RawTruth
12-13-2005, 02:55 PM
©2005 Copyrighted material! Please reference this source when sharing this information: www.rawfamily.com
Feeling the Holidays in Our Gut
By Victoria Boutenko
The holiday season is often a battlefield for our digestive systems; as we feast on holiday goodies, we begin to feel it in our gut. Hence there couldnÂ’t be a better topic for December, than our beloved colons.
It is clearly evident that what occurs in our gut is directly correlated to what we eat with our mouth, since what we put in our mouths ends up in our intestines. We place a great deal of effort into preparing and decorating the things we put in our mouths, but we barely remember that this food has to be digested. My husband Igor likes to say, “How intriguing it is, that such an unattractive part of the human body plays the most significant role in our overall well-being. The unpleasant smell makes it hard for us to recognize how precious our colon truly is.”
I understood the importance of keeping this organ healthy when I listened to my friend, a doctor and surgeon. He has told me many stories about a few his patients who had part of their colons removed due to serious colon problems. These patients often reported that other illnesses which they had had for years, seemingly not related to the colon, instantly disappeared after the surgery. Some of these illnesses were: psoriasis, asthma, allergy, PMS, fatigue, depression, irritability, stomach pain, weight gain, headaches, wrinkles, insomnia, varicose veins, frequent infections, and many others. I was especially impressed with one particular story of his:
A woman was suffering from a chronic depression for many years. She felt so lonely and rejected that when she heard she had polyps in her colon, she insisted on having part of her colon removed because she was hoping this dramatic surgery would draw the attention of her relatives and friends. However, her depression disappeared completely with the removal of her colon. Despite the intense pain she was in, she woke up the morning after the surgery with a big smile on her face. Since that time she no longer suffered from depression. I find this story truly remarkable. However, I believe that in many instances, in order to get rid of their illness, people can avoid the surgical removing of their colon by just keeping their colon healthy. So what does it mean to take good care of our intestines?
I have come to the conclusion that one of the most effective ways to maintain colon health is the regular consumption of the green smoothies. An improvement in intestinal functions was observed by most of the participants of the Roseburg study. In this study, 27 participants drank one quart of green smoothie for one month in addition to their regular diets (for more details, please read Green For Life.) Out of 27 participants, 24 reported improvements in their elimination and regular bowel movements 2-3 times a day, gentle elimination without discomfort, fast and complete elimination. 9 out of 27 reported that their elimination doubled in size.
Green smoothies are easily digestible because their ingredients are broken down to tiny particles. IÂ’m sure we have all heard endlessly about how important it is to chew our food well. Still it seems like it is not very important. For example, it seems not as important as when our car breaks down, or how big our monthly salary is. I would like to explain that chewing is by far more important than either of these two. When food is not chewed to a creamy consistency, it is left undigested and most of it inevitably turns into toxic waste. When we are eating without chewing, we are consuming toxins instead of nutrients. Lack of chewing alone appears to be a huge problem that is almost impossible to correct. First of all, if we hadnÂ’t acquired the healthy habit of chewing well in early childhood, it would later take an enormous effort to learn how to chew properly. Secondly, even if we are lucky to have this habit, as we age, we begin to lose our teeth and begin to replace them with artificial devices. Thirdly, jaws that are accustom to chewing mostly cooked and processed foods can become weak, making it still more difficult to masticate food correctly. I know a family in Los Gatos in which everyone was taught to pay great attention to chewing. They do not have any digestive problems and they also donÂ’t have any dental problems! Their grandpa, the oldest person in the family, just had his very first filling done this year and he is 70! If you do not have a habit of chewing your food thoroughly you may consider adding green smoothies to your daily menu.
To experience optimal health we need to have 80-85% of “good” bacteria in our intestines. Friendly bacteria manufacture many essential nutrients for our body, including vitamin K, B-vitamins, numerous helpful enzymes and other vital substances. Such “good” or Aerobic bacteria thrive in the presence of oxygen and require it for their continued growth and existence. That is why if we do not have enough oxygen in the cells of our body, “bad” bacteria take over and begin to thrive, causing an extreme amount of infections and disease. These pathogenic bacteria are anaerobic, and cannot tolerate gaseous oxygen. Taking care of our intestinal flora is vitally important! “Good” bacteria could be easily destroyed with countless factors, such as antibiotics, poor diet, overeating, stress, etc. In this case we could have 80-90% of “bad” bacteria filling our body with toxic acidic waste. I believe that the dominance of anaerobic bacteria in our intestines is the prime cause of all disease.
It has been researched that in the intestines of the healthiest individuals the ratio of “good” to “bad” bacteria is usually maintained at 85:15. It is interesting that healthy natural soil has the same ratio of bacteria as healthy human intestines. Having 15% of “bad” bacteria is essential to maintaining a strong immunity. According to multiple studies, in reality most people have a reversed version of this ratio. They usually have approximately 90% “bad” bacteria and only 10% “good” bacteria living in their bowels[1].
That is why it is now becoming more and more popular to introduce good bacteria into our digestive system by taking probiotics (supplement of good bacteria) or eating cultured foods, such as sauerkraut or yogurt. Still, in order to have a healthy ratio of bacteria in the intestines, constantly adding new bacteria can be helpful, but is not sufficient. It is important to create the necessary conditions for the thriving of good bacteria. Namely, oxygen.
Since ancient times chlorophyll has served as a miraculous healer. Chlorophyll carries significant amounts of oxygen with it and thus plays a critical role in supporting the aerobic bacteria. Therefore, the more chlorophyll we consume, the better our intestinal flora and overall health will be. Considering that greens are a major source of chlorophyll, it is difficult to find a better way of consuming chlorophyll than drinking green smoothies.
According to the recent exciting research done by Medical College of Georgia, good bacteria in the colon need plant fiber to survive[2]. Once again it makes more sense to consume smoothies rather than juices.
To conclude, this holiday season, I invite you to:
~Remember to consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, because they are the only source of cellulose, which means that fresh fruits and vegetables are the best food that will support “good” bacteria in our guts.
~Considering the amounts of different kinds of “holiday” foods that will be consumed, the best recommendation to counterbalance their effects would be to consume green smoothies every day, at least 2-3 cups a day.
~ Chew your food well.
~Finally, if you still find yourself overeating and overloading your belly with more unwanted food than your guts can happily digest, then you could give yourself a gift certificate to a colonic irrigation therapist!
©2005 Copyrighted material! Please reference this source when sharing this information: www.rawfamily.com
Feeling the Holidays in Our Gut
By Victoria Boutenko
The holiday season is often a battlefield for our digestive systems; as we feast on holiday goodies, we begin to feel it in our gut. Hence there couldnÂ’t be a better topic for December, than our beloved colons.
It is clearly evident that what occurs in our gut is directly correlated to what we eat with our mouth, since what we put in our mouths ends up in our intestines. We place a great deal of effort into preparing and decorating the things we put in our mouths, but we barely remember that this food has to be digested. My husband Igor likes to say, “How intriguing it is, that such an unattractive part of the human body plays the most significant role in our overall well-being. The unpleasant smell makes it hard for us to recognize how precious our colon truly is.”
I understood the importance of keeping this organ healthy when I listened to my friend, a doctor and surgeon. He has told me many stories about a few his patients who had part of their colons removed due to serious colon problems. These patients often reported that other illnesses which they had had for years, seemingly not related to the colon, instantly disappeared after the surgery. Some of these illnesses were: psoriasis, asthma, allergy, PMS, fatigue, depression, irritability, stomach pain, weight gain, headaches, wrinkles, insomnia, varicose veins, frequent infections, and many others. I was especially impressed with one particular story of his:
A woman was suffering from a chronic depression for many years. She felt so lonely and rejected that when she heard she had polyps in her colon, she insisted on having part of her colon removed because she was hoping this dramatic surgery would draw the attention of her relatives and friends. However, her depression disappeared completely with the removal of her colon. Despite the intense pain she was in, she woke up the morning after the surgery with a big smile on her face. Since that time she no longer suffered from depression. I find this story truly remarkable. However, I believe that in many instances, in order to get rid of their illness, people can avoid the surgical removing of their colon by just keeping their colon healthy. So what does it mean to take good care of our intestines?
I have come to the conclusion that one of the most effective ways to maintain colon health is the regular consumption of the green smoothies. An improvement in intestinal functions was observed by most of the participants of the Roseburg study. In this study, 27 participants drank one quart of green smoothie for one month in addition to their regular diets (for more details, please read Green For Life.) Out of 27 participants, 24 reported improvements in their elimination and regular bowel movements 2-3 times a day, gentle elimination without discomfort, fast and complete elimination. 9 out of 27 reported that their elimination doubled in size.
Green smoothies are easily digestible because their ingredients are broken down to tiny particles. IÂ’m sure we have all heard endlessly about how important it is to chew our food well. Still it seems like it is not very important. For example, it seems not as important as when our car breaks down, or how big our monthly salary is. I would like to explain that chewing is by far more important than either of these two. When food is not chewed to a creamy consistency, it is left undigested and most of it inevitably turns into toxic waste. When we are eating without chewing, we are consuming toxins instead of nutrients. Lack of chewing alone appears to be a huge problem that is almost impossible to correct. First of all, if we hadnÂ’t acquired the healthy habit of chewing well in early childhood, it would later take an enormous effort to learn how to chew properly. Secondly, even if we are lucky to have this habit, as we age, we begin to lose our teeth and begin to replace them with artificial devices. Thirdly, jaws that are accustom to chewing mostly cooked and processed foods can become weak, making it still more difficult to masticate food correctly. I know a family in Los Gatos in which everyone was taught to pay great attention to chewing. They do not have any digestive problems and they also donÂ’t have any dental problems! Their grandpa, the oldest person in the family, just had his very first filling done this year and he is 70! If you do not have a habit of chewing your food thoroughly you may consider adding green smoothies to your daily menu.
To experience optimal health we need to have 80-85% of “good” bacteria in our intestines. Friendly bacteria manufacture many essential nutrients for our body, including vitamin K, B-vitamins, numerous helpful enzymes and other vital substances. Such “good” or Aerobic bacteria thrive in the presence of oxygen and require it for their continued growth and existence. That is why if we do not have enough oxygen in the cells of our body, “bad” bacteria take over and begin to thrive, causing an extreme amount of infections and disease. These pathogenic bacteria are anaerobic, and cannot tolerate gaseous oxygen. Taking care of our intestinal flora is vitally important! “Good” bacteria could be easily destroyed with countless factors, such as antibiotics, poor diet, overeating, stress, etc. In this case we could have 80-90% of “bad” bacteria filling our body with toxic acidic waste. I believe that the dominance of anaerobic bacteria in our intestines is the prime cause of all disease.
It has been researched that in the intestines of the healthiest individuals the ratio of “good” to “bad” bacteria is usually maintained at 85:15. It is interesting that healthy natural soil has the same ratio of bacteria as healthy human intestines. Having 15% of “bad” bacteria is essential to maintaining a strong immunity. According to multiple studies, in reality most people have a reversed version of this ratio. They usually have approximately 90% “bad” bacteria and only 10% “good” bacteria living in their bowels[1].
That is why it is now becoming more and more popular to introduce good bacteria into our digestive system by taking probiotics (supplement of good bacteria) or eating cultured foods, such as sauerkraut or yogurt. Still, in order to have a healthy ratio of bacteria in the intestines, constantly adding new bacteria can be helpful, but is not sufficient. It is important to create the necessary conditions for the thriving of good bacteria. Namely, oxygen.
Since ancient times chlorophyll has served as a miraculous healer. Chlorophyll carries significant amounts of oxygen with it and thus plays a critical role in supporting the aerobic bacteria. Therefore, the more chlorophyll we consume, the better our intestinal flora and overall health will be. Considering that greens are a major source of chlorophyll, it is difficult to find a better way of consuming chlorophyll than drinking green smoothies.
According to the recent exciting research done by Medical College of Georgia, good bacteria in the colon need plant fiber to survive[2]. Once again it makes more sense to consume smoothies rather than juices.
To conclude, this holiday season, I invite you to:
~Remember to consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, because they are the only source of cellulose, which means that fresh fruits and vegetables are the best food that will support “good” bacteria in our guts.
~Considering the amounts of different kinds of “holiday” foods that will be consumed, the best recommendation to counterbalance their effects would be to consume green smoothies every day, at least 2-3 cups a day.
~ Chew your food well.
~Finally, if you still find yourself overeating and overloading your belly with more unwanted food than your guts can happily digest, then you could give yourself a gift certificate to a colonic irrigation therapist!
©2005 Copyrighted material! Please reference this source when sharing this information: www.rawfamily.com