By Lisa Metzgar, PhD, Nutrition Tidbits - Foods that Harm and Foods that Heal
I recently asked my Facebook friends for article suggestions and a few people inquired about foods that helped with digestive issues.
It is pretty obvious that our good old American diet is wrecking havoc on our digestion and leading to symptoms ranging from annoying to downright dangerous to our health. If you look at the pharmacy section of the grocery store you see a big section of the shelves reserved for antacids, anti-gas, anti-diarrhea, and anti-constipation medication. Here is a better idea…start eating foods that don’t cause you misery in the first place!
Here is a list of foods that don’t support our digestion or our health:
Fried foods
Sugar
Soda
Alcohol
White flour
Too much salt
Processed foods
Hydrogenated oils
High Fructose corn syrup
We all know that list is bad for us. Yet, it is the typical diet for a lot of people. Eating from that list causes Diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, digestive problems, malnutrition; lack of energy…the list goes on. People have gotten used to feeling poorly instead of wanting to do something about it. They have forgotten what it is like to feel good, to not have digestive issues on a daily basis, and to have energy to do the things they love to do.
Food is one thing we have control over. I read a great quote from Chris Freytag, a fitness and health guru…”Genetics loads your gun, but your environment pulls the trigger” This means that you might have a predisposition to something based on family history but it is your choices that make them so. You can’t expect to get diabetes because mom has it and use that as an excuse to eat poorly. The odds are…mom got diabetes because she made poor nutrition choices and then taught them to you. You have control over what you eat. It really isn’t as hard as most people make it to be. Whole foods are full of wonderful flavor and there is a ton of variety. It might take a little effort at first to eat a whole food diet but you will get into a routine with it…just like anything else in your life. It takes less time to steam broccoli than it does to jump in the car and go get fast food. Make the choice to be healthy and heal your digestive issues.
Here is a sample list of healthy healing foods
Green leafy vegetables
Whole grains (try eliminating gluten containing grains…wheat, rye, barley, and spelt to see if you might have a gluten sensitivity)
Berries (especially blueberries and strawberries)
Flax seeds
Apples
Lean meats (organic and grass fed if possible to eliminate added hormones and chemicals)
Wild fish (especially salmon)
Broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Squash
Beans
Brown rice
Almonds
Green tea
If you are healing from serious digestive issues try aloe vera for it’s soothing healing properties.
Of course this list is just a small sampling of a whole food diet. Try replacing just a few things at a time in your diet and see how much better you feel.
For more tips on whole food diets your can go to my website at www.lisametzgar.com
