Digestion is very important as it relates to maintaining optimal health. According to Dr. Elson Haas, we live and die on a cellular level, we receive our nourishment on a cellular level. The digestive system is responsible for converting meals into molecules, usable nutrients. The digestive system, also known as the gastrointestinal tract, starts at the mouth and ends at the rectum. DIgestion begins in the mouth with a chewing action that stimulates the release of saliva, and begins the digestion of carbohydrates. It is important that you chew your food thoroughly, it should be chewed until it liquifies.  It is also important to not drink excessively with your meals, ideally you should not drink at all.  When you drink with your meals , you change the ph of your stomach acid, which has to remain acidic in order for you to digest your food optimally.

When you drink excessively with your meals, you compromise digestion causing excessive gas, and toxicity.  When we don't chew our food properly, it creates stress on our pancreas.  The pancreas is one organ that serves in two capacities. It aides in digestion by producing enzymes, and helps to regulate our blood sugar levels by producing insulin.  By the time the food leaves the stomach and enters the first part of the small intestines, the pancreas and liver are suppose to finish off chemical digestion. If you have not chewed your food properly, instead of finishing off digestion, it will have to begin the digestion of the large food particles that have been emptied into the stomach.  This creates tremendous stress on the pancreas because it has to produce so many more enzymes to handle the undigested food. It will enlarge or even go into metabolic reserve to handle digestion (see what are enzymes). 

As with the skin, every organ in our body is constantly turning over new cells. In order to produce new healthy cells, you have to give your body the right building material by way of a nutrient rich food. When you supply your body with a diet full of refined foods that are full of chemicals; that is like trying to build a building with a bunch of broken, ill formed bricks and building material. That building will eventually come down.

It is important that when trying to make changes toward improving your health, that you start by making dietary and lifestyle changes that will improve digestion and elimination.  One of the first things that I tell my clients is that they must begin to start drinking water.  Water is essential to life, you need it to:make saliva, make digestive juices, maintain your blood volume levels, make digestive juices and help to move digested and undigested food through the GI tract. You also need it to maintain internal hydration in between the cells so that nutrients can flow into the cells and wastes can flow out. Just imagine your cells being dried up like raisins, they would have a hard time with the nutrient waste exchange. Nutrients could not get in , and waste could not get out. This would set the perfect environment for toxicity and malnutrition on a cellular level. Cells make up tissue, tissue make up organs and organs are a part of your body systems. This seems to validate what Dr. Haas says as it relates to the disease process. As we can see water is essential in flushing toxins out of the body through the kidneys, and preventing constipation by keeping the colon hydrated. The formula for drinking the right amount of water on a daily basis would be half of your body weight in ounces, not to exceed 100 ounces. If you drink a cup of coffee, you have to replace it with and additional 2 cups of water coffee is a diuretic.  

Along with drinking plenty of water, we must establish a balanced diet. It must include, whole foods. These are foods that have not been processed, they are in their original state.

Disclaimer: This information and these products have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, disorder, pain, injury,  or physical or mental condition. Results are not typical. Individual results may vary.