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Don't fool yourself - crash dieting and "marathon" gym sessions simply don't work. Your body was never meant to be fat. And getting it back in shape is easier than you think... |
You Are What You Digest
By Yuri Elkaim
An underactive digestive system can promote weight gain and inhibit fat loss. When your body is unable to properly digest the food you eat, it is more likely to store it as fat. Food begins its digestive breakdown in the mouth and stomach and continues its path to absorption in the small and large intestine.
If you eat food and it subsequently just sits in your stomach for hours on end, you will feel bloated, fatigued, and definitely not light and energetic. When food is not digested and absorbed properly, your body interprets this is a signal that no more energy (i.e., food) is needed and the excess is therefore put into storage β fat storage.
Carbohydrates and fats, if unused (i.e., via exercise), are ultimately converted to fat. That's why it isn't advisable to eat a carbohydrate-rich meal late at night, especially if you're not going to be active thereafter. Excess protein on the other hand is not converted to fat but rather is excreted via the kidneys (urine). High-protein diets are well known to place "huge" stress on the kidneys for this reason.
When food is not properly digested, it doesn't get absorbed properly because the resulting food particles are too big to pass through the normal pores in intestinal walls. However, what ends up happening is that these larger particles may adhere to the intestinal wall causing inflammation and a widening of the intestinal "pores."
This leads to a condition known as βleaky gut syndrome,β which is characterized by an increasingly permeable intestinal tract where undigested food particles freely enter into the bloodstream (when they're not supposed to). These large undigested particles are then identified by the immune system as foreign and thus elicit an immune or allergic response. That is how food sensitivities and allergies come about. That's something your doctor won't tell you.
When the body becomes sensitive or allergic to particular foods, a nasty cascade of events begins that can lead to all sorts of problems, including skin disorders, asthma, more allergies, and weight gain.
Bowel Movements and Weight Loss
Undigested foods also stuff you up and reduce the ease and frequency of bowel movements. These foods may become impacted along the intestinal walls, which further makes food transit through the digestive system impaired. If the food you eat is not being eliminated from your body, then it must be going somewhere β it doesn't just disappear. If isn't being eliminated, it is being stored.
For optimal digestive (and bodily) health you should be passing 1-3 non-strenuous bowel movements each day. Most people I've dealt with are lucky if they pass just 1 per day.
If you aren't going regularly then you need to start. There are some very simple things that you can do improve your "transit time" and bowel movement quality and frequency. Bowel movements are one of the best indicators of digestive health. And a lack of bowel movements is a strong indicator that things are not working as they should.
Furthermore, a build-up of feces gives off toxins that circulate back into your bloodstream, placing further demands on your body's most important organ, the liver. The liver is the body's detoxifier and thus filters everything that enters the bloodstream from the digestive tract.
Because the liver is also one of the key fat metabolizing organs, if it is overworked or impaired (due to high filtering or other demands), its ability to burn fat will be hindered. Many people who have weight problems most often also suffer from a "toxic" liver.
In Eating for Energy you'll learn the exact steps that you need to take to ensure optimal digestive and bowel function. You will learn specific food combining principles to maximize digestion, learn about 2 easy ways to relieve constipation and improve your bowel movements right away, and discover several liver-friendly foods that will ensure your liver stays in fat-burning health.
