Proper Digestion Cures Many Illnesses
From the Hakimah’s Corner
Digestion of food is essential to the well being of everyone. Without proper digestion we invite countless illnesses to visit us. Digestion begins in the mouth, by chewing food down to the tiniest morsel possible. Most people are in such a rush to eat that they do not chew their food properly and the end result is acid reflex, indigestion, or heartburn. The pre-mentioned maladies can also come from eating poor food combinations, microwaved foods, or processed food daily. When you begin to digest your food you change it from one form into another: it is a physical and chemical process. This process is necessary for your body and cells to assimilate, absorb, and finally eliminate all unused portions of your meal. Whenever you put anything into your mouth this process begins. Unfortunately, most people don’t think about their digestive tract until they have problems with it. On a yearly average, around 62 million people show up at the doctor’s office with digestive complaints. This quote, which was written in Hieroglyphics, and found in an ancient Egyptian tomb, should also raise an eyebrow: “One-quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. The other three quarters keeps your doctor alive”
Modern diets are the cause of most health problems. Diets that consist of overcooked and highly processed food are helping doctors get rich. The digestive tract of a good many people are swimming in an ocean of mucus, which in turn causes a sluggish system. People arise in the morning felling yet worse than when they laid down to rest. Such tired, run down systems then require a shot of coffee to kick start the body in the morning. Furthermore, the bloodstream nowadays is full of mild poisons: poisons from sugar, genetically engineered foods, meats that are loaded with hormones and antibiotics, carbonated beverages, drugs, and even the cosmetics, detergents and soaps that seep into our blood through the skin. These poisons are actually attacked by our immune systems. Most food intake does not help us attain good health. Our intake has become toxic in nature. This toxic overload in food is highly acidic and damaging to our digestive tract. Our diets should be more alkaline than acidic. The body constantly tries to balance itself and bring you back to an alkaline state. A healthy diet is about 80% alkaline and 20% acidic. However most of diets are just the opposite. We have too much acid in our diet. Did you know that cancer can not grow in an alkaline environment? Alkalinity increases the oxygen in your body. Scientists have researched these facts and found that clean oxygenated blood is mandatory for good health. In 1931 the Nobel Prize winning work of Dr. Otto Warburg showed that cells weaken, mutate, or die in the absence of oxygen. Several years later two time Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Linus Pauling, was the first to show that cancer cells are unable to grow in an oxygen rich environment.
Unfortunately there many bad habits prohibiting our health. Discipline and understanding of how things really work is needed, especially regarding the digestive systems. To some rather small degree it is not all our fault, however. This society promotes obesity. Greed has invaded the lives of many. Over eating is a hobby. Most people don’t realize that over eating increases the hearts pumping action, which also increases the blood supply and in turn raises the blood pressure. Continuously over eating can cause degeneration of tissues of the heart and brain. If we are what we eat, then we are in trouble.
Why is digestion so important, you may still ask? The answer is that food ultimately determines how you look, feel, and function. A proper balance of raw vegetables, fruits and juices (that are in season), organic meats, butter and whole grains is essential to have a healthy functioning system. In the winter, root crops are eaten, and warming foods. In the summer cooling foods and summer fruits keep the system running properly. Digestive enzymes are needed to help food digest. The pancreas produces enzymes. It produces about two pints of digestive juice which is also alkaline. If we do not have enough enzymes within our foods, the pancreas recruits enzymes from other parts of the body. This is a job within itself and over taxes the pancreas. This extra job, when done daily, often causes the pancreas to enlarge. A diet that is high in acid wears away at your bones, causes arthritis and decays teeth.
In reality good digestive health is the result of what is assimilated, not what is necessarily eaten. Only the foods that are assimilated can be utilized for rebuilding and repairing cells and malfunctions. We are allergic to many foods; and why not, if we are not eating real food? Allergic reactions can be exhibited in many forms. Here are a few: immediate bloating, burping which is sometimes sour, heart burn, runny nose, excess mucus, flatulence, diarrhea, and vomiting. Extreme cases involve fever, but what is fever except an avenue the body uses to destroy the poisons that have invaded you. Onions and garlic should be added to the daily diet. Eat radishes like candy. When using vinegar use organic apple cider vinegar or make your own. Vinegar helps break down fats and proteins. Eat fruits and vegetables in season only. The Almighty Creator has provided a wide variety of foods to choose from; figs, kale, horseradish, olives from the tree, pumpkin, okra, collard green, and honey to name a few. Our Creator has given us so much. Eat simple, live simple, and reflect.