Today I am going to begin a new feature on my blog called Tiny Tip Tuesday. I plan to use each Tuesday as an opportunity to offer information focused on tips for a healthy life. Sometimes I might examine a particular food or supplement. Sometimes the focus might be on a cooking tip or explore healthy digestion. I will just see where the mood takes me on each week. (Of course, I am always open to reader suggestions.) So on the inaugural post of what should be many more tiny tips, I would like to remind every one to CHEW YOUR FOOD!
Taking the time to thoroughly chew your food is one of the single most important things you can do to aid digestion. Mechanical digestion begins in the mouth. Thoroughly chewing your food breaks the food down into smaller particles which are easier for your body to digest. Being in smaller pieces makes it easier for your body to absorb all the vitamins and nutrients in your food. Also, the longer you chew, the more your food is exposed to the digestive enzymes in your saliva. (Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth with the digestive enzyme amylase and lingual lipase starts digestion of fats. Both enzymes are found in your saliva.) More chewing also means a longer dinner time. Given that some researchers believe it takes the body up to 20 minutes to recognize signs of satiety, slowing the chewing process down gives the body time to recognize it is full. Finally, chewing more gives you a longer opportunity to enjoy your food.
So the next time you sit down to enjoy your poached salmon dinner or flourless chocolate cake, remember to take the time to chew your food to a uniform consistency. Your tummy will thank you!!
Spring has sprung and that means it time for a whole new crop of fruits and vegetables. One of the vegetables I am most excited about cooking in the Spring is asparagus. To my ultimate pleasure, the grocery stores and farmer’s markets are filled with asparagus right now- often on sale!!
Unfortunately, one of the VERY unpleasant side effects of eating asparagus is asparagus pee-a seriously stinky pee that hits within 15-30 minutes after consuming asparagus. I have often wondered if this pungent pee was normal or a sign of faulty digestion. I was happy to learn, it is totally normal. (In fact, between 22-50% of people report detecting stinky urine after eating asparagus.)
There are competing theories about what causes asparagus pee. Some researchers believe only some people produce asparagus pee. Others believe, everyone produces the stinky urine but only some people possess the ability to smell the distinctive odor.
Whatever the case, researchers believe during digestion, the vegetable’s sulfurous compound called asparagusic acid breaks down into smelly chemical components. (These smelly compounds can also be found in rotten eggs, onions and garlic.) When you visit the bathroom after eating asparagus, these smelly compounds then become airborne, perfuming the air for all to smell.
So with asparagus season upon us, know that you are not the only one experiencing asparagus pee. I, however, believe that with such a short season of green goodness, it would be ashamed not to take advantage of every opportunity to get your asparagus fix. Go ahead! Cooked up asparagus risotto, grilled asparagus, Creamy asparagus soup or any other asparagus yummy you can devise.
Before enrolling in the Wholistic Nutrition Program at the Wellspring School for Healing Arts, I took an Intro to Wholistic Nutrition class at the school. I knew nutrition was a topic for which I had a deep passion but this class really cemented for me that I wanted to pursue a career in supporting and guiding people in their quest for better health through nutrition. It was while taking this class that I made the final decision to enroll in the Wholistic Nutrition program.
In our first class, we were given realms of handouts with information about health and nutrition. While it was all very informative and interesting, there was one handout which had the most profound impact on my day to day interactions with food. This handout gives everyone a down and dirty primer on ways to increase digestion and get the most out of the foods consumed. Take a look at the Terrific Twelve handout down below.
The Terrific Twelve
1. Eat breakfast or nutrient dense food in the morning when your body can assimilate the most
from food.
2. Don’t wait until you are starving to eat. If you wait till you are hungry to eat, your blood sugar
has already dropped and you will be more likely to crave sugar and/or refined carbohydrates.
3. Avoid eating while angry, under stress, or with people you don’t like. Your food will not
digest properly if you are angry or upset. Enjoying your food and being content when you eat
allows your bodies to literally accept the food more effectively into our systems.
4. Eat slowly and thoroughly. Chew your food well! Carbohydrate digestion begins in the
mouth with the enzyme salivary amylase or ptyalin. Challenge yourself to make a habit of
chewing your food until it is all of one consistency.
5. Practice eating mindfully. Sit down, turn off the T.V, put down your book and avoid
unpleasant conversation.
6. Toss the microwave! Studies indicate the damage or negative effect that microwaving can
have on our bodies. From a Traditional Chinese Medcine perspective microwaving renders the food energetically dead.
7. Refrain from drinking with your meals. Drinking with meals will dilute the enzymes and acids
necessary for proper food digestion. Drink 20 minutes before or after your meal. However, a cup of warm
tea or glass of wine may actually enhance digestion.
8. Eat a variety, Eat Simply. This is not a contradiction. Eat lots of different varieties of food
over a day or week, but make you meals simple and avoid complex combinations of foods
within the meal itself.
9. Eat until you are satiated, not until you’re full.
10. When possible eat an early dinner, preferably by 7 pm. Your body is less capable of digesting heavy or
complex meals at night.
11. Don’t chill the Spleen. The digestive process needs warmth. Too much raw, cold, frozen
foods or iced drinks will dampen the digestive fire.
12. Give thanks for your food and thank yourself for eating consciously. Prepare food with love
and consciousness.
I love these tips and try to incorporate most of them into my everyday diet. I would like to be able to say I follow 100% of these tips, 100% of the time. Unfortunately, I don’t! I still have a microwave! (Although, I use it very rarely.) I cannot give up reading the morning paper when I eat breakfast! And I am not always good at stopping eating before I reach the full point! I have made progress and I always try to keep in mind the 80-20 rule I learned in my Intro to Wholistic Nutrition class. Eat to nourish your body 80% of the time and the other 20% can be for pure enjoyment. I know I am not perfect in my eating habits but I also know the changes I have made have gone a long way in improving my health. What healthy changes have you recently made?
Fermented foods are a hot topic in the health and nutrition world these days. It seems like every time I pick up a magazine with an article about diet, one of the recommendations is to eat more fermented foods. But what are fermented foods and why should I be eating them?
Food fermentation is an ancient process in which food is exposed to bacteria and yeast for preservation and flavor enhancement.
“It is a process whereby microbes turn the stuff of one generation of plants and animals into food for the next generation of plants and animals (Cox, 1).” Beneficial microorganisms eat the natural carbohydrates, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation is generally considered a positive occurrence and in the days before refrigeration, fermentation was used to preserve food. The science of fermentation is called zymurgy.
Fermented foods are rich in enzymes the body needs to breakdown food. These enzymes make it easier for the body to digest food. Because fermented foods are already partially broken down, it is easier for the body to extract all the vitamins and minerals from the ferment. Fermentation decreases the anti-nutrients in grains and breaks down lactose in dairy products, increasing their digestibility. They are also high in B vitamins and full of probiotics. Fermented vegetables show an increase in vitamin A and C. Fermented foods are powerful chelators, drawing toxins and metals from the body. Fermentation also increases the time before food spoils.
Consuming fermented food helps colonize your gut with good bacteria. These bacteria aid your digestion and keep your “bad” bacteria under control. Science is beginning to believe that around 80-90% of our immunity comes from our gut so anything we can do to make it healthy is a plus.
Recommendations for how many fermented foods to consume a day vary. A general rule of thumb, suggests starting with about ¼-1/2 cup of fermented foods daily and then gradually increasing your consumption to include ferments with each meal. A gradually increase in fermented foods is advised to allow the body to adjust to the new microorganisms, enzymes and probiotics being introduced to your system. Using different types of fermented food throughout the day insures that you are exposed to a variety of probiotics, microorganisms and beneficial enzymes.
Photo by Kevin Shine
So what are some good sources of fermented foods? One of the most familiar is yogurt but many other choices exist. Kombucha, a fermented tea, water kefir and jun are all beverages filled with probiotics. They are lightly carbonated and can be flavored with just about any flavor you can image. Fermented vegetables like cabbage, squash and fennel are also yummy. Tempeh and miso are two examples that have been enjoyed in Asian cultures for thousands of years. And of course, let’s not forget chocolate and red wine- two of my most favorite fermented foods.
