There was a time, many years ago in my life, when I couldn’t eat anything apart from regular meals like rice, dal, subji, meat etc. Even if I ate one spoon of chana, chhole, some chips, a bite of samosa, pakora, pizza… literally one bite, I would suffer from acidity, bloating, acute tummy pain and to top it, continuous burping.
My life was miserable. Homeopathy, allopathy, naturopathy, home remedies only helped to suppress the symptoms for a short period. Infact, no conventional medicine worked on me except an over the counter tablet called Diovol Mint that was available at that time. Once, in one night I’ve had five. My condition was that bad. I dread to even think about those times.
So how did I leave gastric behind?
There is something that has worked like magic for me, but it wasn’t an easy thing. It was a BIG lifestyle change that I made in January of 2014 after my younger daughter started eating solids and wasn’t totally dependant on my milk.
I quit having regular food for breakfast and switched to ONLY FRUITS.
No tea, no coffee, no biscuits, no bread, only and only fruits, dry fruits, fruit juices and coconut water.
If eaten the right way and at the right time, the benefits of having fruits are numerous. Here are some that I can think of at the moment but before that an important disclaimer:
‘Fruits should always be had on an empty stomach in their natural form, not mixed with, after or followed by anything.’
– They are fuel for our body, nutritious and loaded with everything that our body needs.
– They are predigested, which means our organs don’t have to waste a lot of energy working to digest them. (The reason why we feel sleepy after a heavy meal… our body exhausts all the reserve energy trying to digest it).
– They aid in removal of toxic waste.
From 4a.m. to noon our body is in the ‘Elimination Phase’ which means the body is working towards throwing away undigested matter. If, during this time we eat normal food, our body stops the excretion process and starts digestion. In other words, the stuff that is supposed to be removed from the body remains inside as toxic waste.
– Fruits regulate bowel movements… visiting the toilet for #2 will be less stressful… hahaha!
– They keep us vibrant if had regularly and don’t leave us with the ‘heavy’ feeling after consumption.
– Good gut = good skin😊
– And the most important for me… cured my chronic gastric problem!
From the time I started having ONLY fruits in the morning, miraculously, I haven’t had any medicine for gastric… not once!… and that’s eight long years.
Therefore, I am quite disciplined about this one habit although I do eat everything under the sun. Sometimes however, when I put my body under stress by having junk food regularly and more tea/coffee than usual, I feel slight discomfort, but that’s it, mild tummy pain and a few burps… doesn’t get worse than that… I get the signal and stop indulging.
Some FAQs:
1. Aren’t we supposed to eat breakfast like a king?
Yes, surely, if you are going to toil in the sun for hours like farmers.
2. How will one fruit fill my tummy till lunch time?
You can have as much and as many different fruits as you like at regular intervals or if you feel hunger pangs. Obviously, too much of everything is bad so you should know where to stop.
3. Which fruit should I have first?
Ideally, the juicier fruits first as they get digested faster. If you’re having bananas please wait for atleast half an hour before you have lunch as it takes longer than other fruits to be digested. However, if you begin your day with any form of physical activity, it is ok to have a banana or two or a handful of nuts… raw and unsalted.
4. I eat fruits with cereal, is that ok?
No, it is not ok to mix fruits with anything, they should always be had in their original form and raw. Refer to my disclaimer on top.
5. Can I have a mix of fruits and nuts?
No again. Refer to the above answer. Also, like fruits, if you want the maximum nutritional benefits of nuts, they should be had on their own, uncooked and unsalted. An evening snack would be ideal(a handful of cashews, almonds, walnuts or any other).
6. What if I feel bloated after eating fruits? I usually do.
Yes, if you have fruits after a heavy meal or mixed with other foods you will. If had on an empty stomach, rarely. Sometimes, for some people, having papayas as the first fruit may cause bloating. You can experiment and find out the right combinations.
7. I can’t start my day without my morning tea/coffee. Can I have a cuppa?
No. Tea/coffee with or without milk or sugar is still acidic, the whole purpose of this lifestyle change will be defeated.
Every habit takes time to develop, please be patient. If I and many others could, so can you.
8. I hate fruits but I like juices. Can I have juices instead?
Fruits are better than juices any day. But fresh fruit juices are better than other food anyday. Juices may cause a temporary sugar spike in the body. If you have to have, please have ‘FRESH’ fruit juices without adding salt, sugar, nuts or milk and drink it slowly giving time to your body to adjust to the sugar.
🍒🍒🍒🍒
When I first started, I felt discomfort in the form of tummy cramps. Some people may have a runny nose or headaches but that is only temporary. This is our body’s natural reaction. Like everything else it needs time to adapt to change too. The discomfort will go away in a few days or a week.
I have shared my experience with many of my friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, relatives and aquantainces but very few have adapted it and experienced the change… the rest are still suffering😉. Jokes apart, they have either not believed in this philosophy at all, tried and given up to old habits and their taste, believed in it but not tried at all.
I leave you with a question, would you try it?
P.S: I did not make this lifestyle change to cure my gastric problem(I had no idea it would), it was for my overall health and wellbeing. This is only one of the many benefits of it.
***Referances: Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond &
my first hand experience of eight years😀
🍒🍒🍒🍒
This blog post is a part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
Pensamientos 