Some of the symptoms that you are describing are very consistent with the “syndrome” that surrounds insulin resistance. The fact that all of these things are happening in someone your age is quite serious and should be discussed with a physician that is well-educated in natural medicine such as a naturopathic physician. Bloating and belching can be related to poor liver function and to poor fat digestion in particular if the flow of bile is impaired. There are also a number of other possibilities that may include low stomach acid, lack of digestive enzymes, imbalance in the intestinal bacteria, and poor food combinations.
As I stated, it is very important to visit with a natural practitioner in order to have a thorough evaluation. However, there are several things that you can look into in order to assist digestion. These include the following:
• Cleanse- A colon cleanse, liver/gallbladder flush, and parasite cleanse can help to remove toxins from the digestive tract and the entire body. The liver/gallbladder flush may need to be repeated a few times for maximum benefit. A very good protocol can be found at
http://www.ghchealth.com/liver-and-gall ... flush.html. This may help to improve the flow of bile from your liver and gallbladder. You can also try some Chinese digestive bitters at mealtime in order to increase bile flow.
• Betaine HCl- This is an beet-derived acid that can help to increase the acidity of the stomach. Many people experience indigestion and “heartburn” because they are low in stomach acid. Read the directions on the label; typically, you can start with 1-2 capsules with a meal and increase until you experience a warm sensation. This will let you know your particular dose for that size meal.
• Digestive enzymes- Enzymes are created by the body and also present in live foods and help to break down the various types of foods that we eat. Many people produce insufficient amounts and do not consume foods that are rich in enzymes. As a result, food is often not digested completely and can cause gas, bloating, and contribute to allergies and other disorders. Zymitol, Digesticol, and other enzyme preparations can be taken with food in order to help supplement the body’s production.
• Probiotics- this describes a number of beneficial bacteria that should reside in your gut. They can be depleted by many medications, stress, heavy metal toxicity, and others. Latero-flora is an excellent product to help replace some of the transient organisms and encourage the growth of some more permanent colonies. Other lactobacilli and bifidobacteria may be useful in addition to the Latero-flora.
• Food combining- Drinking water or beverages with meals dilutes the digestive juices, which slows down
the digestion process. Try to drink water between meals. Or less than 8 ounces with
meals. Do not drink anything else with food but water (see water section). Eating raw
fruits and vegetables is always an excellent choice as it provides the natural enzymes
necessary for digestion. When selecting lettuce please use red or dark green leafy
types. The most recognized iceberg type of lettuce is a hybrid and contains almost zero
nutritional value.
You should eat 5 times daily to help regulate your metabolism. This might sound hard
but with this plan, it only takes less than 1 minute to peel a banana, or eat a handful of
seeds or nuts.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT FOODS
Fruits pass through the digestive system very rapidly. They usually leave the stomach
within 30 minutes and enter the small intestine, where they continue to digest. But if you
eat them with other foods (such as a protein or a starch) they take 3-5 hours to digest,
the fruit is held up and starts to ferment. This means poor assimilation of nutrients but,
more importantly, it sets up a perfect environment for yeast overgrowth, as they feed off
the sugar produced from the fermentation.
ACID / ALKALINE FOODS
When animal proteins (meats) and starches are metabolized (burned in the body) the
normal end products are “acidic.” Your body should be slightly alkaline. Some of these
acid ashes are: Uric acid // Sulfuric acid // Phosphoric acid. Fresh fruits and raw
vegetables neutralize these acids. All fresh fruits and vegetables contain salts of
alkalizing nature. These are: Calcium // Magnesium // Sodium // Potassium. The body
uses these natural organic alkalizers to make all acid residues harmless. These live
foods also help to eliminate acids in a natural and effective manner. A balanced food
plan contains 20 percent acid-forming foods and 80 percent alkalizing foods.
MIXING PROTEINS & STARCHES
The gastric juices contain three enzymes, which act upon proteins, fats, and milk. They
are pepsin, lipase, and rennin respectively. Protein digestion requires an acid
environment initiated by the secretion of pepsin into the stomach. Pepsin splits the
protein molecule forming hydrochloric acid. As the stomach gains in acidity, while
digesting protein, starch digestion comes to an end. We may say that those conditions,
which are optimum for protein digestion, exclude starch digestion and worse than that,
the introduction of the starch almost neutralizes the acid, deactivating both enzymes,
creating the climate for putrefaction. ** Beets, potatoes, white rice, cauliflower, and
other starches make poor combinations with proteins. DO NOT MIX PROTEINS WITH
STARCHES IN THE SAME MEAL. This is the biggest mistake people can make. A
starch would be potatoes, white rice, bread, etc.
MIXING FATS & PROTEINS
Fat can significantly reduce the activity of gastric juices by as much as 50%. Fat
depresses the gastric secretion of pepsin in addition to insulating food particles with a
protective fatty shield. Green vegetables, especially raw, will counteract the effect of fat.
Eat greens (raw vegetables) with a fat-protein meal. ALWAYS EAT RAW
VEGETABLES WITH FAT/PROTEIN MEAL
MIXING ACIDS AND STARCHES
The digestion of starches begins in the mouth with an enzyme called “Ptyalin.” Saliva,
high in ptyalin, is secreted by the salivary glands and reduces starch to maltose, which
is reduced in the intestine to dextrose. Ptyalin will not activate in a mildly acidic or
strong alkaline environment. The old adage, “chew your food 100 times” is not only for
mastication, but to mix ptyalin with starchy foods. Proper digestion begins in the mouth
by proper chewing! The acid in regular vinegar, grapefruits, lemons, or other sour fruits
will completely stop the action of ptyalin, resulting in a poorly digested meal that will
likely putrefy, decreasing the nutritional value and nutritional quality of the digested
foods. DO NOT MIX ACIDS WITH STARCHES IN THE SAME MEAL
MIXING ACIDS AND PROTEINS.
Pepsin (a protein digesting enzyme) will act favorably in an acid environment; therefore,
one might suppose that the addition of more acids, such as citrus fruits, might improve
the digestive process. This is not so! The addition of citrus or other acids stops the
secretion of the gastric juices necessary for the digestion of the proteins. Either the
pepsin will not be secreted in the presence of an acid, or the acidic environment will
destroy the pepsin. Any acid eaten on a salad (vinegar or lemon), eaten with a protein
meal stops the production of hydrochloric acid by pepsin interfering with protein
digestion. There is an exception to this rule; acids may be combined with nuts and
seeds because the high fat content of these foods will postpone gastric secretion until
the acids have been assimilated into the body. Use nuts or seeds with dinner salad to
neutralize salad dressing.
MIXING ACIDS WITH PROTEINS OR SUGARS AND PROTEINS
If two distinctly different high proteins (animal proteins) are eaten together, the amount
of digestive secretions for each may serve to stop the action of the other. The body
modifies the digestive process to the requirements of each food. Suppose milk was
eaten with meat, this would initiate a highly acidic reaction, which would upset the
proportion of pepsin and lipase acting on the meat. Both proteins would be
incompletely digested. Non-starchy vegetables make the best combinations with
proteins.
There are likely a number of other nutrients that a naturopath will recommend to help bring some of the other issues under control. However, you may find that dietary changes and cleansing also have a significant impact in this area.
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