Nutrition

There is a huge amount of both scientific and empirical evidence as to the benefits of a healthy diet. This is just a short introduction, for more details see our education department.

It has often been said, we are what we eat, we digest and then we absorb. Only then does the food become part of our body.

Food choices are very personal, each of us has different needs and preferences. At AYA we feel that no one should be judged by the choices they make, whether you eat meat, are a vegetarian or a vegan.

However, we feel that having ‘Awareness’ of nutrition, our food choices, the wellbeing of animals and the health of the planet, is fundamental to our future.

So, this short journey through nutrition starts in the mind. We need to think carefully that the food we are buying is as good as we can afford. Organic, sustainable, ethical, healthy, seasonal, we can aim for all of these. If you are happy with your food choices, then the first stage of the journey begins, the anticipation of your meal.

Thinking about the food you are about to eat, starts the digestive process, cooking it with all the delicious aroma carries on this process.

Then there is the actual eating, chewing well, and enjoying each mouthful of your chosen and carefully cooked food.

Your digestive juices are now activated, and the food is swallowed, it continues its journey into the stomach. Here Hydrochloric Acid (Hcl) is produced, for this to happen you need to have a sufficiency of certain minerals. Also, Hcl production gets into a rhythm, eating at a regular time each day can assist this. Now your food is further digested and enters the small intestine.

The next part of the journey depends on the partly digested food to now be acidic enough to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are excreted from the pancreas, and bile acids from the gall bladder. Most of the absorption of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and water happens in the small intestine. Onwards to the large intestine!

Here water and electrolytes are absorbed, plus some vitamins are made. Good gut bacteria are essential for the proper functioning of the small and large intestine, not to mention many other processes in the body. What we eat directly influences the gut flora.

A word on the liver, everything we eat also goes through the liver to be broken down, all the goodies are either stored or sent around the body to be used, the nasty toxins, if the liver is working well, will be broken down and excreted through the kidneys and bowel.

Some pointers

·     Try and make the right food choices for you and for the planet.

·     Drink plenty of water

·     Eat a mainly plant based diet, with the correct amount of protein, fats and all the micronutrients too.

·     Allow yourself treats!

·     Think also on what we use on our skin, in our gardens and around our homes. It all affects our digestive health.

·     Enjoy your food, and the fact that we are lucky enough to be able to choose what and when we eat. 

There is a huge amount of both scientific and empirical evidence as to the benefits of a healthy diet. This is just a short introduction, for more details see our education department.