Slow down and eat well for wellbeing

Our health and general wellbeing can depend heavily on a regulated pH balance within our bodies. If your digestive tract is not pH balanced you cannot effectively absorb the vital energy-boosting vitamins and nutrients from your diet. However by making simple dietary changes, you can restore your body’s natural balance through getting acid and alkaline levels sorted - which will make your digestive system far more efficient. Getting your balance back will soon lead to a stronger immune system, bags of energy and a happier, healthier you.

The rushed, modern day diet and convenience food lifestyle is loaded with acid forming foodstuffs such as sugar, saturated fats, white bread and pasta, which we are all likely to turn to a during a quick lunch break or rushed dinner. However, eating foods like these constantly and neglecting our consumption of fresh vegetables and foods containing Omega 3, can easily leave the digestive system unbalanced. Lower immunity levels leave us more susceptible to fatigue and various winter health problems such coughs, colds and in more serious cases ‘flu.

There are also the associated repercussions of having an out-of-kilter digestive pH including acid reflux, heartburn and trapped wind which can each cause misery for millions of people - especially over the holiday season when healthy balanced diets tend to go out of the window!

Naturopath Max Tomlinson says: “High acidity levels in the body are much more common these days because our diet is full of acid forming foods such as dairy, processed foods, white flour and artificial sweetners. We don’t consume enough alkaline producing foods such as fresh green vegetables – particularly during the winter months when we crave comfort food. To maintain good all-round health and energy, our diets should lean more towards alkaline forming foods, and one of the best things we can do to rebalance an overly acidic body is to ‘clean up’ the diet and lifestyle with simple steps”.

Here, Juliette Kellow offers some practical tips for eating well and gaining the maximum benefits from the foods we eat:

1. Get Chewing

Chew each mouthful a minimum of 10 times to help break down your food and trigger further digestive enzymes in your stomach which allow your meal to be digested properly

2. Take a break while you eat

To help you stop rushing make it a habit to put down the utensils every time you take a bite and don't pick them up again until you've chewed and swallowed

3. Plan Ahead

When planning out your day set aside at least half an hour to eat each meal and use this time to focus on enjoying your food

4. Sit at a table to eat

Sitting upright at a dinner table gives your food a clear path to be digested efficiently, helping to prevent painful stomach complaints

5. Avoid drinks containing caffeine

Try herbal teas instead, such as fennel, camomile or peppermint for their soothing and healing properties