The Hindu Business Line : Digest this

Pay attention to small niggling symptoms — a headache coming on due to wrong foods — and immediately drink warm water, limbu sherbet or jeera water.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Opt for alkaline foods to settle an acidic digestive system. Picture by Ramesh Sharma

Why are we repeatedly assailed by the same ailments that come and go? Each time, Mira's calves hurt and keep her awake all night; Ketan's lower back twinges, making his face look drawn; and Madhu suffers from excruciatingly painful bouts of gas. The fact is when we are troubled, our mental stressful vibrations reach and hit the weakest spots in our body. These spots are malnourished cells weakened by poor digestion and low absorption of nutrients. Most people react with a confident: `Oh, I have no digestion problems.'

Are you sure? You can have ordinary symptoms that you accept as the normal way to be. Several belches immediately after eating or drinking, a bloated stomach, acidity, a sudden fullness after eating a small helping, gas, constipation, diarrhoea, lack of appetite, excess craving for sweets, and waking up with a sour taste in the mouth. In due course, other symptoms — such as brittle fingernails, hair fall, patches on the face, skin rash, acne, persistent aches, palpitations, sluggishness, cramps (including menstrual cramps), drying and peeling skin, inability to lose weight, low moods, a sinking feeling in the stomach, and acute anger or anxiety — arise.

As the malnourishment continues, the symptoms become more serious: high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, asthma, gall bladder problems, osteoporosis, arthritis, hepatitis and cancer. It begins with the digestive system being unable to break down the protein into absorbable substances.

Say, you've eaten rajma. The moment it slides down, the stomach secretes hydrochloric acid, which awakens sleeping molecules and converts them into active enzymes called pepsin. Then, hydrochloric acid and pepsin together digest the rajma. However, if sufficient acid isn't secreted, the pepsin slumbers, and the rajma festers in the stomach leading to discomfort, disorder, and disease. So we must pay close attention to improving our digestion.

The ten boosters

Lemon-aid: Half an hour before lunch and dinner, drink a glass of warm water blended with lemon juice. The citric acid in the lemon powers the stomach's hydrochloric acid and stimulates the enzyme pepsin.

New brew: Immediately bring down your coffee and tea intake to a maximum of two cups per day. Caffeine blocks nutrients from reaching your cells and also provokes acidity. Instead, have a cup of jeera tea. Soak jeera in water for four hours and drink the decoction with a bit of honey or salt. It banishes gas and acidity.

Whole is wholesome: Eliminate refined sugar, white bread and maida rotis from your menu. They contain zilch nutrients and just take up precious space in the body by creating excess mucous. Opt for jaggery and whole wheat bread and rotis.

Banana break: Assuage untimely hunger pangs with a banana. It will simultaneously nourish, provide energy, prevent cravings, stabilise moods and promote tranquillity in the brain.

No grease, please: Chuck out fats from your food. Fats are indigestible and put a huge strain on the digestive system as also the heart. Oil, butter, ghee, cheese, biscuits and fries bring digestion almost to a standstill.

Swift action: Pay attention to small niggling symptoms — a headache coming on due to wrong foods, for example — and immediately drink warm water, limbu sherbet or jeera water.

Rhythmic exercise: Exercise, walk or cycle. Its rhythmic motions harmonise the digestive system and make your metabolism more efficient. Abdominal crunches strengthen stomach muscles that then crush the food to more absorbable textures.

Detoxify liver: Add turmeric to at least one dish per meal. It ups the stomach's bile levels and helps clean up the liver. As you know, the liver helps digest fat, store iron, and absorb vital vitamins. Another liver detoxifier is the beetroot — it also helps women during the premenstrual syndrome or menopause. Have it in your salad or as a raita.

Goodbye acidity: Be determined not to entertain acidity at any price. If you suspect your stomach is not at its best, it's well worth your health to turn down a dinner invitation. When the digestive system is continuously acidic, it leeches calcium (an alkaline mineral) from the bones to try and balance itself. This causes a low current of constant ache in the legs. Having calcium supplements does not help much as the acids use them up before they reach the bones. It's wiser to avoid any food that gives you acidity. Opt for alkaline foods — beans, potatoes, peas, strawberries and banana. Drink water — it flushes out the acids.

The idea of these 10 tips is to bring about a healing inner balance. This, in turn, strengthens the liver, immunity system and your resistance to disease. As Swami Vivekananda once declared, "The body must be kept strong and healthy. It is the best instrument we have." Alongside, we'd do ourselves a great favour by detaching our mind from `foodiness'. A simple attitude of "I can do without" with a degree of self-restraint opens healing frontiers.

(The writer is co-author of the book `Fitness for Life'.)

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