Tag Archive for 'Gerd'

Indigestion

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 12, 2008
in Digestion 101, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

So many people in our modern society suffer from indigestion. In a previous post titled “Belching, Bloating & Flatulence” I mentioned Food Combining. In this post, I’d like to give you some background on Food Combining and explain why it is so effective with indigestion and many other health problems.

Correctly combining your foods will eliminate your indigestion.

Yes, I said eliminate your indigestion. It will also help your cholesterol levels and your metabolism. Remember, without complete digestion, the nutrients in even the most wholesome foods cannot be fully assimilated by the body. Conversely, incomplete digestion and inefficient metabolism are the prime causes of of fat and cholesterol accumulation in the body.

In simple terms, here is the science behind proper Food Combining. I think you will find that it makes a lot of sense. It’s a fact, in order to initiate efficient digestion of a protein, the stomach must secrete pepsin. It is also a fact that pepsin can only function in a highly acid environment, which must be maintained for several hours for complete digestion of proteins.

It is a equally known fact that when we chew a piece of bread or eat a potato or any other carbohydrate or starch, ptyalin and other alkaline juices are immediately secreted into the food via the saliva in the mouth. When swallowed, the alkalized starches require an alkaline environment in order to complete digestion.

So far here is what we have learned? We now know proteins require and an acidic environment to digest and starches and sugars require alkaline environment to digest. We have been taught to mix all our foods together. When we do that both acid and alkaline are released. This causes them to promptly neutralize one another leaving a weak, watery solution in the stomach that digests neither protein or starch properly. Instead proteins putrefy (rot) and starches and sugars ferment. Putrefaction and fermentation are the primary cause of all sorts of digestive problems, including gas, heartburn, cramps, bloating, constipation, foul stools, bleeding hemorrhoids, colitis and so forth.

Now that you understand the benefits of proper Food Combining, here is how it is done. There is really only one rule. Never eat a protein with a starch. Example: You can have a protein with a salad or vegetable or you can have a starch with a salad or vegetable. It’s that simple!

Proper Food Combining

Let me know how this helps you.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Belching, Bloating & Flatulence

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 8, 2008
in Digestion 101
. 0 Comments

Some people will laugh after reading the above headline, others will eagerly read on. My goal in this post is to simplify the process of digestion, so that you will have a general understanding of not only how it works but also what causes problems. So let’s begin. Our digestive tract is basically a tube inside of us. Each portion of the tube has a specific function. The beginning of the tube is our mouth. This is where digestion actually begins. Chewing. Breaking food up in to small pieces. This is where a lot of digestive problems begin. People simply do not chew their food well enough. Try this! Take a piece of bread and just keep chewing it. Don’t swallow, just keep chewing. What you will find is eventually it will be gone, even though you did not swallow. The food was liquefied and automatically went down your throat into your stomach. The purpose of chewing your food well is to prepare it for the next section of the tube which is your stomach. Once the chewed food particles make it into your stomach specific chemicals are released to further break down the food. Some foods require acid to be released others require alkalines to be released. Many digestive problems occur at this point also. If you drink too much fluid with your meals it dilutes (weakens) the chemistry of your stomach. Consequently, what leaves the stomach is not properly broken down and cannot be absorbed properly by the next section of the tube which is your small intestine. Your small intestine does it’s best to extract what nutrients it can from the semi-digested mass that comes out of the stomach but most of the poorly broken down food goes right on by and ultimately ends up in the final end of the tube or the large intestine. The large intestine has many duties and is full of good bacteria. Billions of bacteria, all of which are hungry. As the poorly digested mass reaches the large intestines the bacteria are very capable of properly breaking down the mass. As the bacteria devour all the sugars in this poorly digested mass they release gas… in some cases lots of gas. Leaving you feeling bloated and eventually causing you to avoid public places.

So if you suffer from digestive problems try the below and you will be amazed.

1. Eat slower. Chew your food better.
2. Don’t drink fluids while you eat. Wait 30 minutes after you eat to drink.
3. If your case is severe read my post on proper Food Combining.
4. Every night commercials try to convince you that your indigestion is due to too much acid. This simply is not true. As we get older we simple do not make enough acid. (achlorhydra)

Let me know how this works for you.
Yours in Health!
Dr. Gould