As we age, there may be some deterioration of the cardiac sphincter, the valve that prevents a reverse flow of food from the stomach up the esophagus.  To best keep everything working properly, an appropriate diet of various primary, secondary, and tertiary foods is recommended.

            PRIMARY FOODS TO CONSUME:

• Whole grains & beans-very therapeutic

• Miso soup and brown rice-helpful for all diseases and aids in digestive metabolism

SECONDARY FOODS TO CONSUME:

• Fresh vegetables (ex. fresh salad)-helps healing-cooling (Yin) /counters animal based foods-warming (Yang)

TERTIARY FOODS TO CONSUME:

• Normal amounts of fruit.  Light and easy to digest and help in detoxifying your body of unwanted disease.

        The role of vitamins, proteins, and fats in the diet is very important as it pertains to proper digestion.  You always want an internal balance of nutrients and that is obtained from a healthy diet of sorts.  A sufficient amount of protein is necessary to regulate blood glucose levels, produce enzymes, aid in immune system defense, support in skeletal structure, repair damaged parts, regulate hormones, and maintain metabolism.  The key is to add mainly vegetable proteins such as miso, tofu, and tempeh to your diet for better absorption and digestion and limit the animal proteins.  When carbohydrate intake is lessened and protein is increased, appetite is satisfied, and sugar cravings are reduced.  This ultimately stabilizes one’s blood sugar levels.

       Fats are an important part of one’s diet.  The right kind of fats such as “unsaturated” fats should be consumed such as flax oil, olive oil, sesame oil, ghee, etc. should be consumed as opposed to animal fats (lard).  In moderation, these fats increase HDL levels and lower LDL levels.  They help in burning stored fat in adipose tissue and ameliorate the absorption of vitamins A,D,E, & K.

Kitchen spices used when cooking food function as a stimulant to help digestion and act as a carminative to help prevent and relieve gas buildup.  Effective spices to be used for these purposes include sweet basil, bay leaves, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and rosemary to name a few.

In addition to spices, there are some herbs that are useful to aid and support the digestive system:

BEFORE A MEAL:

• Gentian, dandelion root - helps stimulate appetite and digestive secretions (HCl) and activity

• Chamomile, lemon balm, hops – helps relieve anxiety

Method of application:

            -Bitter decoctions ensure that the root, wood, bark, or nuts are broken down so that the active ingredients enter the water in solution.  Much of this boiling will enhance the body’s ability to assimilate the vitamins that are already in the foods/herbs.  Therefore, if our diet is balanced, we do not need to supplement with any added vitamins.

AFTER A MEAL:

• Fennel
• Mint
• Dill
• Chamomile
• Aniseed
• Lemon balm

Method of application:

             -These herbs are all aromatic.  Infusions would be best by making tea using the leaves or petals of plants.