The Healthy Gut Cookbook: How to Keep in Excellent Digestive Health with 60 Recipes and Nutrition Advice. Marguerite Patten

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       three maintaining a healthy gut

      Few people blessed with a healthy gut know how to maintain and protect it. If the gut was a very expensive car, a fine camera – or even a top-of-the-line washing machine – we would take out the instruction book, read it from cover to cover, and make sure we followed the instructions to get the best possible service from our investment. The digestive system deserves the same care.

      This chapter covers a range of topics that shed light on how to maintain a healthy gut, including how to eat, a modern approach to a balanced diet, and what you should look for on a yoghurt pot.

the pleasure of eating

      How you eat your food helps determine whether or not you have a healthy gut.

      Modern lifestyles – TV dinners, dependence on takeaway food, and a different social schedule for everyone in a household – work against healthy eating habits. We live in a rush-rush world where consuming food has become a necessity, rather than a source of pleasure and relaxation. Gulping down half-chewed food, overeating, washing everything down with fizzy drinks, and failing to relax during a meal can lead to indigestion, bloating and uncertain bowels. Can we doubt that bad eating habits contribute to the epidemic of gastric and bowel conditions plaguing most of Western society?

      What is the basic rule of good gut health? Meals should be eaten slowly at a table in a peaceful environment, taking time to enjoy both the food and the company of others. This may seem simplistic, but the belief that how you eat is as important as what you eat has been taught for thousands of years. Wise men advised us not to think only about how we eat, but also how the food is prepared. The ancient Indian healing practice of Ayurveda tells us to prepare food while in a peaceful state of mind. It claims that the cook’s mood enters the food, which in turn influences the mood of those who eat it. In other words, if you are tense and nervy when you poach the fish or season the Bolognese, those you feed will soon become tense and nervy, too.

      There is some sense to this. Here is a case in point: sometimes Mum in the kitchen after a hard day’s work is not a pretty sight. Perhaps the food she prepares is not really affected by her mood, but you can be sure that her exhaustion, or frustration, from a day in the office can charge the air with tension, destroying any chance of easy conversation and giving everyone at least a touch of indigestion! Food is a beautiful part of life. Enjoy cooking it and eating it. (See the Glossary for more information about Ayurveda.)

      Adopting the Golden Rules of Eating, listed overleaf, is a good first step towards maintaining a healthier digestive system. Try applying this strategy to at least one meal each day. You can begin with breakfast, lunch or dinner – it does not matter. Over time, the ‘practice’ of relaxing during this one daily meal will help you develop healthier habits every time you eat. You might be pleasantly surprised by the speedy disappearance of belching, heartburn and flatulence you suffered in the past.

water – the foundation of life

      If you want a healthy gut, drink an adequate amount of water.

      Water is indispensable for life and makes up approximately 99 per cent of molecules within the cells of the human body. It is also essential for many processes in the body: watery amniotic fluid, for example, provides a safe surrounding for a growing foetus; transport of toxins and waste from the kidneys depends on water. And, more to the point here, a large part of digestion takes place in a watery environment. The internal messages that signal dehydration are clear – dry mouth, poor concentration and headaches. If we fail to respond to these signals the results can be constipation, the build-up of renal waste leading to kidney stones, and bladder infections when harmful

      The golden rules of eating

      1. Find at least a quarter of an hour to sit and relax before eating.

      2. Do not over-burden your stomach with drinks and snack foods before mealtimes.

      3. Always eat at a table using proper plates and cutlery. (No burgers from a bag or curries from disposable trays!)

      4. Eat in pleasant surroundings. Enjoy calming music. A simple arrangement of flowers adds to a relaxed atmosphere.

      5. Eat slowly, and chew food well before swallowing.

      6. Keep conversation light; avoid discussing emotionally charged issues.

      7. If you drink alcoholic beverages before or during a meal, do so in moderation.

      8. After a main meal, go for a walk – after an unusually large meal, have a rest.

      bacteria cannot be flushed away. Knowing these facts, many of us still fail to consume adequate amounts of water. Why is this so? Here are two common reasons:

      • Tap water is safe to drink but tastes unappealing. If this sounds familiar, try adding a slice of fresh lemon to the glass before drinking. Simple charcoal filters remove both unpleasant tastes and most impurities. Chilled filtered tap water is a refreshing drink. Or, if finances allow, drink bottled water from a reputable source, or brand. (Some bottled water is little more than bottled tap water.)

      • Most public places have few, if any, safe places from which to drink. When was the last time you saw a drinking fountain you would allow your children to use? As these are in such short supply you will probably need to get your water from a café or restaurant when you are out and about. Ask for water, even if you must pay for it, and don’t be tempted to order a cup of coffee or fizzy drink instead. Milk or fresh fruit juice are healthy alternatives to water. If you resent paying for such a basic necessity, consider carrying a small bottle of water with you.

      Some people rarely drink water, but keep their СКАЧАТЬ