Diet : For Maximum Health, Pay Attention to Two Things

I read something yesterday that I thought you might appreciate. It's a way of thinking
about health -- a two-pronged approach to staying healthy that comes from naturopathy, a
healing system postulating that disease occurs when one of the body's basic functions
breaks down.

Two of the body's most basic functions are digestion and elimination -- eating and, well,
you know.

The basic idea is this: If you give your body what it really needs and help it eliminate
toxins, you will be and stay healthy. You will increase your vitality, reduce your chances
of getting sick, and rid yourself of any physical problems you currently have.
It's hard to disagree with this in theory. After all, what could affect a natural organism
more than what that organism takes into itself for fuel? And who wouldn't want to rid his
body of poisons?

How good are you at following this simple, two-part program?
What about your input? Do you consume good stuff or are you filling yourself full of
toxic crap? From what I've read, I believe that sugar is the single greatest "input" problem
modern eaters have. Refined sugar is omnipresent. It's in cakes, cookies, and candies, of
course, but it's also in fruits, fruit juices, canned goods (including, sometimes, vegetables
and meats), packaged goods, medicines, etc.

Starches -- and particularly refined carbohydrates -- are also poison. Yet government and
medical health professionals recommend we eat this junk four or five times a day.
Chemicals and chemically infused animal products are also ubiquitous and harmful. Yet
they are hardly talked about in the health media.

I asked Dr. Al Sears (the chairman of the advisory board for Early to Rise’s sister
publication, Total Health Breakthroughs) for some tips for better digestion and
elimination. Here's what he said:

1. Chew your food well before swallowing. Chewing is the first step in digestion. When
you gulp your food, you unnecessarily reduce the efficiency of digestion.

2. Minimize your intake of refined, processed foods. These man-made concoctions are
alien to your digestive system. The human body is remarkably adaptable and will often
find a way to derive energy. But, over time, the adaptation itself can have untoward
consequences. Many processed foods also have preservatives. The problem is that the
same substances that retard spoiling retard digestion as well.

3. For elimination, the most important thing you can do is exercise regularly. Exercise is
nature's most powerful cathartic.

4. Try an occasional fast. A one- to three-day juice or water-only fast can give your
digestive system a break and help eliminate toxins.

5. Herbs can help. For aiding digestion, my favorite is cascara sagrada. It is made from
the bark of a tree that grows in the Northwest. One ounce of fluid extract in a glass of
pineapple juice after dinner is an excellent treatment for chronic constipation, dyspepsia,
and indigestion. For aiding elimination, my choice is a weedlike herb called milk thistle.
One 300-mg capsule taken three times a day for a week can detoxify and rejuvenate the
liver.

6. Practice "contemplative eating." Try to break the habit of eating while watching
television or reading. Think about eating while you eat. Not only will you better enjoy
one of life's greatest pleasures, but focusing your attention also aids in initiating the
process of digestion.