3.3 Nutrition - Supporting digestion

Question 1

What is Digestion?

Answer 1

Digestion is a mechanical (e.g. chewing) and chemical process.

Chemical digestion is aided by digestive juices including saliva, gastric juice, pancreatic juice and bile

Good digestion is as important as the quality of food we eat

Question 2

How can digestion be impaired?

Answer 2

• Inadequate chewing
• Over eating (snacking, eating more than three meals a day)
• Drinking whilst eating (which dilutes the digestive juices)
• Chronic stress
• Eating junk food/refined sugars (slows peristalsis)
• Mindless eating (e.g. not being aware of what you’re eating)

Question 3

How can we support good digestion?

Answer 3

• Avoid drinking with meals
• Mindful eating: eating the table, actively tasting food, being aware of where it came from and how you feel in terms of satiety/ fullness
• Apple cider vinegar in a little water 10 to 15 minutes before meals
• Zinc and B-6 rich foods (used the gastric acid production)
• Ensure good hydration (bile and saliva production)
• Eat fermented vegetables (e.g. sauerkraut) and prebiotic foods (e.g. chicory, garlic) to encourage healthy gut bacteria

Question 4

How can herbs help to support digestion?

Answer 4

Bitter herbs (e.g. gentian, barberry, dandelion) and foods (e.g. rocket, chicory, artichokes) increase the production of digestive juices (e.g. gastric juice, pancreatic juice and bile flow)

Choloretic/chologogue herbs that stimulate the production and flow of bile* including dandelion root, globe artichoke, barberry, fringe tree and greater celandine

Take a a small cup of tea or tincture, 15 to 20 minutes before meals

*for those who have difficulties digesting fats

Question 5

What is the MMC?

Answer 5

The ‘migrating motor complex’ (MMC)

Question 6

How does the MMC help prevent SIBO?

Answer 6

• Peristaltic waves create a ‘broom-like’ activity
• Bacteria are transported from the small to the large intestine

Question 7

What is the impact of snacking on the MMC?

Answer 7

The MMC operates most effectively when there is at least a four hour fasting window between meals

Snacking prevents this ‘self-cleaning’ mechanism, impairing healthy digestion and immune function

Question 8

How can the burden on the digestive system be reduced?

Answer 8

• Intermittent fasting: leaving a 16 hour fasting window after the evening meal
• Eating smaller meals and avoid overeating; listen to the body’s satiety signals
• Minimise ‘heavier’ proteins such as animal-based proteins and soya
• Chew food thoroughly – up to 20 times per bite
• Stimulate parasympathetic nervous system by using diaphragmatic breathing
• Ensure good sleep hygiene

Question 9

What are the effects improper food combining ?

Answer 9

• Bloating
• Flatulence
• Heartburn
• Acid reflux
• Diarrhoea
• Impairs digestion => lower absorption of nutrients

Question 10

Who was Dr Hay?

Answer 10

A New York physician, who began developing the food combining diet in 1904 because of his own poor health

Question 11

What is the premise of the Hay diet?

Answer 11

• Proteins and starches require different conditions for digestion
• If consumed together, digestion time is slowed and nutrient absorption impaired
• Focus on whole foods, along with increased fruit and vegetables

Question 12

What is the reason for separating foods in the Hay Diet?

Answer 12

• Proteins require an acidic environment to be digested (the stomach)
• Proteins take longer to digest than starches.
• Starches require an alkaline environment (the small intestine)

Question 13

What are the combining rules of the Hay Diet?

Answer 13

1. Proteins must be eaten separately from starches. by 3 to 4 hours
2. Neutral foods can be eaten either with protein or with starches (most vegetables, fats and oils)
3. Sweet fruits can be eaten with starch meals (bananas, figs, dates, grapes)
4. Acid fruit can be eaten with protein meals (oranges, lemons, limes, pineapple, kiwi fruit)

Question 14

What are the considerations of fruit in food combining?

Answer 14

• Fruit is more rapidly digested than other foods because of the higher water content and simple sugars*
• Bloating and flatulence can occur when breakdown of fruit is slowed by the presence of other food

*Sweet fruit, e.g. bananas, figs, dates, grapes take longer to digest

Question 15

What is the ideal consumption of fruit in food combining?

Answer 15

• Eat fruit away from other foods including vegetables
• The exception is juicing, where low starch vegetables (celery, leafy greens and cucumber) can be combined with fruit, except sweet fruit
• Do not combine acidic fruit (citrus, kiwifruit, tomatoes, pineapple) with sweet fruit (bananas, figs, grapes, dates)
• Always eat melons (e.g. watermelon, cantaloupe) on their own (do not mix with other fruit) as they are fully digested within 30 minutes

Question 16

What is the definition of organic food?

Answer 16

Free of fertilisers, pesticides, irradiation, GMOs, growth hormones and livestock feed additives

Question 17

What are the rules associated with organic food?

Answer 17

• Prepacked foods can only be labeled ‘organic’ if at least 95% of the ingredients is organic
• Label must state where farmed ingredients in products were produced
• Must provide code number of certifying body
• Products can only be sold direct to customers in the shop
• Must be certified by one of the organic regulatory bodies

Question 18

What are rules associate with genetically modified organisms (GMO)?

Answer 18

• Currently no GMO produced in the UK/EU
• Imported food must label if GMO presence > 0.9%
• No requirement to label food produced with the help of GMO technology e.g. GM enzymes to clot milk cheese or products from animals fed GMO feed, e.g. meat, eggs

Question 19

What are the dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMO)?

Answer 19

• Infertility, immune issues, impaired insulin regulation and accelerated ageing.
• Naturopaths are strongly opposed to GMO foods in the diet, and the food chain

Question 20

How can fruit and vegetables be washed to remove pesticide residue?

Answer 20

• Wash in a 2% salt solution or wash in a white distilled vinegar/water solution (10%/90%)
• Let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes

Note: this will only clear surface pesticides. Chemicals incorporated into the fruit/vegetable won’t be removed

Question 21

What are some known adverse effects of food additives?

Answer 21

Colours E100s
linked to hyperactivity and poor concentration
Preservatives E200s
link to asthma and allergies
Antioxidants E300s + E586
Good for the food, not necessarily humans!
Flavour enhancers E600s
e.g. E621 MSG cause headaches, numbness, tingling etc

Question 22

What are the issues associated with food packaging?

Answer 22

• Plastics allow leeching of chemicals into foods – Bisphenol A (BPA) is one such chemical.
• BPA and other compounds found in plastics are called xenoestrogens*
• Xenoestrogens can bind to oestrogen receptors, disrupting normal function
• They have been implicated in hormone-related diseases including certain cancers (e.g. breast, prostate), and fertility problems

*chemicals that mimic oestrogen in the body

Question 23

What are best practices around food packaging?

Answer 23

• Avoid plastic wrap/clingfilm*
• Never heat food in plastic or leave food or drinks in plastic containers in the sun
• Use greaseproof paper or wax paper (can often be used more than once)
• Try reusable beeswax wraps or vegan soy wax wraps
• Use glass or stainless steel containers, water bottles and jars

*at least never let it contact food