New Diet Guidelines

Here is a link to the new pyramid recommendation for our aging population, specifically those over 70 yrs old.


Notice that there are more foods that contain live digestive enzymes, those being the fruits and vegetables and with good reason. These foods are the antioxidants that contribute to health and contain the nutrients that feed the cells and fuel the body. More importantly these foods are live and enzyme rich. As we age the body's digestive enzymes are depleted and these live foods contain their own enzymes helping to aid in digestion. This is why eating a salad with a meal will often help in the digestive process due to the live enzyme rich greens. "Live" foods, will become the next big push toward healthy eating.

However I feel we need to go one step further as the body is older and the organs of digestion are not working as efficiently as in our youth. Because of this,these foods will have a harder time digesting even when following this new recommendation. Consider the liver is only working to 1/4 of the capacity it once was. In fact some of these organs are diseased themselves, making their job very difficult. The digestive system is responsible for our health and reliant on what we place in it so it can preform as best it can. So beyond following this new pyramid, what can one do to help this entire system preform all its necessary functions for cellular health?

Combine foods that will digest easily.

There are many books about digestion and "foods that fight" each other and I highly recommend reading some of them. Eating like this is not the American way of life because our meals are complex, filled with too many different foods.

Eating foods that are having an easy time digesting allows the digestive organs to easily derive the nutrients from the foods and then get on with the task of repairing THEMSELVES so they can better take care of us. Think of how one feels after a Thanksgiving meal. Those organs are having a terrible time digesting that meal and we feel it as fatigue, bloat and indigestion. And we see it as cellulite and weight gain!

Try it sometime and follow a few of the rules of digestion. I have an 80/20 rule. 80%of the time I do what is right for my health. The other 20% of the time, I break a few rules for it is not what we do 20% that harms us but what we do 80% of the time likely will. One more thing. That 20% time that I break the rules for easy diestion I will take a couple capsules of digestive enzymes.

Eating healthy will not matter if a system sends out putrified, toxic poison into the body due to faulty digestion! Maybe we will hear about this next...they have it half right!

Norma Jean, N.D.