You could be the type of person who would like to savor all the flavors of all the cuisines in the world or someone who maintains a strict diet and a healthy lifestyle. In either case, you can never take away the fact that you would want your food to be tasty and delectable.
Food could be a guilty pleasure or a source of healthy nutrients – it does not matter. What matters is how you look after your body with regards to the food you eat.
Even if you are eating healthily, the process of digestion can present ills for the rest of your body. The large intestine is acidic by nature, and oils and some types of enzymes can interact to cause ulcers.
During periods of intense physical exertion and exercise, your digestive system remains largely inactive while food and drink within rot and ferment, causing intestinal and stomach cramps.
Regular water intake is crucial in maintaining a healthy digestive system, without which it would be impossible to digest food properly. When you are properly hydrated, your stomach has an easier time breaking down food as water helps in softening digested matter and absorbing nutrients.
The inner lining of the large intestine which absorbs nutrients can be clogged with waste matter which may end up in the bloodstream, yet there is no way to clean this from outside the body.
If you are chronically dehydrated your body will start to experience acid reflux, constipation and other digestive disorders. Poor digestion can lead to a variety of other problems as the body is unable to draw nutrients from the food you eat.
Even if you maintain a strictly healthy diet, your body would still be starved for nutrients and this will show in how you walk, move about and exercise.
In order for the digestive system to break down solid food, a sufficient amount of water is required. Softer portions of the digestive matter is dissolved and liquefied to extract their basic elements, which are absorbed into the circulatory system and sent to the liver for processing.
The harder parts are sent to the excretory system to be disposed of with the next bowel movement, yet some of this matter manages to stay in the digestive tract. When coupled with fibrous fruits and vegetables, water can help to sweep away this digested matter and leftover toxins from the digestive system into the excretory system, creating more space for the next meal and saving yourself the pains of gastrointestinal cramps and ulcers.
If you are suffering from acid reflux and digestive pains, you will often be told to consume more water yet this may lead to disappointing results as you still suffer from constipation. If this is the case, the problem lies not with the quantity but the quality of water that you consume.
To be optimally hydrated and free of digestive problems, it is advisable to drink natural spring water. It contains electrolytes that can energize and hydrate your body’s cells.
If you live in the tropics, it won’t be so hard to find coconut water which is also full of electrolytes and beneficial enzymes, but it should never be taken on an empty stomach.
To keep your immune system healthy while cleansing your digestive and excretory system, you might want to add lemon or lime to your water for a citrus fizz.
Once your digestive system is swept clean and hydrated, you will be able to absorb nutrients far more efficiently and make the most out of a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Health begins from the inside, not from the outside.
While all the talk of muscles, biceps and triceps are fine and dandy, you should pay attention to how protein and necessary nutrients might not find their way to your muscles and skin if the food you eat is not even digested properly.
You can sweat the toxins out during your workouts, you can watch your bowel movement for signs of sickness and you can take your Vitamin C daily, but you won’t hear about taking care of your digestive system as much.
