For your belly

PEPPERMINT TEA Mentha piperata, or peppermint, has been widely used for thousands of years for its digestive properties, including its beneficial action on the liver, stomach and intestines. It is helpful in treating colic, diarrhea, indigestion and vomiting because of its antispasmodic action. We recommend you drink one cup after a meal, as a digestive infusion; please do not confuse this with fresh mint tea, which will not give the same benefits. The absolute best peppermint tea, in our opinion, is from Marie de Mazet, organic and gathered by hand in the Cevennes countryside in France; luckily for us, her website is also in English. Bear in mind that the shipping is costly, but in our opinion it is well worth it.

MASSAGE As a highly experienced Shiatsu therapist, Emile has his own opinion on massaging the belly: “If I get a client who has stomach or intestinal problems, I will not touch their belly directly. Depending on the problem, on whether it is stagnant or over-reactive, I will work on the relevant meridians (stomach, spleen, large intestine meridians…) which run along the arms, legs, and back…” As he underlines, therapeutic massage for belly troubles doesn’t always mean the area has to be massaged directly. However, for certain issues such as constipation, gas and stagnation, a gentle abdominal massage in clockwise direction can work wonders, especially if you use one of the recommended essential oils such as marjoram, peppermint or chamomile. You can do this yourself, making sure you are gentle and you use the palms and base of your hands and not the fingers, while breathing deeply in the area. Avoid putting too much pressure, especially under the sternum (located in the center top part of your abdomen). Make big clockwise circles along the outside of your abdomen for around 5 minutes, or until you feel that your belly is slowly relaxing. If your belly starts making noises, that’s a great sign!

SMALL PORTIONS When the digestive system is not working properly (this includes the stomach, the small and large intestine, liver, gall bladder and pancreas), overloading it with a lot of food and drinks is only going to make things worse. In fact, this rule is not only applicable to people with digestive problems, but to everyone (excluding some athletes who need to increase their caloric intake). The French have done it for years. While they eat everything, including steak and frites, the quantities consumed are moderate…and we all know about the health and small waists of the French!

In addition, when we eat smaller quantities we feel less tired, as the body doesn’t have to use a lot of energy trying to digest a large feast. So, if you’d like to spark up your metabolism, don’t let your eyes be bigger than your tummy–give your body a break and give yourself a smaller serving!