Basic Health Habit No.2: Digestive Health and Nutrition Part One

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 What You Eat Today Walks and Talks Tomorrow

The Keys to Digestive Health

There are only a handful of requirements for a healthy digestive system, but they are essential, unreplaceable, and non-negotiable.

• Fibre has many health benefits throughout the body and in the digestive system. It is the key to creating the perfect environment in the intestines for healthy bacteria to thrive. Insoluble and soluble fibre is only found in plant foods: whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and vegetables and fruit. 
• Healthy bacteria (AKA: digestive flora, probiotics) is necessary to control unhealthy bacteria; to support optimal immune system function; producing vitamins, absorbing minerals, and eliminating toxins; preventing allergies; anti-inflammatory potential; digesting and absorbing certain carbohydrates, et all.
• 80:20 percent ratio of healthy:unhealthy bacteria 
• Fluid: all fluids in the body are electrolyte solutions with dissolved minerals and salts. Hydration is a digestive function. For more information please visit: HEALTH COACH Basic Health Habit No. 3: Hydration 
• Nutrition from a natural, whole food, plant food rich diet 
• 80:20 percent ratio of alkaline:acidic pH balanced diet

A healthy, fully functional digestive system is only possible with an intact digestive system, with no part removed.

Digestive health and nutrition is a Basic Health Habit.

A Natural, Whole Food, Plant Food Rich Diet

A natural, whole food, plant food rich diet is the best possible lifelong diet for nutrition. Natural means food that is without added hormones, antibiotics, colourings or added flavours, refined sugars, processed salt, or unhealthy fats. It also means food that has not been processed or refined mechanically, chemically, by temperature, or contaminated with pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. It is real food that has not been altered genetically or irradiated. Whole, means food that does not have any of its parts removed. 

This type of diet will supply you with all the nutrients needed for health, growth, development, healing, good sleep, and anti-aging. A natural, whole food diet will increase your resilience to disease and will contribute to your emotional stability and happiness. You will be vibrant and beautiful and weight control will happen naturally. It is an interesting, and satisfying diet full of natural flavour, colour, and variety.

Canadian Digestive Health Statistics

• 20 million Canadians suffer digestive disorders every year = $18 billion in healthcare costs; lost productivity, and 30K deaths annually = 15% of economic/healthcare cost; more than any other disease category. 

• Highest incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in the world: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease; resulting in malnutrition, skin, eye, joint, biliary tract, and blood disorders, and premature death - 1.8 billion in HC costs. 

• 5 million Canadians have IBS - the highest rates in the world. 

• Ulcers have increased 50% since 1996: 1.3 million people - hospital care for peptic ulcer disease costs $67 million per year. 

• 85 percent of children with autism suffer from gastrointestinal distress such as chronic constipation or inflammatory bowel disease. 

• Canadian prevalence of H. pylori is 8 to 10 million people, affects 75% of First Nation people; H. pylori infection is considered to be a carcinogen by the WHO - it is associated with the development of stomach cancer. 
• GERD affects 5 million Canadians/week, $2 billion in Canada spent on antacids and anti-ulcer drugs annually.

• 330,000 Canadians are affected by celiac disease.

• Next to lung cancer, digestive cancers kill more Canadians than any other cancer type - about 15,000 individuals per year. 

• Canadian eating disorder statistics: 5.5 million women age 15-24 - Adolescent girls who diet are at 324% greater risk for obesity than those who do not diet.

• Canada has two new eating disorders related to health dieting trends, and a new psychological disorder, Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD), that now includes a growing number of boys and men, as well as girls and women.

Research

• The human digestive system is the natural habitat for a large and dynamic bacterial community. Recently developed molecular biology tools suggest that a substantial part of these bacterial populations are still to be described. However, the relevance and impact of resident bacteria on host’s physiology and pathology is well documented. Major functions of the digestive system microflora include metabolic activities that result in salvage of energy and absorbable nutrients, protection of the colonized host against invasion by alien microbes, and important trophic effects on intestinal epithelia and on immune structure and function. Digestive system bacteria play an essential role in the development and homeostasis of the immune system. It is important to underscore that the specialised lymphoid follicles of the gut mucosa are the major sites for induction and regulation of the immune system. There is also evidence of disruption to the digestive system flora in certain pathological conditions, including multisystem organ failure, colon cancer, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Healthy digestive flora is useful in the promotion and maintenance of human health. Probiotics and prebiotics are known to have a role in prevention or treatment of some diseases.

• In addition to regulating physiological processes, the host’s circadian clock affect the digestive system microbiome on a daily time scale. Previous studies have indicated that disruption of the circadian clock, either through dietary restriction or phase shifting (in conditions simulating jet-lag), cause changes in the temporal distribution of digestive system bacteria. This work indicates the circadian clock of the host may give out hormonal signals that elicit responses from the circadian clocks of commensal digestive system bacteria. Authors of the study concluded by saying, the existence of a circadian rhythm within a commensal bacterium that responds to an endocrine signal that is regulated by the circadian mechanism of the host gives further credence to the concept of the microbiome as a meta-organism. That is, some bacteria in the digestive system seem to collectively respond to host signals associated with the 24-hour oscillation of biological processes.

• A new study, led by Dr. Vincent Cassone from the Department of Biology, University of Kentucky (USA), provided insights on how the host clock regulates the microbiome. Researchers found that a species of human gut bacteria, Enterobacter aerogenes, has its own circadian rhythm and responds to fluctuations in the hormone melatonin. 

• stay tuned for more ...

Basic Health Habits Have Seasons

Four times a year as the seasons change, I make adjustments to my diet. In the winter I bake more, and I eat, hot, complex stews and casseroles, and my fresh salads become hardier with the addition of different vegetables like cabbage and arugula, quinoa, beans, nuts, and seeds. In the summer I eat simpler meals and more fresh fruit. Spring and autumn are transitional months between winter and summer. 

 

Prayer Soup

Cooking for someone you love is a sacred thing. Think of it as a prayer ritual. Start with gratitude - for your family, or the friend you're helping to heal; for the bounty and your ability to put it to good purpose; for the good smells and tastes and for variety.  

Garlic, leeks and onions are high in flavonoids and phytochemicals for healthy cholesterol levels. Highly coloured vegetables are rich in other phytochemicals with benefits including cancer prevention. Parsley and peppers are high in vitamin C. Rosemary is said to aid memory. Dried beans, peas and lentils are little gems of nutrition. With little or no fat and no cholesterol, they are rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, iron and folate. Research suggests they reduce bad cholesterol; help prevent certain cancers and normalize blood sugar. Tomatoes get their red colour from lycopene which is cancer protective. Chicken and beans supply protein, which, along with complex carbohydrates, provide sustained energy. Turkey contains a substance that can ease depression.

From Unfamiliar Territory by Mary Campbell 2006, 
Sister Alma Rose has the Last Word

Gut-Healing Bone Broth 

1 organic whole chicken

8 c of water

4 -6 stalks of celery, finely chopped

½ white or yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 T chopped fresh parsley

1 inch ginger root, finely chopped

½ t sea salt

½ t of apple cider vinegar

Place all of the above ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low heat for 8 -10 hours. 

Bone Broth Soup:

1. Repairs digestive tract - aids digestion: the gelatin (collagen) in bone broth protects and heals the mucosal lining of the digestive tract and helps aid in the digestion of nutrients. 

2. Fights bacterial and viral infection: the bio-available protein in collagen and the minerals in the broth support white blood cell antibody formation and function.

3. Heals: the glucosamine and collagen in bone broth stimulates the growth and repair of damaged joint tissues, and reduces pain and inflammation. 

4. Tissue health: the collagen and minerals in bone broth supports hair, nail, teeth, skin, and bone growth and health. 

5. Bone health: the calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus in bone broth helps our bone formation, growth, and repair. 

6. Save money: homemade bone broth is cheaper and healthier than store bought. 

7. Easy to make: add all of the ingredients to a slow-cooker crockpot. It can cook while you sleep. 

8. Healthier than supplements: homemade bone broth has a rich supply of bio-available protein and minerals.  Slow cooking preserves the nutrients better than the high heat extraction used to make supplements. 

9. Fights inflammation: bone broth is very high in the anti-inflammatory amino acids glycine and proline.  

10. Promotes sleep and calms the mind: the amino acid glycine found in bone broth can be very calming. Mind Body Green

Quote: What you eat today walks and talks tomorrow. 
Gaylord Hauser

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