Detox, Digestive and Wellness Solutions

1. Eat foods that are easy to digest. Eating foods that are easy to digest and combining them well puts less stress on your digestive system. If you overfill your washing machine with thick heavy fabrics it puts a strain on it and it can break. Your stomach doesn’t want to be overburdened with food either as it takes a huge amount of energy to digest it. • Aim to drink in-between meals. • If you are very sick just have water, soups and vegetable juices as they are easy to digest. • Vegetables take 30-45 minutes to digest; incorporate green leafy vegetables with every meal and some bitter leaves like rocket and endives as they help your digestion and your liver loves them. • Beans, grains and other starches take 2-3 hours to digest. Soak them the night before, remove the soak water. The legumes will digest better and stop gas in your belly if you cook them with a kombu stick (seaweed) and/or a little cumin. • Meat, fish, poultry: Take 3 or more hours to digest. Incorporating lemon, apple cider vinegar and marinating meat with kiwi fruit and or lemon helps these digest more effectively. • Apple cider vinegar: 1-2 tbsp. in 50mls of water sipped with meals helps digestion. Use lemon on lots of foods and in water to help digestion. 2. Add herbs to your cooking to improve digestion When you cook different meals think about how you can incorporate the following herbs as they are all digestive aids: ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, dill, oregano, thyme, liquorice and aniseed. 3. Eat at regular meal times It is important to eat regular healthy meals and eat at the same times of day. Eating similar food groups at similar times each day has a regulating effect on your digestive system. Regular healthy meals help regular bowel movements. 4. Be conscious of what you are eating and your portion sizes Eating too much is the number one cause of indigestion. Your brain signals the feeling of fullness about ten minutes after you are actually full. If you stop before you are full, most likely you will feel full 10 minutes later. Eat with chop sticks or put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls to help you eat more slowly. Use smaller plates and bowls; you can always go back for seconds if you really are hungry. Eat healthy fat with a meal (e.g. coconut oil, avocado, nuts and seeds) or you may feel starving later on and remember 85% of Australians are not eating enough vegetables so add more to your plate. 5. Chew your food completely and avoid talking while you are eating Your digestion starts in your mouth and chewing makes the stomach’s job easier. Avoid bolting down your food. Your stomach is not designed to digest large pieces of food, and you are more likely to get bloating, indigestion and discomfort if you do bolt your food. 6. Drink warm or hot liquids Ice cold drinks can slow down the digestive process, the digestive muscles contract and water is not absorbed as well. Warm or room temperature water will encourage proper digestion. Drinking too much around meal time will dilute your digestive juices so they are best drunk between meals. Ideally, drink filtered water without fluoride or chlorine and avoid caffeine, alcohol and soft drinks. 7. Relax during mealtimes Sit down when you eat, have gratitude and be mindful about what you are eating. Avoid reading a book or watching T.V. whilst eating. Rushing meals or eating on the run increases your stress and slows down the digestive process. Create a calming atmosphere when you eat and after you have finished, sit for 10 minutes. Plan time to prepare, cook and eat your meals. 8. Practice good posture When you slouch you put extra pressure on the digestive organs in your belly. This can cause poor digestion. It is best if you practice sitting with your shoulders back and your chin tucked in. This allows more room for your digestive organs and will help improve digestion. 9. Don’t eat late at night Avoid eating after 7pm as this is when your digestion is weaker. It becomes weaker still every hour after so there is a considerable difference if you eat at 10pm compared to 7pm. At night your whole body needs time to rest and revive. When you eat late at night you don’t produce enough enzymes and other digestive juices to digest your food well. The food sits in your stomach and this can disturb your sleep, make you tired and bloated in the morning. It can also make you foggy in the head and grumpy. 10. Take a walk after eating Increased activity will actually help kick-start your digestive system and raise your production of digestive enzymes. This will lead to easier digestion and less abdominal discomfort. A gentle walk 15-45 minutes after eating for at least 15 minutes will work wonders. Kitchen herbs and spices to include in cooking and teas to help your digestion ANISEED is used to expel wind and has a mild antiseptic action on the gut. Tips: add to sweet dishes, curries and teas. ASAFOETIDA reduces the growth of harmful microbes in the gut, has a laxative effect and it reduces spasms and wind. Tips: It is available from markets and Indian shops. It is used in Indian cooking and goes well with turmeric. It can be used instead of garlic and onion and tastes like leeks. A pinch with lentils helps with digestion. BASIL is from the same family as mint. It contains an abundance of flavonoids and volatile oils which protect the body and studies show it helps radiation damage. It is rich in carotenoids which protect the lining of blood vessels from damage. Basil is high in magnesium which relaxes the bowel. It is useful in gut infections and studies show it restricts e. coli, listeria, staphylococcus aureus and other nasty bacteria. It is anti-inflammatory and useful for inflammatory bowel conditions along with turmeric, sage and liquorice. Tips: Blend with most foods, meat, fish, pesto, salads, (especially tomatoes) and rice. If you cook it, add it during the last 10 minutes to retain the nutrients. BAY LEAF is from the same family as cinnamon, cassia, sassafras and avocado. It is a very good digestive aid. It is astringent which means it helps contract tissues in the body. It helps relieve gas. Tips: It works well in soups and stews and is best removed before serving. BLACK PEPPER stimulates the taste buds and helps to increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach which helps digestion and absorption of nutrients. It is therefore helpful for those who have a poor appetite and are cold. It contains vanadium which is useful in glucose control in small amounts. Note: Avoid it if you have a gastric ulcer. Tips: In small amounts it works well in most dishes with salt: eggs, fish and meat. Avoid it if you are overheated. CARAWAY has a long traditional use for soothing stomach complaints. Tips: It works well in stews, curries, sweet dishes, pancakes and flat breads. CARDAMOM helps breaks down gallstones. It helps in constipation, dysentery, and other digestive problems. Interestingly, it’s an antidote to scorpion venom. Tips: It works well in sweet and savoury dishes. Cardamom can neutralise the toughest breath odour. A teaspoon of powdered cardamom added to coffee is delicious. It also blends well with nut milks as a warm drink. CAROB POD usually comes as a powder and is a good alternative to chocolate. It is high in magnesium which helps relax the bowel muscles making it easier to pass stools. Tips: It is naturally sweet so no sugar is necessary; you can add it to your favourite milk for an alternative to chocolate. CAYENNE Pain relief - cayenne is rich in salicylates a natural aspirin-like compound, increasing circulation which is its most prominent attribute. Cayenne helps stop bleeding and does not burn. It fights internal bacteria, relieves gas, and helps the action of digestive enzymes.