1.
Chew your food well.
Digestive enzymes for carbohydrates are in the mouth.
Enzymes that break down fats and proteins are in the stomach.
2.
Don't drink while eating as anything more than ¼ cup of liquid will dilute the digestive enzymes in the stomach; drink only between meals (2 hours after a meal and up to ½ hour before a meal).
3.
Don't use antacids - you probably don't need to "calm down" an acid stomach.
In fact, you probably really need more digestive enzymes to help digest your food (they deplete as we age!).
Other factors: Did you drink with your meal (see #2)? Did you eat fruit with other foods (see #7)? 4.
Get some form of exercise daily.
Not only does the lymph get stimulated to move (carrying toxins out of the body), but you may have a better bowel movement because of exercising.
5.
Water intake is crucial - drink at least half your body weight in ounces of good water each day (more in summer and more when you exercise, of course).
Example: If you weigh 130 pounds, you need to drink 65 ounces (2 liters) of water per day.
Pass on tea, coffee, sodas, etc.
They are diuretics (which take water out of your system) and you need to drink even more water to make up for choosing them.
Pass on city tap water, too, to avoid the fluoride and chlorine.
6.
Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grains daily to get both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Many processed foods (and meats) are devoid of fiber, so choose fresh produce (and organic) as often as possible.
7.
Eat fruits separately from all other foods.
Fruits eaten with other foods slow down their transit time (digestion) to match the other food..
..
hence, the fruit has more time in the intestine to ferment which can cause gas or bloating.
8.
Choose some kind of "cleanse" to do at least 4 times a year (or as often as monthly).
This gives your body a break from digesting and allows it to move toxins out of the body.
You can obtain information about cleanses from books, articles, and product labels/inserts (e.
g.
, colon cleanse, liver/gallbladder cleanse, kidney cleanse, etc.
).
9.
Acid/Alkaline balance is important to life itself - the body is naturally alkaline (except for the stomach); your diet needs to be 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming foods.
Test your saliva pH first thing in the morning, and if you are testing acid, drink water with fresh lemon juice squeezed into it.
10.
Get an internal cleansing (colonic, colon irrigation, colon hydrotherapy) when you make changes to your diet, when you fast/detox (see #8), and at the change-of-season.
Edgar Cayce suggested that it would be good for EVERYONE.