Nutrition I - Supporting digestion

Question 1

Digestion

Answer 1

Good digestion is as important as the quality of food we eat.
* Digestion is a mechanical (e.g. chewing) and chemical process. Chemical digestions is aided by digestive juices including saliva, gastric juice, pancreatic juice and bile

Question 2

How can digestion be impaired?

Answer 2

Digestions can be impaired by:
* 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 you support digestion?

Answer 3

To support digestion, you can recommend:
* To avoid drinking with meals (dilutes the digestive juices)
* 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 – sufficient water intake is imperative for bile production and release
* Eat fermented vegetables (e.g. sauerkraut) and prebiotic foods (e.g. chicory, garlic) to encourage healthy gut bacteria

Question 4

Supporting digestion; herbs

Answer 4

• Include bitter herbs (e.g. gentian, barberry, Dandelion) and foods (e.g. rocket, chicory, artichokes) which increase the production of digestive juices (e.g. gastric juice, pancreatic juice and bile flow)
• 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

Question 5

Supporting digestion; 3 meals

Answer 5

Stick to 3 meals a day – no snacking!
Between meals, the GIT ‘sweeps’ residual material through the digestive tract. This is the ‘migrating motor complex’ (MMC), and operates most effectively when there is at least a four hour fasting window between meals
* Peristalsis waves are generated by the digestive tract muscles, creating a ‘broom-like’ activity
* Bacteria are also transported from the small to the large intestine, helping to prevent small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
* Snacking prevents this ‘self-cleaning’ mechanism, impairing healthy digestion and immune function

Question 6

Supporting digestion; reducing the burden

Answer 6

Reducing the burden on the digestive system:
* Intermittent fasting: leaving a 16 hour fasting window after your evening meal
* Eating smaller meals and avoid overeating; listen to your body’s satiety / fullness signals
* Minimise ‘heavier’ proteins such as animal-based proteins in soya
* Chew food thoroughly – up to 20 times per bite
* Stimulator parasympathetic nervous system by using diaphragmatic breathing; also ensure good sleep hygiene

Question 7

Food combining to support digestion

Answer 7

Improper food combining is one of the primary factors responsible for bloating, flatulence, heartburn, acid reflux and diarrhoea
* It can impair digestion, leading to lower absorption of nutrients
* It is not only what we eat, but how well we digest and assimilate food that adds to health, strength and fitness

Question 8

The Hay Diet

Answer 8

Dr Hay, a New York physician, began developing the food combining diet in 1904 because of his own poor health
* He determined that proteins and starches required different conditions for digestion
* It’s consumed together, digestion time was slowed and nutrient absorption impaired
* Processed foods were also replaced by whole foods, along with increased fruit and vegetables

Question 9

The Hay Diet:
Food categories

Answer 9

The Hay diet proposes three food categories; proteins, starches and neutral foods.
* Proteins require an acidic environment to be digested (the stomach)
* Starches require an alkaline environment (the small intestine)
* Proteins take longer to digest than starches. Eaten separately; digestion is more efficient and less burden on the digestive system can be expected

Question 10

The Hay Diet:
Combining Rules

Answer 10

1. Proteins must be eaten separately from starches.
   Applies to concentrated proteins (meat, fish, cheese and eggs) and concentrated starches (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, other grains). Separate protein from starch meals by 3 to 4 hours
2. Neutral foods can be eating either with protein always 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 11

Food combining rules: fruit

Answer 11

The key aim of food combining is to improve digestion
* Fruit is more rapidly digested than other foods because of the higher water content and simple sugars (sweet fruit, e.g. bananas, figs, dates and grapes take longer to digest than other fruit)
* Problems such as bloating and flatulence can occur when breakdown of fruit is slowed by the presence of other food
* 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 12

Food combining rules: protein examples

Answer 12

Select from either the protein or starch list. Add neutral foods to either.
Proteins:
* All meat, fish
* Eggs, cheese
* dried beans, peas, lentils.
* Raw milk (drinking away from meals)
* most fruits except those on starch list can be eaten with protein foods

Question 13

Food combining rules: neutral examples

Answer 13

Select from either the protein or starch list. Add neutral foods to either.
Neutral foods:
* Vegetables except those on starch list
* Salad, vegetables and herbs
* Nuts and seeds (not peanuts)
* Fats and oils; includes avocado although technically a fruit

Question 14

Food combining rules: Starch examples

Answer 14

Select from either the protein or starch list. Add neutral foods to either.
Starches:
* All grains, bread, pasta
* Potato, sweet potato, pumpkin
* Artichoke
* Honey (small amounts)
* Sweet fruits; bananas, sweet grapes (sultanas), figs, dates, dried fruit

Question 15

Food combining rules: Starch examples

Answer 15

Select from either the protein or starch list. Add neutral foods to either.
Fruit:
* Melons; watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. Eat away from all foods including other fruit.
* * If digestion systems are present eat fruit away from protein, starch and neutral food groups

Question 16

Food quality: organic

Answer 16

Organic:
* Organic food is defined as being free of fertilisers, pesticides, irradiation, GMO’s, growth hormones and livestock feed additives
* 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 17

Food quality: genetically modified organisms (GMO)

Answer 17

Genetically modified organisms (GMO):
* UK/EU: you must label the presence of GMO’s or ingredients produced from GMO’s (if > 0.9%)
* Not required 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
* Note: varied research links GMO’s to infertility, immune issues, impaired insulin regulation and accelerated ageing. As naturopaths, we strongly oppose GMO foods in the diet, and the food chain

Question 18

Food quality: pesticides

Answer 18

Pesticides:
* Unless organic, food can be exposed to arrange of pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) during the growing, harvesting and storage
* To reduce the amount of chemicals on fruit and vegetables:
o Wash in a 2% salt solution or wash in a white distilled vinegar/water solution (10%/90%)
o Let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes
o Note: this will only clear surface pesticides. Chemicals incorporated into the fruit/vegetable won’t be removed

Question 19

Food quality: additives and preservatives

Answer 19

Food additives and preservatives are substances added to foods to perform particular functions; e.g. to prolong shelf-life, alter taste, texture or colour, to make food more appealing
* Identified by a universal E number in the system, including:
o Colours E100s; linked to hyperactivity & poor concentration
o Preservatives E200s; link to adverse affects (asthma and allergies)
o Antioxidants E300s + E586
o Flavour enhancers E600s e.g. E621 MSG cause headaches, numbness, tingling etc
* Read the labels carefully. Eat fresh, and organic foods

Question 20

Food quality: packaging

Answer 20

Plastic packaging:
* Plastic and clingfilm are common food packaging
* Plastics allow leeching of chemicals into foods – Bisphenol A (BPA) is one such chemical.
* BPA and other compounds found in plastics are called xenoestrogens (chemicals that mimic oestrogen in the body)
* Xenoestrogens combine oestrogen receptors, disrupting normal function
* They have been implicated in hormone-related diseases including certain cancers (e.g. breast, prostate), and fertility problems
Avoid plastic wrap/clingfilm:
* Never heat food and plastic only food or drinks in plastic containers or bottles in the sun
Packaging alternatives:
* Use greaseproof paper or wax paper (can often be used more than once)
* Try reusable beeswax wraps or vegan soy wax wraps
* Use glass of stainless steel containers, water bottles and jars