Improving Your Digestion for Optimum Health
You’ve started to really clean up your diet and you’re feeling the benefits. Your mind is clear and your energy is skyrocketing. Where do you go from here if you really want to kick it up a notch? Well, the answer is surprisingly simple: start to focus not only on what you are eating, but also how you are eating it.
What do we mean by that? Here’s three simple ways to stoke your digestive fire, and ensure that your body is getting as much nutrition as it possibly can out of your quality food choices:
Action point #1: You guessed it. Sit back, relax and…. Chew!
We know, you’ve heard this so many times before! But consider this: how hard do you think your body has to work if you send roughly chomped, still solid chunks of food down the pipes? It has to go into overdrive right? The process of breaking down and digestion should have been well underway in your mouth (thanks to all those juicy digestive enzymes in your saliva), but now that work has to be handled by your poor stomach. And it’s not always effective.
So next time you munch into your flaxseed crackers with avocado, tomato and a pinch of sea salt… stop, take a breath, look out the window and savor the flavor and the texture in every bite as you chew with gratitude for your amazing meal.
Action point #2: Hydrate with water… But not while you’re eating
We need our fresh, pure water to keep our digestive mechanics in good working order, particularly to prevent digestive discomforts such as constipation. But here’s the thing: if we drink that liquid right around the time that we are eating, we dilute the digestive enzymes in our stomach and essentially put out our digestive fire (or at the very least dull it down). This makes it very difficult to for the stomach to do it’s job effectively and completely. The result can be a less than optimal nutrient uptake, and an uncomfortable tummy as your body tries its hardest to recover the situation.
So how do you get that ever-important water quota into you throughout the day? Upon rising is ideal, as is between meal times (at least 30 minutes before), and while you’re moving your body energetically (whatever activity that is for you!).
Action point #3: Consider how Food Combining principles may work for you
Okay so if you’ve been around The Raw Divas for long enough, you’ll know that we’re not going to tell you that you can’t eat this with that, or you shouldn’t mix that with this. We’re all about just increasing the amount of fresh fruit and vegies on your
counter, in your fridge, on your plate and in your blender. That’s our common starting point.
But, if you are experiencing digestion problems that don’t feel so great, or you want to experiment to see just how ‘cleanly’ you enjoy eating, then investigating some food combining principles may be just the thing for you. Tera has shared with us her research findings in 8 Food Combining Rules for Raw Foodists here, which you’ll find to be a great starting point to build your awareness and be mindful at meal times.
If you are new to raw foods, or wanting to re-focus your priorities on health (but you’re not quite up to Food Combining as yet) a great place to get started is our FREE 7-Day Diva Detox.
You can sign up for our FREE 7-Day Diva Detox from the The Raw Diva Store
“After Just 7 Days on Our Simple Raw Food Detox You’ll Look Younger, Feel Better, Have More Energy and Finally Free Yourself of Stubborn Pounds &
Bad Moods!
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