Getting more food out of your food
I distinctly remember a line in the movie ‘Say Anything.’ (You know, that classic movie publicized by the image of the guy holding the stereo up above his head?)
At one point Lloyd Dobler’s older sister looks at the junk food he is eating and says, “There’s no food in your food.” She meant that he was eating processed, food-like products that maybe at one point but certainly no longer resembled real “food.”
(I find the irony in writing this as I’m sitting on a very full ferry boat listening to the family beside me talk about healthy eating as they are chowing down on their white bread, processed meat sandwiches. Heavy on the mayo, I’m sure.)
Anyhoo, this article is all about maximizing the nutrition aka the “cell food” from the real food food we eat.
This requires a couple of things:
One: choosing the right foods.
Two: optimizing digestion
You know that old adage, “You are what you eat?”
Well, in my mind this is only partially true.
When we put food in our pie holes the nutrients are technically still outside of our bodies. Anything in the middle of the intestines is still not yet INSIDE body. Whha? Totally true. We’re like a human donut.
Okay, I’ll stop making reference to desserts.
So if what ever we’re eating ain’t gettin’ broken down (digestion) or gettin’ into the blood stream (absorption), then we can’t JUST be what we eat. And if what is in the blood stream doesn’t actually get into the cells (assimilation), then again the old adage comes up inaccurate and incomplete.
Choosing the right foods**
1. Choose whole foods first – people don’t always know what this means. To me whole foods meet TWO criteria: comes from the earth or plants and is consumed BEFORE processing of ANY kind. Think fruits, VEGETABLES, seeds, nuts, meats, grains. So. Pop quiz. Is a flour a whole food? Ask yourself the two questions. Does it come from the earth or a plant? YES. Is it consumed before processing of any kind? NO. It’s been ground. Sometimes polished. And even worse yet, sometimes bleached.
2. Choose a variety of foods of different colours. Aim to eat a rainbow of vegetables every day
3. Choose organic where ever you can and when ever your budget allows. The chemicals used in conventional farming disrupt digestion by changing the balance of bad to good organisms (probiotics) in the gut. More on this in number 7 below.
Supporting digestion
4. Stress is one of the major gut disrupters. Whether it’s physical, mental or emotional stress the effect is the same – diversion of blood flow AWAY from the digestive organs, decreasing the function of those organs. Beyond a long term stress reduction / management program, a simple formula to help the digestive system do better work is to: eat slowly, while seated, with out distraction (no tv, phones, reading).
4.5 (I promised you 7.5 and this one is kinda part of the one above) Once seated, take THREE to FIVE deep breaths into the belly. This helps calm stress and allow blood to flow back to the precious digestive organs.
**Bonus points if you choose the right foods for you
5. Consume 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar about 10 minutes before meals. This primes the gut to get ready for food. It helps the stomach, gall bladder and pancreas release digestive enzymes, and also helps the gut wall propel food down the food tube.
6. Stay hydrated with clean water – it takes water to eat, digest, absorb and assimilate our nutrients. But at the same time, don’t drink too much at meal times as it can dilute digestive enzymes.
7. Consider a probiotic supplement. These little bacteria help us digest our food and produce some of our vitamins. Aim for a non-dairy, multi strain source.
In all honesty, there are a ton more suggestions that I have in my back pocket, but I might save them for another article. Start with these 7.5 and go from there. If the list is overwhelming, then decide on one change and commit to making that change fully for 2-3 weeks.
I’d love it if you tweeted that!
Small consistent behaviors add up over time. I wrote all about that here.
In the comments below I’d love to hear what, out of the suggestions listed above, you’re going to try on for size? Write the number and take a second to jot down any challenges you anticipate.
Here’s to your jivin’ nutritional health, and thrivin’ life
Dr. Tonia
