Many dietary factors will greatly facilitate healing and proper digestion. Here we list the most important points; you can read more about each of the points by clicking on them.

Key Points

• Relax before and during meals
• Chew your food until it is a liquid before swallowing
• Drink minimal liquids with meals, especially sodas and iced beverages
• Drink about 4 oz. of water every 30 minutes throughout the day (except with meals)
• Eat organic whenever possible
• Eat your veggies! Start with steamed vegetables and increase raw vegetables as tolerated.
• Consume legumes everyday
• Eat ripe fruit in season daily
• Decrease your consumption of meat and dairy products

Take TIME to eat

It is very important to make time to nourish yourself. If you are busy driving or walking around, your body is too busy and preoccupied to digest your food properly. If you are busy or stressed, it is better to wait to eat when you can focus on what you are doing – which is nourishing yourself and rebuilding your body.

It is also important to avoid eating if you are emotionally upset or overtired. It’s best to take some time to relax and then eat lightly, chewing your food well. Eating while you are rushed will cause improper digestion and absorption of nutrients and over time will lead to degeneration in the body.

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Chew Your Foods & Liquids Thoroughly

One of the most important steps you can take to improve your digestion is to chew you food slowly and thoroughly. Nothing should hit your stomach that is a solid mass. This means you will need to chew each mouthful of food AT LEAST 30 TIMES; and don’t put more food in your mouth before you have completely chewed and swallowed the previous mouthful. This includes chewing your liquids (the ones with calories in them); chewing your liquids insures that the digestive juices in your saliva get mixed well with the liquid and can begin proper digestion. The process of digestion can be compared to buttoning a coat – if the first button is not done correctly, none of the remaining buttons will line up.

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Drink Minimal Fluid with Meals

When too much fluid is taken with food, gastric enzymes can become diluted. This can interfere with digestion. It is important that these enzymes remain acidic in order that digestion can occur properly. Small sips of liquid may be used to refresh you palette between foods. If small amounts of fluid are taken with foods, avoid sodas, carbonated beverages, alcohol, coffee and juices. Water is the beverage of choice and be sure to avoid soda/pop and any beverages with ice in them as they will greatly hinder digestion.

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Increase Your Water Intake

It is vitally important to increase your daily water intake to 8-10 eight-ounce glasses daily, never more than a half glass (4 ounces) at a time. More than that causes extra stress on the liver and kidneys because your body can only absorb and utilize about 4 oz. at a time. Next to the air you breathe, water it is the substance most essential for sustaining life.

You should drink distilled, reverse osmosis or spring bottled water. The tap water in most communities is filled with so many chemicals and additives, that it is not considered healthy for the human body. Fluoride and chlorine in drinking water compete for iodine necessary for proper thyroid function. Therefore, it is best to avoid drinking tap water.

It is also wise to drink your water at room temperature. Cold water can diminish the production of digestive enzymes in your mouth and alter the pH of your saliva. These factors can interfere with proper digestion.

Carry a water bottle with you always, and try and drink every 15 minutes or so. Take a gallon of distilled water with you to work – you should drink a gallon of water every two days. Initially, you will find yourself going to the bathroom about once every 1½ hours – this is normal and very good! It gets you up and moving as well as flushes out your systemJ. After a while, your body will readjust to getting the fluids it needs, and you won’t be going to the restroom quite as often.

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Avoid Foods with Toxic Contents

In order to help your body to cleanse away toxins, heal damaged tissues and restore normal functioning of your gastrointestinal mucosa and enzymes, it is essential to eat foods that offer your body life, energy and vitality. The healthiest foods are those that are organically grown. This means that they are grown in soil that is free of pesticides, herbicides and other chemical agents. Such foods generally contain more nutrients because the soil contains higher levels of minerals.

Many processed foods contain additives, preservatives and toxic residues that are difficult for your body to process. Many components of these “dead” foods cannot be broken down by your body and instead, build up toxic levels in your tissues. This can create excessive acidity that can interfere with the nutrient and mineral balance of your cells and create congestion in your lymphatic system, impairing proper immune function.

Reduce your use of sugar by adding raisins, dried apricots, applesauce or chopped fruit to dishes. Sweeteners such as barley malt, rice syrup, maple syrup, and fructose have minor benefits over white sugar. They may be used as a transition to getting sugar out of your recipes. Always try to include high-fiber foods whenever making/consuming foods with concentrated sweeteners. Raw honey is a good substitute for sugar.Eating sugar in any form—including fructose and honey—promotes fatigue, increases pain, and disturbs sleep. If these substances have been a regular part of your diet, your symptoms may actually get worse for a short period as a result of the “withdrawal” effect, but after that, you should experience a noticeable improvement in your condition.

A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether the foods that you are about to ingest will be offering you life and health or if eating it will be creating more stress and dis-ease in your body. Most of the foods that you eat should not need a label. These foods are whole grains, vegetables and fruits. If the labels on the remaining foods contain words that you cannot pronounce or include toxic contents such as artificial colors, additives and chemical preservatives, it is wise to avoid them. Your body will thank you.

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Increase Your Intake of Vegetables

Most vegetables are alkaline and contain lots of water. Increasing your intake of vegetables will help you to cleanse your body and reduce the acidity in your tissues that have been created by stress and poor food choices in the past. It is best to eat a wide variety of vegetables to insure you are getting a range of nutrients. It is best to avoid eating corn. Corn and corn products are often difficult to digest and can contain aflatoxins that can be very toxic for the body.

It is also important to eat several large servings of vegetables daily. Because of their healthy alkaline makeup, there is no limit to the amount of vegetables that you can consume each day. It is important to eat only vegetables that are raw, steamed, baked or cooked. Steaming vegetables until they are tender yet still brightly colored enables them to retain high levels of nutrients. In comparison, when vegetables are cooked in water, a great deal of their nutrient value is lost into the water; therefore, soups would also be a great way to eat your vegetables.

Steamed vegetables are very easy for your body to digest. Raw vegetables, including salads, can be difficult for a compromised digestive system to break down and digest and eating raw vegetables can often create gas and bloating conditions for those that are not used to eating them. Introduce raw vegetables gradually into your diet if you experience such reactions. As your digestive mucosa and enzymes become normalized, digesting these healthy foods will become much easier. One remedy for gas pains is to drink some catnip and fennel seed tea or take some drops of catnip fennel tincture.

When steaming your vegetables, it is best to use glass or stainless steel cookware. Avoid using Teflon or coated cookware. Often the substances used to coat these pans can contaminate the foods. It is also wise to avoid using a microwave. Many studies have indicated that the microwave process, although convenient, breaks vital chemical bonds in foods. The electromagnetic radiation that leaks from most microwave ovens during cooking can also be harmful to the body.

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Increase Your Intake of Grains & Legumes

It is important that you eat a wide variety of grains. Eat two to six servings daily. A serving is approximately half a cup. Grains are filled with vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber that can help you to strengthen and heal your body. During the digestive process, grains are capable of expanding and absorbing fluids and toxins. The outer hull of most grains contains vital trace minerals and roughage that helps your body to eliminate wastes with greater ease and regularity.

Make sure you consume legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) every day. Legumes contain fiber, sulfur compounds, protein and complex carbohydrates that your body needs to regulate blood sugar, detoxify and heal.

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Eat Ripe Fruit in Season

Because of their high water and nutrient content, fruits are very cleansing and easy to digest. It is best to consume fruits that are ripe and in season. Eat one to two pieces of fruit each morning. Fruits are best consumed on an empty stomach and in the morning to maximize their cleansing effect.

Avoid combining fruits with other foods, particularly animal protein. Melons are best eaten by themselves. This is because melons contain enzyme inhibitors that reduce the body’s ability to digest other melons (which means you will have improper digestion and most probably, gas). Avoid citrus fruits such as tomatoes and tomato products, oranges and grapefruits during the healing phase; they may irritate a weakened bowel. Lemons and fresh lemon juice may be consumed.

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Decrease Intake of Animal Products

In order to reduce the excess protein and acidity that has accumulated in your connective tissues, it is important to decrease your intake of animal products. In the book, Diet for a New America, respected author John Robbins lists meats and dairy products as the foods containing the greatest levels of toxic substances. They are also the most difficult foods for the human body to digest. By reducing your intake of these foods, including meats, milk and cheese products, you can help your body to relieve lymphatic congestion and reduce its excessive acidity.In addition, saturated fats found in animal products raise cholesterol levels and interfere with circulation; they also promote the inflammatory response and increase pain

Fish (particularly deep-sea fish such as salmon, tuna steaks, haddock, mackerel) and chicken and turkey (white meat only without skin) can be eaten several times weekly in small amounts (4 oz. servings – about the size of a deck of cards). It is important to avoid eating shellfish because they can contain greater amounts of toxins. Fatty fish provide essential fatty acids that the body needs for healing, pain management, joint health, proper brain function and hormone balance. The healthiest way to cook these foods is bybaking, steaming or broiling them.

If you are presently a vegetarian, small portions (6 oz. servings) of tofu or bean curd, vegetable or grain-based meat substitutes and easy-to-digest legumes such as lentils and split peas may be consumed several times each week.

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