Digestion: A Churning Question
During our lifetime, approximately 90,000 pounds of food and 55,000 quarts of fluids are processed by our digestive systems. Fortunately, we have internal machinery custom-designed by our Creator for maximum efficiency and endurance. Unfortunately, about 25% of Americans have some kind of digestive complaint or disorder.
People talk about having "cast-iron" stomachs, and we often treat our digestive organs like an old iron furnace. But in reality our digestive machinery is complex and very delicate.
Chewing the facts...
When the stomach is deranged through improper nutrition or bad eating habits, virtually any other organ in the body can be adversely affected. For instance, a long-term observation was performed to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders and 1500 patients with different forms of bronchial asthma.
Researchers discovered that 48% of patients had different gastroenterological complaints, most of which began with simple indigestion. Interestingly, gastrointestinal disorders, and especially indigestion, were associated with food allergies.
The Indigestion Question
Indigestion can be caused by frequent eating, overeating, eating too fast, eating highly salted or spiced foods, as well as eating large amounts of foods high in concentrated fat, sugar or protein. Eating too quickly has been associated with a rapid rise in blood sugar, while eating more slowly results in more stable blood sugar levels--a very important point for diabetics!
According to Dr. Thomas Brunoski of the Institute of Human Nutrition of Columbia Medical School, aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs are a leading cause of stomach inflammation and ulcers. Also at the top of the gastritis ulcer-causing list are tobacco, coffee, sugar and alcohol. Even Aspartame (Nutri-Sweet) can cause stomach upset.
New research shows that chronic indigestion and ulcers are a significant cause of depression and personality disorders.
Stomachs In A Stew
Stomach cancer is on the rise in the United States, and researchers are beginning to point to possible dietary and lifestyle factors as possible causes.
In one hospital study, stomach cancer and gastritis patients were more likely to be smokers and have higher saturated fat and cholesterol intake. Recent studies have linked esophageal cancer (cancer of the throat) and pickled vegetable consumption. Other factors found to increase the throat cancer risk were highly salted foods, alcohol intake, tea consumption, smoking, low vegetable and fruit consumption, and drinking soups and drinks at very hot temperature.
It is already known that eating black pepper increases stomach cancer risk. Now new research on capsaicin, or red-hot pepper, brings some new "heat" to this topic.
A study conducted in Mexico City revealed that red pepper, consumers were at high risk for gastric cancer compared to non--consumers. Conversely, high fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with lower incidence of digestive cancer.
Better Never Than Late
Snacking and late-night eating can really set off some gastrointestinal fireworks. Eating between meals can delay gastric emptying for hours, causing indigestion and fatigue. A high-fiber diet eliminates the need for snacking with most people.
Numerous studies have linked late-night eating with increased cancer rates, as well as higher serum cholesterol levels and LDL, and a higher LDL: HDL ratio than daytime eaters. It has been suggested that night time food intake may be associated with metabolic disturbances in lipid (fat) metabolism, and may lead to ischemic heart disease.
Night time eating may also reset the body clock to establish an "owl," or late, pattern of sleeping rather than a "lark," or early pattern of bedtime and sleeping. Researchers have found that going to bed early is associated with numerous health benefits.
Late-night eating can also result in gastroesophageal reflux, a condition where gastric acid back-flows into the throat. This occurs when a person lies down or reclines after a meal. Such reflux can cause sore throat, wheezing, coughing and hoarseness.
Clearly, going to bed with a stomach full of food is a sure-fire way to "fire up" your digestive organs.
Taming Troubled Tummies
Our loving Creator designed His children to be on a schedule--He loves order, not confusion. And even our very body rhythms respond to an orderly schedule. The wise King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 10:17: "Blessed art thou, O land, when... thy princes eat in due season (at the proper times), for strength, and not for drunkenness."
Meal type, timing and quality all affect health, well-being and even society itself! Stomachs are less likely to be upset on a program of regular meals at a set time.
Studies with pilots show that high salt and protein foods like meat, cheese, and chips tend to upset the stomach, while starchy foods like bread, cereal, and potatoes tend to have a calming effect.
We have seen that high consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables are beneficial and eliminate the need for snacking. Some wonderful curatives for upset stomachs, include raw cabbage juice, charcoal tablets, ginger tea, DGL, aloe, slippery elm, mint tea, catnip tea and plantain bananas.
Frozen bananas whizzed in a blender have been reported in the literature to have a healing effect on gastroenteritis (irritation of the stomach lining and intestine). They also put a big smile on your face!
