We have two parts to our autonomic nervous system. There is the parasympathetic which is rest and digest and there is the sympathetic which can be described as fight, flight or freeze. When we eat we always want to be in the parasympathetic system. We want our bodies to be resting and calm so that the digestive process has all the energy it needs to digest. After the work of making a meal for the family we may not be in a calm state. Taking a few minutes to breathe deeply or express gratitude and really feel it, will calm our bodies down and get our body into the rest and digest system before we consume.
Let’s talk next about water. Every step of the digestive process needs water, the saliva needs water, our gastric juices need water to create the enzymes we need for digestion, our stomachs need water to produce the mucus for the lining, our intestines definitely need water their process flora and of course if you have ever been constipated you know your bowels need water.
We need about half of our body weight in ounces of water daily. So if you are 150 pounds you need 75 ounces of water.
And also it is good to drink the water between meals to keep your stomach acid strong. Ideally a half an hour before a meal and then up to two hours after a meal you would avoid drinking. So this goes back to the rule that everyone tells you, when you first get up in the morning drink a big glass of water. How else are you going to get those 75 ounces in? But if you start with a nice 8 ounce glass of water right away and then maybe get another one or two in before your first meal you could ideally be a third of the way there.
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