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3 New Year Resolutions For Your Digestive System

Christmas has come and gone – just like a flash. We have eaten too much, had too much to drink and now wish we could be better people. Is this the reason New Year resolutions were invented?

The rich food on Christmas Day, the repeated helpings of left-over turkey and the celebratory drinks for the New Year have given us indigestion – good for sales of heartburn remedies, but not for our digestive systems.

So what New Year resolutions can you have to improve your digestion?

Resolution No. 1 – Put less on your plate

It is great that we have the health to enjoy our food. All the hours spent watching celebrity chefs on television have made us more discerning about food and, in theory, we know how to prepare a wide range of complex meals.

However, no matter how delicious your meal is, a great start to improving your digestion this year is to put less on your plate. A good way to achieve this is simply to use a smaller plate when you eat!

Isn’t it ridiculous that in the developed world, we waste money buying too much food, eating more than we need, putting on weight, then spend more money in gym memberships trying to get the fat off. People in the poorer parts of Africa should be laughing their heads off.

Resolution No. 2 – Eat Slowly

In a way, this is a variation of the slow food movement. Mealtimes are for conversation, to be social – not rushed with food tucked away in the 90 seconds of advertisements during Coronation Street.

The brain takes a bit of time registering the fact that food has entered the body and is filling the stomach. Take your time eating, and chew each mouthful 20 times or more. This will ensure that the nerve signals telling your brain that the stomach is ‘full up’ comes before the end of the meal, not after you have emptied your plate down your gullet.

Too often, highly processed foods can be stuffed unceremoniously into our mouths and as they do not need to be chewed, we can swallow each mouthful very efficiently. Chewing food carefully also makes sure that the digestive process starts properly in your stomach – reducing the chance for symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn and bloating, to develop.

Resolution No. 3 – Eat bitter vegetables

Sadly, these are not readily found in our modern supermarket chains. In days gone by, bitter tasting vegetables were commonly found on dinner tables.

In the West, probably the most bitter-tasting food found readily is rocket. Other bitter leaves such as nasturtium flowers, dandelion leaves or artichoke can be used in salads, but are not so easy to procure. You can of course, pick dandelion leaves from your garden during the summer.

Bitter foods are important for the digestive process. Bitter sensations on the tongue trigger a nerve reflex, starting the secretion of gastric juices before food hits the stomach. In some countries, bitter tasting aperitifs are still popular. They contain medicinal herbs, known as ‘stomach bitters’ such as centaurium, which can start off the digestive process in the same way.

These are known, quite distinctly as ‘digestifs’ – sounds like we need more of these bitter herbs in our modern lives.

Alison lectures & trains on health issues, and is often to be found quoted in health magazines.

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New Year’s Weight Loss Plan: Colon Cleansing and Detoxing

New Year’s Weight Loss Plan: Colon Cleansing and Detoxing

Perhaps one of the most consistent things in New year’s resolutions is “lose weight”. Indeed, thanks to holiday indulgences, everyone is packing some paunch on their bellies or arms. How does one resist all the goodies and feasts during this season? Diets get thrown out of the window and exercise plans are put on hold in favor of parties. With all these going on in one’s life, it’s just about right to think of a New Year’s weight loss plan this early.

The reason why you seem to gain weight faster during the holidays is, obviously, because of the amount of food and alcohol you drink. While an increased intake of fatty, sweet, or salty food may be he main culprit, what you don’t realize is that a sudden increase means that your system cannot cope with digesting all this food. By indulging on buffet after buffet, your digestive system gets overworked and tends to slip up in some of its duties. For this reason, you get a indigestion, an acidic stomach, and even diarrhea.

Toxin removal is one of the immediate measures you could do after a particularly food-focused week. Thanks to fatty dishes, alcohol, and secondhand smoke, your system is probably swimming in toxins after just one party. If you feel really tired, bloated, and your skin has started to look sallow, this might be a sign that you’ve indulged too much. Letting toxins swim around your body is not such a good idea: the longer they stay there, the more weak or sick you’d feel. With this, it would be in your best interest that you go on a colon cleansing or detoxing diet right after all the parties, festivities, and visits to relatives have been check on the list.

Start off with taking more fruit and vegetables. Instead of your holiday snack of a ham and cheese sandwich, opt for apples or oranges. Changing the things you drink are also good ways to start on a cleansing and detoxing regimen. Drink at least 8 glasses of water and have it during your meals instead of soda or artificial fruit juice. From here, you could shift to a detox diet plan or go online to compare colon cleansing products to kick your New Year’s detox and cleanse plan into full gear.

The aim of having New year’s resolutions is to make yourself a better person. With a good detox and cleanse diet, you not only aim for weight loss, you are also creating a new healthier you.