Magdalene Martinez explains how she achieves optimal digestion
Hello there!
This is Magdalene Martinez, the tall Dominican woman with the golden tipped locs. Unless you know me you probably didn't know I am Dominicana. I have been known to shock people, especially Black and Latinos when they hear me speak Spanish.
“I thought you were Black and White!” they say.
People tell me they rarely met a Dominican woman with locs who claims their Africaness. The evidence is in the food. As a child, I grew up eating starch, meat and some greens.
But as I got older and visited my friend’s families for the holidays I began to indulge in New York style soul food. Collard greens with ham hock and fried chicken.Yum! Wherever I went, I got my decent dose of meat. In 2007, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. There, I began to experiment with plant-based diets.
I learned that I do not need to have a serving of meat for my meal to be complete. I learned that I do not need to have eggs and bacon every morning. I learned that I can still enjoy the cultural foods I love by substituting a few ingredients and having the courage to try something new. Imagine cooking vegan soul food! Vegan collard greens are delicious! I forgot all about fried chicken in the moment I indulged in the fried tofu. I met vegan Dominican people who still enjoyed arroz con guandules and sweet plantain.
In 2008, I became ill with candida and digestive issues. It was an Ayurvedic practitioner who recommended I completely eliminate meat and other foods from my diet for a few months. Ayurveda is an ancient India science that encompasses nutrition, spirituality, relationships and more . I am happy to stay that I healed myself of candida and other digestive issues.
However, about 3 years ago I relocated to New York City. I was exposed to Dominican dishes I had not consumed for years. I ate fried cheese, fried salami, chicken, pork, lasagna and the works. I ate pizza any chance I could get. I had really missed these foods. I missed them because their was an emotional connection to the memories I had of these foods. A feeling of nostalgia. But it was no surprise when I started to feel sick again. Some the same digestive issues returned.
Again, I began eliminating dairy and meats from my diet. I eliminated animal milk products (except ghee). I do not eat pork, beef or lamb. I occasionally eat seafood and chicken if it’s in soup. Along with daily meditation, affirmations and applying a few Ayurvedic principles, I am feeling healthy and strong again.
I am a child of the ocean and I love seafood. I love bacalao, lobster, oysters, fish, octopus, you name it. But I recognize that sometimes our bodies need a break. Plant-based foods are generally easier to digest plus they have the nutrients and vitamins our bodies need to fuel and reset.
I am happy to embark with you on this journey. I know that if I can release some of the foods I grew up eating you can too. Shifting our diets is an emotional process as well. I encourage you to keep a journal and write about your cravings and temptations. Let the feelings that arise teach you something about yourself. Give your body what it is craving for emotionally by caring for it. Teach it that it does not need fried chicken in order to feel loved. Teach your body with love and care that the only true power is God. God is in me and is in you. Our relationship with food runs deep and there is so much that can be learned in shifting, listening and loving.
Here are some tips that have helped me:
- Begin your day with a cup of warm lemon water to activate the digestive fires.
- Take a probiotic: Ilike liquid probiotics by MaryRuth. It helps with digestion and minimizing gas. For some of us increasing the fiber leads to passing wind.
- Eat probiotic food 2, 3 times per day: I love sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles.
- Drink kombucha 2, 3 times per week.
- Eat food with iodine to support thyroid health like seaweed or kelp.
- Eat fruits by themselves as snacks to prevent fermentation.
- Avoid vegan yogurts with high sugar content: If you are taking a probiotic then you do not really need yogurt. But if you love yogurt get the unsweetened without the added fruits.
- Self talk: Tell yourself that vegetables and grains are more than enough. It took me sometime to get use to not having meat at every meal. I felt like something was missing. Be kind to yourself. Soothe your mind.
- Study food proper Ayurvedic food combinations: Some foods combined together do not digest well in the body.
- Spice up your food. Spices do more than just flavor dishes, they have mild medicinal effects. Fennel, cumin, coriander, ginger, ajwain, and hing (aka asafoetida) will help to counteract your food’s gas forming tendencies. Using these spices is very easy. Heat one teaspoon of ghee or coconut oil in a small frying pan. Then throw in 1/2 teaspoon each of a few of these spices, some grated ginger, and a pinch of hing if you have it. Stir and fry for 30 seconds, then pour on top of your beans, rice or cooked vegetables.
11. Your body will adjust to the increase in fiber, but if you feeling gassy or bloated, practice this wind-releasing pose.
Pawanmuktasana, or wind-releasing pose, helps to push out trapped air. To practice, lie on your back. Hug your right knee into your chest. Inhale deeply, then exhale and reach your knee toward your nose. Hold this position for a few seconds, then inhale and release.
The order is very important here — do the exercise 3 times on the right side first and then 3 times on the left. This follows the natural movement of the colon so that you’re literally pushing gas out. Lastly, hug both knees into the chest and hold for a few seconds. Repeat three times.
I hope this help you as much as they’ve helped me!
Namaste =)
Magdalene Martinez is a social worker and a children’s yoga teacher in Brooklyn. She hopes to combine her background in social work, yoga and her spiritual knowledge of the Orishas to help heal people in her community.
