Digestion for Better Health

I was at a health fair yesterday at our local community college. It was apparent from the questions I was asked that people want better digestive health. It was also clear that they are mystified when it comes to achieving even adequate digestion.

Bowel transit time is one thing that will tell you if you are digesting your food in a reasonable time. Eat half a can of corn. This is the ONLY time I will suggest eating canned corn! Pay attention to when it leaves your body. If it doesn't appear in 12-24 hours, you have sluggish digestion, unless you have diarrhea or other bowel problems, such as IBS or an allergy to corn. Canned corn works best because your body won't break it down. If you don't want to eat canned corn, try beets instead.

Perhaps you feel bloated and gassy within an hour of eating? That's often from lack of adequate hydrochloric acid in your stomach. Don't worry, your stomach can handle it. In fact, if you don't have an acidic stomach of 1.5-3.0 on the pH scale your digestion will be delayed and you'll probably get heartburn. If this happens to you, don't resort to antacids.

Instead, sip lemon water or apple cider vinegar to lower the acidity of your stomach so the food will move on to the small intestine. Then consider taking a hydrochloric acid supplement with your meals. Also think about increasing your zinc intake by eating raw pumpkin seeds and raw pumpkin seed butter. I like Rejuvenation Brand. Once your zinc levels are adequate, you may notice that you no longer need the hydrochloric acid supplement because your cells which secrete HCL are now working properly.

Just today I received an email from a client thanking me for helping him by suggesting hydrochloric acid supplementation. He felt it had really helped him to digest well and get rid of unwanted weight gain after the holidays because he was absorbing more nutrients from his food, so he needed to eat less. He also had more energy for exercise.

This Saturday at 10:00AM for women in the Eugene area, I am teaching a class on digestion. It's called The Secrets of Digestive Health. It's open to drop in, so come on down! It's at a beautiful workout facility called Body Now. The address is 453 River Ave, near the Santa Clara post office. The cost is $25. There will be lots of handouts! I'd love to see you there.