tummy problems

Question
Dear Evelyn,
  I am a 59 year old female...40 kg ...5foot 1 inchs tall for some years now I have had a problem with a slow metabolism meaning I only use my bowel about every 3 days or so ...I have a redundant? bowel..... I eat well yet I only put weight on my tummy area....I wonder if you can suggest some natural foods that can gat me back to a normal bowel and tummy...I have also reflux and diverticulitis also copd .. mild.. so I have to watch that I dont overeat...any suggestions would be appreciated...I also have scoliosos of the spine and osteoporosis...please help

Answer
Dear Marj,

Sorry, I took a while in deliberating my reply to you. I took some time to research the underlying cause of your complaints which from an Anthroposophical point of view seem all quite related.
However, you list quite a varied number of complaints which obviously require expert medical advice, and I hesitate to go into details which are from a rather specific corner. You will be in a better position than I am to know whether it really is a case of slow metabolism - I am not familiar with the condition of a redundant bowel - and if so what the underlying cause is of that (thyroid? kidneys?)
It is not uncommon for weight to settle around the tummy area only (especially after the menopause), but as long as it has nothing to do with diabetes, considering your low weight, I would focus rather on the fact that you are not assimilating your food very well or managing to digest very healthily.
There are only a few thoughts I can really offer you, since your case is too complex for me to suggest a diet plan based on your short summary.
It might be very useful for you to realise that the essence of food is its "life force": this quality is what the digestive forces release and what truly builds up your body (not just calories and nutrients). If you enliven your attitude towards food, increase your respect (even more if you already do like to cook and shop for fresh produce), and above all enjoy the colours, flavours and overall sensory experience of eating, you might be able to "relax" the energies in your abdomen/metabolic centre. Your chain of conditions sound typical of a person with too much going on in her head and possibly a little introverted or shy, maybe nervous by disposition or due to worries, sorrow and other unprocessed (undigested) emotions and/or experiences. If this has been a long-term situation or is characteristic of your person, it will take a long-term combination of therapies to set you right again, along side a fun and wholesome diet plan (maybe yoga or meditation, or painting therapy, aroma massage, - our outdoor hobbies which transplaces your energy from your upper region to your lower.)
You may not be able to cure your conditions but you can improve your digestive faculties.
Some general guidelines for people with your types of symptoms: build up a healthy intestinal flora with curds and yoghurt. If you are really stressed out don't over-tax your digestive system and keep it light and warm: ripe fruits (separately, not with milk products to avoid fermentation!). They "enliven" your metabolic system. Use honey instead of sugar. The sulfur in onions and garlic can uncramp the bowel very effectively. Bitter products (chicory coffee, hops as in beer, green tea) help stimulate digestive secretions and prepares the digestive tract for its job. Germinated sprouts, eggs, and young vegetables are foodstuffs which  don't require much from your system to be processed. But make sure all your products are full of LIFE, so buy fresh, and if you can bio(dynamic).
Really dedicate a substantial portion every day to preparing and enjoying meals. Give yourself something to sink your teeth into. But keep the portions small and inviting or your mind cramp will be projected onto your stomach instead of it slowly being relieved by a gentle trickling away down the esophagus, as it were. Food must become your distraction not your ordeal.
Remember to keep your fibre levels up, but be gentle about them at the same time (in view of reflux problems). Wholemeal products at all time and a light salad with lots of leaf and fruit type veg daily. Go easy on meat (especially red) and try lentils or grilled fish. Choose grains over potatoes (rice, millet, barley, quinoa, couscous). Oatmeal is also a great builder-uppper.
Make sure your mealtimes are cheerful, celebratory occasions and you eat in peace and gratitude, this is the beginning of a good digestive process. Chew well (taste carefully) and keep conversation light, preferably to a minimum (put on a Mozart string quartet or something!)
Realise the beautiful blessings that our Earth has to give you and really see the parallel between a more mental embrace and the physical absorption of them.
May you soon find ways to grow strong again with the light that lies within the life force of food, once you know how to better handle its outer structure.
It is through our relation with food that we learn about ourselves and our world: with this notion in mind, I hope that your many uncomfortable complaints will resolve themselves, yet, in a positive outcome.
Take care and good luck,
Love,Evelyn

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