Tag: digestion

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Digestion: Key to health

Posted on

Gentle Reader,

Here we are in a New Year.  I hear murmuring around me about changes in eating, in exercise, in work habits.  People everywhere seek balance in their lives, which seem to be uncontrollably hectic.  We interrupt ourselves and forget what we hoped to accomplish in the next hour.  There is no peace.

This time of year solutions abound.  Your favorite person on Facebook asks everyone to comment on their resolutions and past successes.  The radio and TV, pod casts and news articles have the answer if you would just listen, please.  Of course, I am going to recommend a better diet, one with supplements.  Ha! It just could be that digestion is the key to health.

Years ago I learned a very important lesson that relaxed my need to save the world all by myself.  Food, diet and nutrition are one small part of the total health picture. A wise woman, Angela Arriens, lectured on the 8 common threads across all cultures that lead to a health filled life.  As a cross-cultural anthropologist, she knew what she was talking about from years of research.

It turns out that our diet per se is only one/eighth of the picture.  Other factors–exercise, spiritual practice, friends and relationships, music and color (art), and deep rest are the aspects I remember to this day, 24 years after hearing her speak.  What a relief to know what a small part I might play in advising someone’s health picture.  My supplement program is not the key ingredient to a healthy life, just one aspect.

Having said that, I want to suggest that digestion is a key to health, one of the most important aspects of nourishing our bodies.  We can eat whole foods and never contaminate our bodies with junk food, but if we don’t have a functional digestive system, we may still miss the nutrients we need.  If you struggle with acid reflux or bloating and gas after eating, perhaps your digestive system needs some fine-tuning.  If you suffer from arthritis, joint pain, or are developing spinal stenosis and osteoporosis, it could be that your nutrients are not doing their job in the body.

Goal of Digestion

Take whole foods and turn them into energy and nutrients to allow the body to function, grow, and repair itself. When we swallow food we have chewed in the mouth, the esophagus carries the mass to the stomach.  The first potential problem is the esophageal sphincter, or trap door that opens to let the slurry of food pass into the relaxed upper stomach.   If the food is well-chewed, broken down evenly, the weight will easily open the trap door and the mass will pass into the stomach, letting the sphincter close behind it.

Chew your food well to aid this process.

Problems occur when we swallow chunks of food and the sphincter explodes open to let the material pass.  Gas results.  Flow back of acid results.  In time, the sphincter wears out and doesn’t close firmly or quickly.

In the stomach, an acid excretion further breaks down the food into the nutrients that can be absorbed by the tiny cilla in the small intestine.  The stomach must be acidic to do this job or food continues down the digestive track un-dissolved and its nutrients are not absorbed.

When people feel discomfort from the escaping acidity up the esophagus into the mouth, called heart burn or acid reflux, the go-to remedy is an antacid.  This might give a feeling of relief but the nutrients that need to be broken down into their absorbable components remain unavailable to our system.  Antacids neutralize the acid the stomach provides to break down food.

Ideally, the stomach breaks down proteins.  When this is not functioning as designed, a better intervention is to increase the stomach acid by drinking warm water and lemon juice first thing in the morning.  Not coffee.  And chew, chew, chew until the slurry that drops to the esophageal sphincter gently pushes the trap door open.

If there are foods that are hard for you to digest like dairy or refined carbohydrates (cookies, crackers, breads, cakes), the cruciferous foods—broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or legumes—beans, you might need digestive enzymes to hit the stomach first thing before a meal to help break those things down.  (This is where Shaklee’s EzGest comes in handy,  Take one before each meal.)

Most of us do not feel the peristalsis—muscle action of the small intestine as the slurry passes on down.  When functioning normally, the digestive acids in the intestines break down starches, proteins and carbohydrates.  Nutrients are absorbed into the body all along this passage as they become dissolved.  Certain vitamins like the 8 different B vitamins become absorbed in specific areas of the intestines whether the B’s come from foods or supplements.  When not functioning normally, we feel gas and bloating moving down the intestinal track, often producing pain and even severe discomfort.

Finally, the pancreas introduces pancreatic acid to break down starches, fats and protein and the liver produces bile acid to further break down fats.

Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream from the stomach.  (Eating grapes and other high sugar content foods seems to have the same quick absorption rate for me, but I know there has to be some breakdown beyond the stomach acids.  Still the same rush alcohol brings happens with these high sugar foods.)

The most common drugs prescribed by the medical profession and purchased over the counter are meant to correct mal-functions in this digestive process.  They often eliminate the discomfort that occurs when the acids do not stay where they belong but they weaken  natural digestion.  It is possible to return your digestive system to a drug-free, comfortable state.  It takes changing your eating habits.  Since digestion is the key to health, you’ll be glad you did.

These supplements help:

Ez-Gest digestive enzymes

Optiflora pre- and probiotics  for maintaining a healthy digestive balance  Healthy bacteria

Herb Lax for constipation and blood cleansing  Healthy colon

Fiber Advantage Bars, and Fiber Tablets  Promote colon health and regularity

Changing your digestive process may be the key to losing weight along with the other benefits.  Many of us take on the goal of getting to our healthy weight by summer time.  The Shaklee 180 Turnaround is an excellent program to help you on your way.  It could be that dealing with the digestive issues will make all the difference.

Remember, just losing 10 pounds will ease up on those aching joints, the arthritis in your knees, hips and feet.  Could better digestion help?  Didn’t we say that digestion is the key to health?

Let us know your solutions to the struggles you have with digestion.

Be well, do well and Keep Moving,

Love,

Betsy

Betsy Bell’s Health4u

206 933 1889

betsy@hihohealth.com

 

Scientific resources

Digestive enzymes

Posted on

What factors create digestive challenges? Why do we need digestive enzymes?
What is EZ-Gest?
How does it work?
Why chose and why use EZ-Gest

What Is EZ-Gest?
EZ-Gest offers as-needed relief for the unwanted results of incomplete digestion of
foods. Unlike popular single-function digestive aids, EZ-Gest offers plant-based,
comprehensive digestive enzyme support*:
 Alleviates symptoms such as gas, bloating, and feelings of fullness*
 Includes targeted enzymes to help digest common “problem” foods, such as dairy
and gas-producing vegetables, including beans and broccoli*
 Supports complete digestion of the fat, protein, and carbohydrates in all foods,
with a concentrated, multi-enzyme formula that addresses all food groups*

Let’s look at Factors that Create Digestive Challenges
1. Getting older. Some research suggests that older individuals may not be able to
handle the digestion of high fat foods as well as when they were younger. These
age-related changes in gastro intestinal function are complex, but may involve a
mild decline in production of lipase ― the fat-digesting enzyme ― by the
pancreas. Intestinal lactase activity also appears to decrease with advancing age.
This can lead to increased symptoms of lactose malabsorption and avoidance of
calcium-rich dairy foods, particularly in those who already have some degree of
lactose intolerance.
2. Over-eating. Heavy, fat-laden meals can take longer to digest. The digestion
often associated with greasy foods may also be partly explained by the production
of gases when fatty acids and stomach acid are neutralized in the small intestine.
If trapped, this gas may contribute to bloating and discomfort.
3. Typical “Western” dietary patterns. It is estimated that with a typical American
diet, a certain amount of protein escapes digestion. In the colon, undigested
protein is acted upon by bacteria, producing metabolic by products that can create
an unfavorable environment for the cells that line the colon.
4. Poor mealtime habits. Digestion can suffer when people continually eat on the
go and in a rush. When food is not chewed well, salivation may be inadequate
and food grinding may be incomplete. As a result, carbohydrate digestion may
not get the jump-start it needs before reaching the stomach. Some people suffer
from chronic or repeated belching due to swallowed air. A mild degree is normal,
but swallowing too much air while eating or drinking can lead to bloating or
excessive belching. Often this happens due to eating too rapidly or while under
stress. Some of the air swallowed may pass through the stomach; it is estimated
that this may contribute 20–60% of intestinal gases. Star Achievers Team, LLC © 2013, Not for sale, can be shared Page 2 of 2

How Does EZ-Gest Work?
Digestive enzymes manufactured in the body play key roles in breaking down the
complex molecules of food during digestion. Different enzymes work at different sites in
the gastrointestinal tract and under different conditions. For example, gastric pepsin does
its job in the low, acidic pH of the stomach, while pancreatic enzymes such as amylase,
proteases, and lipase work in the higher, more alkaline environment of the small
intestine.

EZ-Gest enzymes are “acid resistant” and have the capacity to function within a range of
pH that is compatible with that of the stomach during digestion. When taken along with
problem foods such as dairy or beans, EZ-Gest enzymes are in the right place at the
right time to assist with breaking down the complex molecules of these foods.* The
plant-based enzymes in EZ-Gest are derived through natural fermentation, and support
digestion of all food groups:*

Why Choose EZ-Gest?
 Complete formula of enzymes known to support digestion of all food groups.*
 Plant-based formula.
 Enzymes in EZ-Gest are acid-resistant, and survive stomach acid without
synthetic enteric coatings.
 Scientifically backed formulation containing enzymes clinically proven to work.
 No artificial colors or flavors.
 No synthetic preservatives.

How Should EZ-Gest Be Used?
EZ-Gest is recommended for use with meals that may cause digestive discomfort, such
as heavy meals, or meals containing problem foods. Take one capsule of EZ-Gest as a
digestive aid.*

Consumers who are specifically concerned with lactose intolerance or gas-producing
vegetables may wish to take EZ-Gest at the start of a meal. If pregnant, nursing, or
galactosemic, ask a healthcare professional. If rare sensitivity to fungal sourced
ingredients occurs, discontinue use.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis, travel

What helps when sitting around all day: Italian workshop

Posted on

Gentle Reader,

This is the view from the grand guest house bedroom window at the Villa Lina, a working 80 acre farm in Lazio, just minutes north of Rome in Italy.  I was there to write with Natalie Goldberg, the guru I’ve been following for several years.  She begins each day with sitting in a meditation room large enough to hold 45 people in a square.  Breakfast is after that and then sitting again before instruction and writing begin.

Without daily stretching and exercise, I am toast.  Full of pain in the hips and knees.  Why we have to keep moving to keep from hurting, I explained in a lot of detail in my last post.  Let me tell you a couple techniques I used faithfully every day while away for the month, even when on the over night train from the Netherlands to Zurich Switzerland.

1) Use the theraband, towel, shirt, scarf to stretch those calves.  Lie on the bed/floor/rug first thing in the morning one leg straight along the surface, the other up over head.  The scarf is over the ball of the foot, and end in each hand.  Relax the ankle and let the toes be drawn toward your nose.  Hold it no matter how much it hurts, easing off and then drawing down again for 20 breathes at least.  Then take the ends of the scarf in the outside hand and draw the foot and outstretched leg to the side, not too far down, and pull the toes toward the nose for another 15 or so breaths.  Change hands and extend the leg across the body. This probably hurts a lot.  It certainly hurts when I do it.  It’s the T-band on the outside of the thigh that gets so tight.

2) No matter what keep moving.  At the Villa, I got up a little early and walked for an hour before the sitting began.  It was a spectacularly beautiful place.   There were ripe grapes waiting for harvesting. I picked a whole bunch and ate them as I walked.  I had my shoes with me that I could get wet in the morning dew. Don’t leave home without them even if they make your bag heavier.  The hotel consierge can tell you a safe route to walk in the early morning.  Even in Las Vegas when I was at the Shaklee convention in August and it was blazing hot, early morning walks saved me.  And there are always stair cases in the city.

pre-dawn, one of the pools at Villa Lina

3) diet is the hardest.  At the Villa our food was incredible, but still not enough vegetables to please me.  Or fiber.  I bought a package of prunes at a grocery store.  Helpful.  This is where you are glad to have your multivitamins with you and perhaps extra special vitamins that concentrate the good stuff found in fruits and vegetables.  The ones I like are here.  

4) Drink plenty of water.  Some people worry about water in a foreign country or different city.  You know your own body and how it reacts to digestive changes like different water.  Personally I don’t bother with bottled water.  If the locals drink from the tap, so do I.  I keep my system functioning with some friendly bacteria that comes in a little capsule.  These millions of little guys keep my bowels functioning and protect me from catching every little bug that comes along.  Did you know that your immune protection is mostly in the lower intestine?  Keep that area healthy and strange water and other bad bugs probably won’t bother you.

5) one last thing, at the end of a busy day either sitting and writing or tromping around as a tourist, stick your feet up on the wall behind your bed.  This restorative pose drains all the aches and pains out of your tired legs.  This is good for any person who has tired achy legs at the end of the day.  It’s hard to get into the position.  Here’s how to do it.  Sit next the wall on the floor (or at the head of the bed where the pillow have been cleared away).  Your left hip is against the wall, your bunt on the floor.  Swing your torso down to the floor (bed) and your straight legs up the wall.  Here’s a funny picture of me doing just that on a picnic table bench when spending a day with my grandson tromping around Montreal.  It embarrassed him, but not me.  Don’t let your pride get in the way of comfort.

Happy travels,

Fondly, Betsy

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving

BetsyBell’s Health4u

www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

206 933 1889  1 888 283 2077

betsy@hihohealth.com