I recently wrote about supporting digestion with bitter foods. I didn't mention that coffee was bitter because I didn't want to promote drinking coffee with meals. Since I last wrote about bitter foods supporting digestion, I have enjoyed a simple bowl of arugula with ACV and olive oil while I make my lunch or dinner to get my digestion flowing. How about you? Let's take a moment to think about drinking coffee with meals. It reduces iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium absorption. Coffee is also a diuretic, meaning your coffee consumption can decrease water-soluble vitamins, so take note. Coffee can also be an irritant to the mucous lining of the bladder.
This week let's shift our attention to the urinary tract. We can start with the effects of coffee and soda on the urinary tract and go from there. Here's what the Food Enzyme Institute has to offer us:
Urinary Bladder
Before we start, I would interject seltzer here when you read soda. It is slightly acidic but can also cause gas and bloat, so I'd like to bring it to mind. Excessive ingestion of acidity (soda) or alkalinity (coffee) irritates the mucous lining of the bladder and could cause burning during urination. Many complain of frequent "bladder infections." In addition, retention of alkaline urine allows bacterial growth and further exacerbates the symptoms.
The situation also indicates a lack of acidity due to protein deficiency (often found in females), resulting in calcium deficiency. Such a condition relaxes the internal sphincter and excites the musculature of the urinary bladder. When chronic, this tends to express urine from the bladder and results in incontinence.
The signs and symptoms are often found with kidney stone formation and are frequently found in chronic stone formers. Increased water intake, a change in urinary pH, and nourishment to the mucous lining of the urinary tract can do wonders in many of these cases. If you suffer from these symptoms, start with water and decreasing the irritants, and then feel free to reach out if you need more guidance.
Let's end with something sweet. This week we started our pranayama attention on the Heart being the gateway to healing which means Love is the stuff that heals. We always take a moment to connect with the sweetness of our practice when we begin and bring the sacredness down to earth or up from the earth and into our hearts to ignite the flame from within each individual heart and beyond to the collective. This is the real stuff life is about and what we are all made of and here to realize. Please don't underestimate what you do in the name of Love and Wellness. Each ounce of prevention and healing from a past-down ill-suited tradition you transmute benefits you, which is part of us and many generations. When we pay it forward, we pay it back, sideways, inside-out, and outside-in. And when we do, life gets amazing and is continuously filled with Love.
Think of today as the beginning of New Beginnings. New Moon is Sunday.