NATURAL Therapist, Liesl Dale Headley has said that self-induced sicknesses could significantly be reduced simply by learning how to combine foods properly. Headley has found that although Guyana has no shortage of vegetables, some people place emphasis on daily consumption of carbohydrates and animal protein alone — as in rice and meats, or the famous chicken curry and roti — thereby promoting their own illnesses.

“The stomach was made to produce certain acids, so if you eat roti, there are certain acids that will come up to digest it; and if you eat chicken with it, other acids will come up to digest the meat. When those two acids meet, they neutralize each other, and when this happens, they don’t work properly; and that’s how we get gas,” the therapist explained.

During a recent interview at the Guyana Chronicle, Headley spoke about the benefits the use of vegetables can bring, in underscoring the need to combine foods properly.

“Most of the illnesses we have begin in the colon. In fact, death begins in the colon; so, if we get the knowledge of how to combine our foods, we could avoid self-induced sicknesses,” she said.

Headley said she has observed that the Guyanese society does not hesitate to mix animal protein with carbohydrates. “So what I suggest is that (they) use a lot of vegetables. Vegetables serve as a mat. It helps those acids to stay what they are, and to do their work.

“Guyanese like to use a lot of pepper pot and rice, but with no greens with it…. So, if every day you use a salad with whatever you are eating, or you use steam greens or stir-fried greens, you would find that you would not have a lot of problems with digestion,” she advised.

Fruits

People often practise mixing fruits, but, according to Headley, doing so is a risky business, as there are categories of fruits. “There are sweet fruits, like bananas, prunes, raisins; then we have sub-acidic fruits, like guavas and pomegranates. Then there are acidic fruits, like oranges and pineapples. When you use sweet fruits with acidic fruits, again, the same problem occurs with digestion, and you end up with a lot of gas. Whereas, if you mix the sub-acidic fruits with sweet fruits, or you mix sub-acidic fruits with acidic fruits, you don’t get that problem, because sub-acidic fruits work to keep the acids,” she said.

Digestion

Poor food combination habits result in a lack of digestion and proper nourishment, she said. “We are malnourished because the food does not go where it is supposed to, or we end up putting toxins in our bodies. So we end up sick and tired because we are not getting the proper nourishment, and are now moving around with a set of toxins because the food was not digested,” she said.

Headley said another thing that persons do a lot is drink while they eat. This only serves to break up the digestive system, she observed.

She has all of this information on ‘The Guide to Eating Right’, and can provide assistance to persons who wish to change their diets. “We would clean your colon and help you adjust your diet,” she promised.

At the end of each colon hydrotherapy treatment, Headley gives her clients a copy of ‘The Guide to Proper Food Combinations’ as a gift.

She has been exposed to natural medicine since 1996, but became certified in 2008. She can be reached at Lot 1 Station Street, Kitty, or by telephone numbers 231-5500 and 622-6064.