The GIT is a muscular tube that contracts in a controlled rhythm to move food through the different sections (peristalsis) colitis-colitis-diet Strength and timing variations in the contractions can cause cramping (very strong contractions) and diarrhea (contractions are very frequent) colitis-colitis-diet When the contractions are slow and irregular, constipation constipation may occur colitis-colitis-diet Motility disorder is the general term used to describe problems with peristalsis colitis-colitis-diet In all but a few cases, a food allergy is the primary cause of GIT problems colitis-colitis-diet Chronic diseases have their origin in food allergies colitis-colitis-diet The dysfunction, discomfort, and disease associated with GIT GIT are the result of local immune responses to food selections or combinations of foods colitis-colitis-diet Food selections are a result of personal tastes, social fads, ethnic culture, religion, and to a larger degree, local and/or seasonal availability colitis-colitis-diet The food selections made in modern affluent society are based on a a developed taste for a rich diet centered on meats and dairy products that are loaded with fats, high concentrations of proteins, and fat-soluble toxins colitis-colitis-diet Advertising and misinformation about healthy diets have overshadowed human nutritional needs in modern affluent diets colitis-colitis-diet Dietary Shifts and Digestive Disorders Human evolutionary history clearly clearly shows that we are primarily herbivores colitis-colitis-diet Human saliva contains alpha-amylase, an enzyme specifically designed to break down complex carbohydrates into sugar compounds colitis-colitis-diet Our teeth are designed to cut vegetable matter and to grind grains colitis-colitis-diet The so-called canine teeth of humans bear no resemblance to the canines of of even a domestic house cat colitis-colitis-diet The human digestive system is long and the food is processed slowly to extract all the nutrients from plant material colitis-colitis-diet Conversely, carnivores have short digestive tracts that digest flesh very quickly colitis-colitis-diet The digestive systems of carnivores are able to eliminate the large large amount of cholesterol consumed in their diets colitis-colitis-diet Carnivores do not have alpha-amylase present in their saliva colitis-colitis-diet The effect of the shift in our diets during the last hundred years has resulted in 44% of Americans and Canadians being afflicted with heartburn; peptic ulcer disease appears in 5% of of the population; and non-ulcer dyspepsia plagues between 20 and 40% of Americans colitis-colitis-diet Over-the-counter medications for these ailments are a multibillion-dollar industry colitis-colitis-diet Nearly every hour on television, there is at least one commercial selling an antacid or similar product colitis-colitis-diet If You Suffer from Ulcers The medical community has has discovered that Helicobacter pylori (H colitis-colitis-diet pylori) bacteria cause most stomach ulcers colitis-colitis-diet Blood tests can reveal the presence of the H colitis-colitis-diet pylori antibody colitis-colitis-diet Special antibiotic combinations can be used to eliminate H colitis-colitis-diet pylori bacteria from the stomach within a matter of weeks colitis-colitis-diet Those who fail | 