Good Digestion: The Key to Overall Health 
"A good eater must be a good man; for a good eater must have a good digestion, and a good digestion depends upon a good conscience." ~Benjamin Disraeli
If someone asked me what is the most important area of the body to take care of I would have to say the digestive system. We break down and absorb all of our nutrients here, begin their distribution throughout the body, and eliminate certain toxins from the body. Add to that the fact that the majority of the immune system resides in the gut, and you have the key area of the body for maintaining health.
Just about everyone I know has some sort of digestive issue: from mild gas and bloating to acid reflux, to food allergies and sensitivities, to IBS and Crohn's disease. The problem with digestive issues is that that, over time, they can affect our health in very profound ways. If we don't absorb our nutrients, we can end up with problems from our head to our toes. Read on for tips on what to eat for good digestion and also supplements that can help with digestive issues.
How Did We Get Here?
Digestive issues develop and get worse over time. Their origin can be found in antibiotic use, exposure to pathogens born by food or other means, certain classes of prescription drugs (NSAIDs, for example), overuse of alcohol, poor diet, environmental toxins and food sensitivities. Acid-blocking drugs known as PPI's (omeprazole, Prilosec, Nexium, etc) can cause a range of health issues due to their suppression of the stomach acid needed to absorb our minerals and some vitamins. These drugs cause major depletion of magnesium and can lead to anxiety, muscle cramping, poor blood sugar management, inability to handle stress and bone fractures. And that's just for starters! Longer term use of PPI's can also lead to B12 deficiency causing memory issues, low red blood cell count, and nervousness. If you are on these drugs and feel anxious, perhaps there's no mystery here.
Acid-blocking drugs also interfere with the liver's ability to make SAMe, which affects melatonin production and in turn affects your ability to sleep soundly. Lastly, these drugs can deplete Vitamin C, an important vitamin for the immune system, a good antioxidant, and a crucial component of blood vessel health.
Approximately 50% of all foods on grocery store shelves didn't exist 15 years ago. We have gotten so far away from truly natural foods that our bodies are screaming in response. Food allergies and sensitivities are now common. The most common allergies are to wheat or gluten, soy, corn, dairy, yeast, and nuts. When you begin to learn some simple facts about the evolution of our food supply, this is no surprise. I believe that genetically modified foods will come to be known as one of the great food disasters in history. Distinct from traditional breeding for desirable traits in plants, genetic modification of foods combines two separate species such as a bacteria and a plant together so that the plant can, for example, withstand certain pesticides. So we modify our foods to make them more resistant to pesticides, then we can use more pesticides! Brilliant! I have a theory, yet to be proved, that much of what people are reacting to in foods are pesticides and genetic modification. There are many animal studies to support the harmful effects of genetic modification on body systems, including kidney and
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April is All About Anti-Aging!
