I think that most of us have dealt with the diseases of commerce (diabetes, weight issues, autoimmune disorders, allergies, arthritis). I know I have. I have been on every diet known to mankind with the goal always being weight loss thinking that was the road to a healthy body, but I was on the wrong road. I should have been looking at my food from the perspective of my digestive system. Good health begins with good digestion.
Sounds so simple doesn’t it. And we all have great digestion don’t we. That’s what I thought too, but I was wrong. As a Certified Nutritional
Therapy Practitioner, Restorative Wellness Practitioner and Clinical Health Coach I have learned so much. I have learned that it really is so simple. Proper digestion plus real, reliably sourced food equals vibrant health. I will talk about Paleo, Whole 30, and real food, all of it so very delicious. I will tell you how you can attain vibrant health and eat delicious foods.
Digestion is a north to south process. As food enters the mouth saliva is secreted. Saliva contains enzymes which start the whole process. Food then passes down the esophagus and into the stomach. The stomach secretes HCl and enzymes and churns the bolus, chewed and partially digested food from the mouth, around to create a paste like substance called chyme. The chyme is released into the duodenum (small intestine) and the pancreas and gall bladder secrete bicarbonate, enzymes and bio to further breakdown the food so as it passes through the small intestine nutrients can be absorbed. The leftovers then pass into the large intestine where some are recycled and the rest excreted as waste.
This is a simple and elegant process. However sometimes things can go wrong.
If the stomach is not producing enough HCl the chyme does not reach the appropriate pH level. This leaves some of the food undigested. When the chyme is released into the duodenum it is still at a pH level higher than it should be. This high pH level inhibits the release of bicarbonate and enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the gall bladder. With little or no bile fats cannot be broken down into smaller molecules the body can use. This undigested food moves slowly through the small intestine rubbing on the intestine will creating holes. These holes allow some of the undigested fats to flow out of the intestine and into the blood. The body sees these fats as unknowns, and the immune system reacts as though the body is under attack. These invaders get tagged as something the body needs to rid itself of no matter the cost. If seen often enough these invaders, fat molecules which slipped through a leaky gut, can be interpreted as allergies and sensitivites or even worse they can turn into autoimmune diseases.
It is easy to understand why I think digestion is truly the Fountain of Youth.
The more attention we pay to our digestion by listening to our bodies and feeding it real healthy food the more robust our health will be.
