Poor Food Digestion vs Good Food Digestion

Eating good food and having good digestion are both vitally essential to good health.

Good digestion is necessary to break down the good food you eat into a form your body can use for nourishment and vital energy.

However, poor digestion problems and digestive disorders are rampant in the U.S. As a matter of fact, more money is spent in this country on medicinal digestive aids than is spent on public school education.

You’ve probably heard the old saying, "You are what you eat."

But it's just a half-truth and doesn't cover the whole picture. It would be more accurate to say, "You are what you eat and what you digest."

How does Good Digestion turn into Poor Digestion?

Around the age of 30 people begin to produce less hydrochloric acid and fewer digestive enzymes. (Burp!) It can actually happen sooner than the big 3-0 and then progressively get worse as we age. (Hiccup!)

Overeating and eating too fast causes gas. (Pfttttttt!)

Habitual use of antacids, excessive alcohol and poor food choices create food digestion problems too (r-r-rumble) and can negatively affect the performance of hydrochloric acid and enzyme production. (Belch!)

The most disturbing point about this dilemma is, when your digestive system isn't working properly, you’re not the only one who notices! The wise thing to do is to improve digestion before it gets worse.

Persistent digestive issues not only cause gas and heartburn, they can eventually become more serious problems. Poor food digestion can lead to various irritable bowel syndrome disorders or even colon cancer.

How Do You Spell Digestive System “Relief”?

The best way to spell digestion “relief” is P-R-E-V-E-N-T-I-O-N!

And prevention begins with eating high fiber foods. Fresh produce from the fruits list and list of vegetables and 100% whole grains are naturally high in fiber and help to move food through the digestive system.

Raw foods have plant enzymes that also aid digestion. And since enzymes are easily destroyed, raw fruits and vegetables are important.

Excellent lean and low-fat complete sources of protein are found in fish, poultry, lean meats, eggs and certain dairy products. And your body naturally makes enzymes from the amino acids in protein. If you’re vegetarian, make sure to get the complete protein you need.

Enzymes are important for many reasons besides good digestion.

You can’t walk, talk, breath or blink without them. A well functioning body produces hundreds and hundreds of different enzymes and missing just one can mean the difference between health, illness or death.

Food Digestion and Digestive System Enzymes

Speaking of "death", here's how important enzymes are.

Imagine that a 100-pound woman gets a craving for a piece of chocolate cake. If her body doesn't have the specific enzyme necessary for her to digest it, she’s in big trouble. Eating the cake will cause her temperature to rise to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit and she'll drop dead.

Now, that truly is "death by chocolate!" So make sure you’re getting enough complete protein to always make all of the enzymes you need.

Also, avoid overeating, excessive alcohol and greasy foods. Drink plenty of water. And kick the antacid habit. Antacids give only temporary “relief” by treating symptoms, not causes. This just makes digestion worse.

If nothing else works you may have to use a food combining chart. Remember – the way to spell poor digestion "relief" is "Prevention!"