Bulging Bellies Bulge Bigger with Age...

You have heard the old adage, "you are what you eat?" Well, consider this, you are not what you eat, you are what you digest.

Remember the days when our parents had us all sit down for each meal? Remember, your mom and dad saying, "Chew your food." "Eat slowly." "Don't talk with your mouth full." Up until this point they were so right! Until they said "Unless you finish what's on your plate, you are not getting up from the table."

With the dawn of both parents working, kids frenetic school and after school activity, demanding jobs and new houses being built with open areas connected to the kitchen, the tradition of sitting down and eating has left us.

As our lives have become more hectic, our digestion has suffered along with it.

Consider this - "food is meant to be enjoyed and eaten slowly, so not to overwhelm digestion by eating too much of it.“ It's not necessary to eat or over eat just because it's "dinner time."

Children are being taught terrible habits with regard to eating and digestion. They are eating on the run and being told to over eat instead of listening to their bodies telling them they are full. Children take this habit with them into adulthood and develop terrible relationships with food.

If you suffer from a bulging belly, it's basically undigested food. If you experience gas and bloating as a regular occurrence, you are most likely eating too much and too often.

With the dawn of "5 meals a day," we began eating more often, because the latest article on health and nutrition told us this is healthy. However, if you are not hungry, DON"T eat. Because, if you eat and you are not hungry, you are only adding more food on top of what has not been digested. This creates a harder job for your digestive tract and basically, it slows down and doesn't digest fully. Hence the gas and bloating - signs of distress from the body.

Your body wants to be healthy and it's very clear in it's communication. When your hungry, you will feel hungry. When you are eating a meal and you feel full, Stop. Feeling full means you have gone to far.

Do you want better digestion?

I have listed below, some basic guidelines:

eat three times per day
eat only when you are hungry
sit down at a table to eat or eat in a calm comfortable place
no technology at the table
eat the right quantity
be present when you eat, chew your food until it becomes mushy and almost water like consistency (digestion starts in the mouth, if you eat too fast, you miss this important part of the digestive process
eat at a regular time
enjoy your food (if you don't like what you are eating, or if you are stressed while eating, it effects how the body receives it.)