Coffee, fruit and the digestive process
Belly Best Friends: Coffee & Fruit
Top tier greetings fellow Huemans,
Hoping your flow is smooth this day and every day after you ingest this powerful information that will literally change your life. Something that we overlook more often than we should care to admit is our digestive system. Sure, we may think about it when we have an upset stomach or loose stools, but on the everyday, how often do you give thought to the sequence of what you ingest throughout the day? How many times per week do you give precedent to what your stomach needs over what your taste buds desire? Today I hope to make this decision process a bit more intuitive for you with some keys to create the best environment for total nutrient absorption and smooth movement.
Two approaches to a proper passing of food from top to bottom have delivered consistently for me: Coffee and fruit. Whether I am just waking up and looking to stride into my daily intermittent fast or preparing to begin my feeding window, it is imperative that I begin with an orderly approach. Our stomach, aka the gut, is a diverse arena of living organisms. They need certain things for their ultimate manifestation—enzymes, live ones at that. Enzymes are what break down our macronutrients to their most usable states: Carbs to glucose, protein to amino acids, lipids to fatty acids. Only then can we store them or utilize them for energy or construction of the body.
My love for this mahogany bean flows deep. In addition to its pick me up properties, I am rewarded with benefits of fat metabolization due to the caffeine flame and I am rewarded with its glorious antioxidant profile that helps rid my body of harmful oxidative stress. The polyphenols in coffee are powerful plant derivatives that assist in keeping the liver and colon free of cancerous activity. Coffee increases colon activity immensely which will assist in moving waste out of the body prior to the introduction of a new meal. When our colon is not properly emptied day in and day out, we accumulate a lot of waste within our body and this is what can lead to colorectal cancer. Even decaf coffee (for those who oddly love the taste but not the heart race) has a profound effect on our gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It is very important that we understand the link between our health and our digestion process. Don’t just look at labels and see numbers or macros. It is much deeper than that…like deep, deep within you young padawan. Check out the role of the enteric nervous system on your Googler. Here are a couple links to a very wise woman and someone I look to continue learning from for the reminder of life, Jaspreet Kaur. The link between gut health, skin condition and overall well-being: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY9pJVbt9a4; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Iop2IbRNA)
There are certain fruits that have specific enzymes that certainly make them special. For example, pineapple (bromelain) and Papaya (papain) contain proteases which help to tenderize meat and break down proteins into amino acids. Both are often used as commercial meat tenderizers for this very reason. So, to consume either or both 45 minutes before a meal would allow you to enjoy that plate of grass fed/grass finished steak tonight and not wear it for the rest of the week. This can be game changing whether we are watching our waist line or our cognitive performance. Foods left in our lower intestine begin to ferment, thereby wreaking havoc on such goals.
Mangos are really important when looking to have a higher carb meal in the evening. Because we salivate amylase which is what begins the digestions process of carbohydrates and mangos have this same enzyme within them, we can boost our potential to utilize the higher intake of glucose that is also present in mango. Enzymatic reactions are key to our digestive health because without them whole foods would pass through our systems and nutrient extraction would not be able to occur. Said another way, if I go to a vending machine with a one-dollar bill, but it only accepts coins, I have what a need yet can’t use it effectively to achieve the goal I want.
In terms of other commons fruits, surprisingly, avocados are rich in fiber and healthy fats. Both components are key to digestion movement and lubrication. They also provide electrolytes like potassium which are necessary for muscle contraction. Potassium is going to enhance peristalsis which is our involuntary muscular contraction along the GI tract. This is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (auto-independent of our input). The healthy fats will also increase the fluidity and strength of the myelin sheath surrounding our nerve conducting ions and axons along the vertebral column in the central nervous system and brain computer. Apples contain pectin which is a friendly fiber known to help improve digestion because of its solubility and ability to bind to cholesterol or toxins in the body and promote their excretion. A medium apple has about 4.4 grams of fiber, which is close to 20% of the amount you need for the entire day. Another powerful form of fiber is the raspberry. One cup of raspberries contains eight grams of fiber. The fruit is speaking for itself. Are you listening? We can’t forget grapefruit when we are mentioning fiber. They have a high-quality alkaline source of fiber that will help us feel fuller, longer as well. With the consumption of multiple servings of grapefruits, we activate some powerful enzymatic interactions within the liver that correspond with glutathione and lipid peroxidation. Indeed, this could only be helped along by the moisturization of fluids like water and healthy hydration. Good thing that grapefruit is a powerful hydrating fruit!
This is just a handful of the fruits and their enzymatic property relations to your gut. And, coffee is just one beverage that can enhance your flow, there are plenty of others. My only goal here today is to help you see the beautiful connection between the fruits of the lands you walk on and the lively environment within your Uni-Verse. As always stay peaceful and remain vigilant. Love your skin and what’s within.
The Healthy Hueman LLC 