One of the most important things you can do for yourself to maintain or improve your state of health is to eat properly. Here are some general guidelines:
Raw Fruits and Vegetables
Most people typically eat far too many proteins (meat, dairy, seafood) and carbohydrates (breads, pastas, rice, cooked corn, cooked potatoes), and not nearly enough fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits and vegetables have high amounts of water, fiber, vitamins, and minerals -- all in a form that is easy for the body to assimilate.
Whenever possible, eat fruits and vegetables raw. The cooking process breaks down the vitamins and minerals in raw vegetables. The more a food is cooked, the fewer nutrients are available to your body. I try to make sure that about 50 percent of my total food intake on a daily basis is uncooked.
Meat and Seafood
If you eat meat and seafood, eat fresh, lean meats with skin and fat removed before cooking. This can help control cholesterol problems and liver problems brought on by too much fat in your diet.
Strictly limit the amount of processed meats and seafood you eat. The chemicals used in processing hot dogs or smoked sausages, for example, have no nutritional value for your body. By eating such foods, you force your body to deal with chemicals that preserve foods. Is that really something you want in your system?
Canned meats and seafood, and canned vegetables and fruits are also foods you should try to avoid. The canning process involves cooking at a very high temperature, and usually at high pressure, which destroys most, if not all, of the nutritional value of these foods. The same foods prepared fresh are so much better for you, and you'll find that they taste better.
Food Combinations
Do not eat fruits after any other food. If fruit is eaten on an empty stomach, it is usually processed and passed through the stomach in about 20 minutes. This process for most other foods takes between one and two hours. If you eat fruit after you've eaten other food, the fruit can ferment in your stomach while waiting for the other foods to be digested. This can result in gas, bloating, belching, and other uncomfortable side effects. The best way to eat fruit is to eat it at least 20 minutes before any other food or two hours after any other food.
Avoid combining protein foods with carbohydrates. It takes an acid to break down a protein, and an alkali to break down a carbohydrate. If you put an acid and an alkali together in the same container, they neutralize each other. When you put a protein and a carbohydrate into your stomach at the same time, your body secretes both an acid and an alkali. Because the acid and alkali neutralize each other, the food will not break down properly and will sit in the stomach longer than necessary. When the food is finally pushed into the small intestine, the body cannot use the nutrients completely as it should.
The correct way to eat protein foods and carbohydrate foods is to eat each of them with salads or with raw or lightly steamed vegetables. Combining foods in this manner will allow your digestive processes to work at peak efficiency; at the same time, it may help prevent or eliminate many common digestive problems.
The Correct Amount of Water
That's water -- not "fluids." Plain water is a vital part of any plan to keep your body healthy or restore it to its best health. Our bodies are mostly water, and to keep them functioning properly, we must drink plain water. But how much water is enough?
The old recommendation of six to eight glasses a day is not always the best answer. This recommendation doesn't take into account differences in body size. Here is a formula to help you sort out the confusion:
Divide your current body weight by three. The answer is the number of ounces of plain water you need to drink each day to help your body stay properly hydrated (e.g., a 120-pound person needs 40 ounces of water, or five 8-oz. glasses each day).
I recommend measuring out the correct amount of water at the start of each day and carrying that container of water with you. Sip the water throughout the day; do not wait until you are thirsty. By sipping the water throughout the day, your body will absorb it slowly and evenly.
It is important that the water not be flavored, as any flavoring agent (such as lemon juice) will be treated as a food, requiring digestion by the body. Plain water is simply absorbed. If you don't like the taste of your water, buy bottled water or get a good filtering system.
The first thing that will happen when you start drinking the correct amount of water is that you will go to the bathroom a lot because you are flushing your body clean, allowing it to get rid of toxins and waste products that may have accumulated over the years. Generally, your body will adapt to the increase in water content quickly, and within two or three days, trips to the bathroom will happen on a new, regular schedule. You might notice that the consistency of your stool will change, and if you have constipation, it may seem to lessen.
If you are female, you may see a small vaginal discharge for several days; your body is cleaning itself and will use any available avenue to do so. This is usually nothing to be concerned about and will stop within a few days. If the discharge continues or changes color, take appropriate cautionary measures.
By eating a properly balanced diet -- including raw foods, combining foods properly, and drinking the proper amount of water for your body size -- you can help your body maintain its best possible health.
Copyright 1999 Chris Holderman
