First we must understand how the body digests what we eat. If we eat the hard to digest foods first, then it will slow down the digestion process and make you feel fuller a lot faster. This is good if you’re trying to eat less, bad if you are just getting started on your favorite meal of the year. Eating the easy to digest foods first will leave room for the harder to digest foods later.

Start by cleaning out your colon with soluble fiber. Soluble fibers combine with water to form a gel the slides through your intestines, getting them cleared out for the big meal. Drink plenty of water to keep things moving throughout the day.

Fruits, vegetables and sugars should be the first things that you eat off of your plate because they digest very quickly, in as little as 30 minutes. Some may interpret this as an excuse to eat dessert first, which would probably work if the dessert doesn’t have a lot of fat in it! Remember to drink a room temperature or hot beverage with your meal instead of a cold drink that can make things move much slower. Room temperature water, coffee or hot cider should do the trick.

The next thing to eat would be your bread and stuffing. Mix in cranberry sauce if you can to make things keep moving quickly. Chew all of your food for a long time before you swallow so that you don’t make things harder on your digestive system. Grains and starches can take two or three hours to digest, so make sure that you thoroughly chew before you move on and take as much time as possible to eat your meal.

Proteins and fats are bigger molecules that take a lot longer than three hours to digest. Eat these last and conservatively to keep from getting so full that you feel bad.

One reason you feel bad and tired after a big meal is that excess food stresses the body and it becomes like a toxin in your system. The liver and immune system take the biggest hits after overeating. Try to control your portions so that you don’t consume more than 3-4 cups of food during any three hour period.

If your body is depleted of vitamins and minerals, it will function at a slower pace. Vitamin C removes excess toxins before you eat so that your body is more prepared to handle a big meal. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, or ubiquinone) activates your body’s enzymes and makes digestion much more efficient. Your body makes less and less ubiquinone as you age, so many people are unaware that they are deficient. CoQ10, along with vitamin C, boosts your immunity and removes toxins. Vitamin C and CoQ10 are likely to greatly reduce your chances of feeling bad after dinner.

Following these steps will keep your digestion running smoothly and quickly throughout the Thanksgiving feast. If you experience any severe symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. Sometimes an underlying gastric condition can be aggravated by over-indulgence in food and alcohol. Also, talk to your doctor before you buy vitamins to make sure that the normal dosages are right for you.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C Powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamins or buy supplements of the highest quality.

If you have been looking into supplementing with coenzyme Q10, you may have run into the types “ubiquinol” and “ubiquinone”. Both types are very important nutrients to the human body. Understanding the differences in the two can help you be sure that you are maximizing the benefits you receive from supplementing with CoQ10.

CoQ10 is needed to help the organs with the highest energy requirements repair and protect themselves. As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, ubiquinol levels are greatly reduced in cancer and heart disease patients. Levels are also low in patients with neurological and liver conditions. It is believed that low levels of CoQ10 put the body at higher risk for these conditions and supplementing can help you protect yourself.

Ubiquinone is the most widely recognized form of CoQ10. It is a powerful antioxidant produced naturally in the body. It plays a key role in cellular energy production. The body converts ubiquinone into ubiquinol. This conversion is necessary for cellular use. The body combines fats and carbohydrates with oxygen inside the cells to produce energy. Ubiquinol, being fat-soluble, passes freely into and out of the cell. It cleans out free radicals and quickly transports the signal to produce energy from the cellular mitochondria.

So, the body needs ubiquinone to convert into the usable form, ubiquinol. The human body begins to lose ubiquinone in its early twenties. Conversion of ubiquinone into ubiquinol becomes inhibited with age and sharply diminishes after age 40. Without enough ubiquinone and/or ubiquinol, the body becomes susceptible to age related fatigue and does not have the cellular energy to defend against oxidative stress. It also loses its ability to create collagen and elastin without enough CoQ10. These are substances necessary for cellular repair.

Ubiquinone has been available for about thirty years. It is the most recognizable form of CoQ10 because ubiquinol has only been available in supplement form since 2006. Both are equally important, but ubiquinol oxidizes rapidly outside of the body. Therefore, it took many years of research before it was available in supplement form.

Ask your doctor if CoQ10 supplementation is right for you. In general, ubiquinone supplementation may be necessary after age 20, while ubiquinol may not be necessary until after age 40 when the ability to convert ubiquinone diminishes.

Staying healthy and combating oxidative stress is not always possible without the use of vitamins and supplements. Remember from Part 1 of this series, that CoQ10 is most efficient when combined with vitamin C. Vitamin C promotes the production of CoQ10 in the body. Unfortunately for us, human beings do not produce vitamin C and it is necessary for us to get it from food sources and supplementation. Vitamin C powder is the easiest way to get enough vitamin C to be beneficial.

With the right combination of vitamin C, ubiquinol and ubiquinone, you can possibly prevent and repair damage to organs, ward off disease and increase your energy. Be proactive about your health and remember to talk to your doctor about supplementation before you begin any new regimen.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health. For more information about C-Salts, otherwise known as the best Vitamin C, or about other Vitamin C powder products, visit http://www.nutri.com where you can buy Vitamins and Supplements of the highest quality.