As we get older our digestion begins to slow down, especially as we have taken it for granted for so many years. We have constantly been eating foods that have taken their toll over the years.

For the body to perform this enormous task each day it needs plenty of fluids and a huge amount of nutrients to produce enough enzymes and digestive juices.

Unfortunately, the foods that most people have chosen to eat over the years have been hard to digest, supply few nutrients the very nutrients needed for their own breakdown leave alone enough nutrients for all the other systems in the body.

The Perfect Scenario

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Choose to eat foods that are nutritious, making sure a large proportion

of them contain ‘live’ enzymes (fresh fruit and vegetables, live yogurt etc)

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Easy to digest, provide plenty of nutrients for their own digestion with plenty left over for other functions

elsewhere in the body, ‘live’ food bring with them plenty of enzymes, sparing the body’s reserves for other

important processes like regeneration of deteriorating joints

In reality was has actually happened over the years

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Consumed a diet typically full of refined foods and processed foods

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Provide next to no nutrients or enzymes – use up a lot of energy not in the

sense of calories, more like vital reserves. In the digestion process of these foods

the body has had to steal nutrients from other systems, digestion struggles

and deficiencies are created – hence aging and deterioration are further encouraged.

For instance a shortage of zinc – affects every aspect of digestion, also affecting your taste and smell, as we age it is noticeable how people add more salt to compensate for the decline in taste.

A zinc deficiency affects the quality of hydrochloric acid levels, the correct levels

·break down calcium sufficiently to enable us to absorb and utilize calcium properly, vital as a we age

·kills bacteria before they enter the body and cause problems

·ensures proper protein breakdown

Enough zinc is also needed for healing and repair, for the immune system, to fight infections, involved in anti-inflammation, it’s an anti-oxidant. It’s a very busy mineral.

Our zinc supplies are primarily stored in our muscles, also found stored in red and white blood cells, the retina of the eye, bones, skin, kidneys, liver, and the pancreas. It is also found in the prostate gland.

Zinc also has some antioxidant properties, which means that it helps protect cells in the body from the potential damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals occur naturally in the body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet light, radiation, cigarette smoking, and air pollution) can also increase the number of these damaging particles. Free radicals are believed to contribute to the aging and degeneration processes.

The typical daily intake of zinc is approximately 10 mg, this much lower than the woefully low recommended dietary allowance (RDA). RDA is the lowest setting it’s not for optimum health.

Osteoporosis
Zinc is essential for maintaining proper bone health throughout life. Zinc has been shown to stimulate bone formation and inhibit bone loss, as well ensure the correct breakdown of calcium so it can be used by the body. Depending on your digestive the body will absorb anything from 20% to 40% of the available zinc in foods.

Zinc is more readily absorbed from animal sources like red meat, fish, seafood (is particularly good), cheese, and poultry, than from plant sources as phytates particularly in wheat hinders absorption of zinc. Beans and seeds like pumpkin, sesame and sunflower contain good sources of zinc.

Zinc is also an extremely good antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory actions. Making it invaluable for arthritis suffers. It has been noted that higher levels reduce the generation of inflammatory cytokines, especially as we age. It would seem low levels of zinc allow greater levels of inflammatory cytokines to flourish.

Supplements

Digestive enzymes will improve digestion and absorption.

Mineral - Zinc 25mg

Vitamins – B complex

Food - Apple cider vinegar (no other vinegar will do). Take a dessertspoon in a little water 30 minutes before each meal.

It is so very important to chew your food properly. Never over fill your stomach. When you have eaten a meal wait 10 minutes before you have anything else to eat. The reason being it takes that long before your body tells you whether you have eaten enough food or not.

Spice – Crack fresh pepper on your food. Ginger encourages the production of digestive enzymes.

Herb – Anything that has a bitter taste before a meal will do wonders for digestion. The bitter taste stimulates all the digestive juices. That is why aperitifs often contain bitter herbs.

Remember – Zinc is only one vital nutrient the body needs in adequate amounts there is a huge array of others it needs to function properly.