November 28, 2003
Newsletter #47
Digestion:
The
Key to Healthy Holidays
For months, we Americans have eagerly anticipated cheery
days with family and friends during this season of joy, sharing and
indulging. The holidays bring with them
an abundance of fabulously rich foods - dishes served in amounts and frequency
that would be unimaginable as everyday fare.
Yet few people enter the festive months thinking about how they are
going to digest this smorgasbord of decadent goodies.
More
Than Just Breaking Down Foods
Digestion is considered by many practitioners to be the foundation of health. After all, it is in the process of digestion that food is transformed into usable energy, and that vitamins, minerals and other nutrients become available for absorption. When our digestion is compromised, we may experience a number of repercussions we didn't bargain for, from simple indigestion and constipation, to serious diseases such as colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and possibly even Crohn's disease.
Here are some simple tips for supporting healthy digestion, even in these days of excess.
Listen
to your body
The body gives out an amazing array of signals to help keep our health in balance. Americans aren't in the habit of paying attention to these signals, so they often go unnoticed - we are quite used to going through our hectic days ignoring the body's signals to rest, east, and hydrate. When we're presented with a plate of rich, delicious food, our hedonistic taste buds tend to overrule our more practical digestive signals, so we keep eating long after the hunger pangs are gone. The result is often stomach cramps and lethargy. Yet if we tune in, these communication attempts can help us make the right choices. Take the time to eat slowly, chew your food completely, and listen up.
Fill
up on fiber
The digestive system complains loudly when confronted with too many fats, refined foods, salts, and sugars. The body we inherited from our cave-swelling ancestors is simply not cut out to digest a processed diet lacking essential nutrients and fiber.
As inconvenient as they are, fiber-rich whole foods are the best bets for good digestion. In fact, the Mayo Clinic's first suggestion for supporting digestion is to eat plenty of fiber. Make sure every meal you eat includes higher-fiber foods such as beans, whole grains, and vegetables.
Think
complex
The simplest way to support digestion is to think complex. Complex foods - such as protein and complex carbohydrates - take longer to digest, so they support a slow release of energy. An added benefit is that complex foods give a feeling of fullness, thus staving off hunger. Refined foods - such as white flour products and sweets - are quickly digested into glucose. While they give immediate energy, they may actually stay in the gastro-intestinal tract longer than complex foods because they lack the bulking fiber needed to keep things moving.
Granted, you can't completely avoid the simple foods, but you can take a page out of the Atkins low-carb diet plan and eat them sparingly while making sure your diet includes enough protein to keep the stomach growls at bay.
Stay
hydrated
Believe it or not, water is one of the best digestive aids around. Water lubricates food waste, helping it move through the GI tract. Keep hydrated all day long. Experts recommend drinking at least eight 8-oz. Glasses of water. One caveat - don't drink more than 4 oz. Water with any meal, as water can, well, water-down your digestive juices.
Consider
some outside help
So what should you do if you can't eat perfectly? Look to digestive supplements such as enzymes, Probiotics, herbs, green foods as specific vitamins. Enzymes work to break down proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and starches into smaller particles, taking a load off an over-burdened digestive system. Beneficial bacteria such as acidophilus crowd out the harmful colonic bacteria that cause gas, bloating, and constipation. The research supporting these critters is strong - over 25 human clinical trials have shown that Probiotics support gastro-intestinal health.
Several herbs have a long history of traditional use for easing digestion, including ginger, peppermint and fennel. Brewed together, these three herbs make a tasty tea. Many health care practitioners recommend green foods such as spirulina to treat gastro-intestinal problems. Other helpful nutrients include vitamin B-1 (thiamin) and biotin, which help process fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Finally, consider a holiday colon cleanse. Periodically cleansing the colon with fiber and herbs is like giving your car a tune-up - if you do it, the whole thing will run cleaner and more efficiently.
References
used in this article:
Prescription
for Nutritional Healing, by Phyllis A and James Balch
Vitamins
for Dummies by
Christopher Hobbs and Elson Hass
Herbs
for Dummies
by Christopher Hobbs
Protective
Nutrients and functional foods for the gastrointestinal tract, by Christopher Duggan,
(American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
PRODUCTS
ON SALE AT HONEYCOMB NATURAL FOODS THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2003.
NATRA-BIO
Sinus Relief - 1oz.
Regular Price----$6.89 .Sale Price----$5.29
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BioAllers
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HEALTH PLUS
Colon
Cleanse or Super
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Super Colon Cleanse - 240 Capsules
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TRADITIONAL MEDICINALS
Eaters Digest, Nighty Night, Herba Tussin or Ginger
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Echinacea Elder Organic Tea - 16 Bags
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ALVERA
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Aloe Unscented, Aloe & Almonds or Aloe Herbal
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PACIFIC
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ORGANIC VALLEY
Sweet Organic Unsalted or Salted Butter - 16oz. (4
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SALE PRICES VALID THROUGH DECEMBER 31st 2003