part of the digestive system, according to Dr. Kenneth Koch, MD., professor of medicine and gastroenterology. It is believed that the gut is the seat of all human emotions.
Digestion is controlled by the nervous system. When the body undergoes stress or you feel that panicky stress reaction, digestion can shut down because your central nervous system decreases the blood flow to the gut and increases blood flow to the extremities, preparing you for fight or flight. This affects the contractions of the digestive muscles and secretions needed for digestion. Stress can also cause inflammation of the entire GI tract.
Here's to ten simple rules that will optimize your digestion and overall health in the process. Happy tummies, everyone!
This organization is an excellent source for breathing and meditation courses: http://www.artofliving.org/us-en
10) Eliminate stress.
Okay, it may seem like a no-brainer. But most people do not realize how much stress impacts their digestion or how fast it affects it. We've all heard the term "gut-wrenching" experience. Or the term, "I felt it in my gut." Both refer to what happens to the body the moment we let stress occur. You start to breathe faster, your heart races and your stomach tightens. Stress can affect every part of the digestive system, according to Dr. Kenneth Koch, MD., professor of medicine and gastroenterology. It is believed that the gut is the seat of all human emotions.
Digestion is controlled by the nervous system. When the body undergoes stress or you feel that panicky stress reaction, digestion can shut down because your central nervous system decreases the blood flow to the gut and increases blood flow to the extremities, preparing you for fight or flight. This affects the contractions of the digestive muscles and secretions needed for digestion. Stress can also cause inflammation of the entire GI tract.
Here's to ten simple rules that will optimize your digestion and overall health in the process. Happy tummies, everyone!
