by Patrick Plaskett

Created on: December 28, 2006   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

Indigestion need not be medicated into submission, but instead avoided altogether. In our society, treating bodily symptoms has become the preferred way to deal with any physical problem, rather than avoiding the problem itself. The discomfort of indigestion is the body's way of letting you know you're doing something wrong, and that's usually treating the body contrary to its design.

The body is very intelligent. It knows how to take organic life forms found on the earth and convert this material into your own flesh and blood. While the body does this, every different type of material you eat is treated differently, since the process of digestion is different for fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and so on. Unfortunately, the folks in modern society treat the stomach like a dumb bucket filled with acid, into which we can throw anything into that will fit, and in whatever manner we choose. We don't think the discomfort of indigestion is the result of our actions, but instead a defect of our bodies. The defect lies not in our bodies, but in our attitudes about eating and sometimes in the food itself.
The body is the perfect food processor for our food. The body starts to prepare itself for digestion at the sight or smell of food by salivating. While food is being carefully chewed, the body is sensing exactly what kind of digestive enzymes are needed for that particular material. The proper level of acidity is also being created in the stomach, since every digestive enzyme requires a different pH. When the food is finally swallowed, an environment has already been created in the stomach perfectly tailored to what was being chewed. When enough food has been eaten, the intestines release another enzyme that triggers a feeling of satisfaction, so you know when you've had enough.
That's the natural way to eat. Few people know how unnatural our circumstances of living have become, including our eating habits. We no longer think of food as coming from the earth we inhabit, but instead from a drive-up window, a cellophane bag, or a microwavable container. Our food supply has become manufactured, with little regard to how this affects the digestive process. We eat until we are full, never experiencing the feeling of satiation that is possible before being filled to the gills.
Refined food usually has the fiber milled out of it, and it requires very little chewing. Therefore, refined food can be eaten much more quickly. Unfortunately, this speed is quicker than the speed

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