Wrong Foods Combination

By Diane M. Hoffmann, ph.d./th, c.n.c.

One of the most important systems in our body is the digestive tract. That is where all our food intake is physiologically changed into nourishing and healing fuels and substances that make the zillions of cells work together for good in our fearfully and wonderfully made body. Health, nutrition and easy diet begin with avoiding wrong foods combination.

Wrong food combinations from too much varieties taken at the same time will cause too many different enzymes for effective processing in our digestive system. And if these are from bad foods -- as most of our food intake is --  i.e., junk foods, sugars and processed foods, it will actually NOT  provide enough enzymes for proper digestion. Enzymes are the essential protein molecules that break down the foods into the necessary chemicals for the proper healthy operation of the body system.

Poison to the bloodstream

Wrong foods combination will inhibit digestion and create various degrees of digestive distress from fermentation and putrefaction, to food allergies, foul gas and stools, loose, impacted and pebbly stools and if persistent, even blood in the stools. 

Experts tell us that undigested substances  such as monosaccharides created in the digestive track become poison to the bloodstream.  Alcohol, acetic acid, ptomaines (carbs), leucomaines, hydrogen sulphides become putrefied proteins and poison.  Decomposed foods are created by rancid fats; carbon dioxide, acetic acid, alcohol and fermented carbohydrates (starches and sugars). If this isn’t enough to scare us into changing our bad food habits, nothing will.

Eventually, these dangerous elements cause complicated common place problems such as painful hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, colitis, etc.

To avoid these, there are simple foods combination rules that should be followed:

First, we should eat at separate meals the following items:

acids & starches;
proteins & carbohydrates;
proteins & acids (to avoid putrefaction);
fats & proteins (fats stop gastric juices from performing);
sugars and proteins (sugars digest only in intestines and ferment in the stomach);
starches & sugars (they invite fermentation). 

I bet you’re eating these together in one meal all the time! Well, truly most of us do.

Some examples of acid and alkaline foods are:

Acid: meats, dairy products, fish, grains, wheat, nuts (except almonds and brazil nuts), cheeses, lentils, peanuts... these are high protein foods.

Alkaline: beans and bean sprouts, turnips, carrots, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, watercress, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, millet; apricots, figs, prunes, raisins, dates, grapefruit, peaches, apples, grapes, bananas... in other words vegetables and fruits.

Experts recommend an alkaline-acid food ratio of about four to one, or eighty percent alkaline foods and twenty percent acid foods for a healthy body.

Eat one at a time: concentrated protein.  In other words don’t mix beef and fish, or pork and chicken, (you know the popular "surf and turf"), etc. Have one or the other at a meal.

Eat alone, at least 1/2 hour after a meal: melons (digests only in the intestine); milk; desserts. Desserts have no food value except if they are specifically made of wholesome and nutrients ingredients - like the one on my "Foods to Delight" list of the "21-day Health and Weight Recovery Challenge".

Factors that create bacterial decomposition

Factors to watch for which will create bacterial decomposition of foods during the digestive processes are: overeating (beyond natural enzymic limitations); eating when tired; eating just before heavy or stressful work; eating when too cold or too hot; eating when there is fever or inflammation; eating when in pain, angry, worried, anxious, fearful, etc.

The use of alcohol, vinegar, condiments will retard digestion and cause bacterial activity and decomposition of foods.  Excessive bacterial activities can produce long-term health problems, diarrhea and nutritive losses.

Circumstances that will reduce bacterial decomposition of foods are: choices of alkaline groups of foods as opposed to acid, and a simplicity of foods as opposed to mixture; the removal of factors such as stress and anger.  Taking care that the foods are digested properly in order to avoid rotting in the digestive process and seeing that foods are properly combined will reduce or  eliminate gas, bad breath (caused by gastro-intestinal fermentation and putrefaction), foul stools and gas. Proper food combination will produce a sweet breath, odorless stools and no gas.

Some best and worst combination

The following is a sample list of some of the best and worst food combination:

Good combination are: protein and vegetables; complex starches, legumes, vegetables; oil and leafy greens; oil and acid.

Fair combination are: proteins and acid-fruit; leafy greens and acid-fruit; leafy greens and sub-acid fruit; acid, sub-acid and sweet fruit.

Bad combination: protein and simple starch; oil and simple starch; fruits and complex starch; fruits and vegetables.

It is sad to say, but we will not enjoy perfect digestion and health until we respect our body’s natural enzymic limitations and stop over-eating.  We will have good health when we follow the rules of good foods combination, when we avoid mixtures and varieties of foods, when we resort to simple meals of one type at a time and when we eat with ease and comfort instead of in fast-paced and stressed out situations.

Health, nutrition and easy diet begins with avoiding the wrong foods combination that interfere, obstruct, impede and hinder our digestive system. Before undertaking any major alternative health program and adding supplements to your diet, check any medical matters of concern that you may have within your body with your doctor or health professional who can help to create a beneficial program for your individual need./dmh


 Articles copyright(c)2011 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include the following bio.

Diane M. Hoffmann is a certified nutritional consultant offering a web site on health and nutrition as well as her special 21-day health and weight recovery challenge at http://easyhealthwellnessweightlossdiet.blogspot.com/ .

.
 

The 21-day Health & Weight Recovery Challenge is finally ready!

Read all about it here!

The long-awaited for "Feel Great and Lose Weight Within the First Week" program is finally ready.  Check it out by clicking on the "My Easy Diet" tab above. Read all about it and take action if you're looking for the ideal diet program to lose weight and get healthy.

See you later...

Diane



.

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – The 4 Basic Groups of Foods Essential For Life

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – The 4 Basic Groups of Foods Essential For Life

by Diane Hoffmann, Certified Nutritional Consultant

Our foods for life consist of water, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and fibre. These raw materials essential for basic healthy nutrition incorporate into our body's cells and fluids and become part of these life-sustaining elements.

North Americans have guidelines provided by their national health departments, the RDA or the Recommended Daily Allowance guidelines. These guidelines do not seem to be adequate since most people already eat these foods and, apparently, are not getting enough vitamins and minerals to keep the immune system strong and safe from rampant diseases, illnesses and ailments. As our environment increasingly strips our foods of nutrients, we need increasingly more supplements to compensate.

The four groups of products given to us seem to be simple enough to follow and understand what family of foods each given product group belongs to, however don't seem to be adequate enough as mentioned above. Here they are:

1.milk and milk products.
2. breads and cereals.
3. fruits and vegetables.
4. meats and alternatives.

When changing diet pattern, one must learn to use the proper combination of these four groups and watch for allergic reactions in order to adjust to the new way of eating. For example, some people may be allergic to milk. Switching to soya milk may eliminate the problem.  It may also show another reaction to it. In order to reduce fats in their diets, many people have gone to using skim milk or 1-2%. But by taking out the fat, the content of the milk increases in lactose. It may be that if they drank the whole milk, they would not have the same symptoms. 

A similar thing happens with eggs. A lot of people thing eggs are bad for you because of the perceived high cholesterol in the yolk. However it has bee shown that the egg is a healthy protein food with the yolk naturally being balanced with the white.

As you can see there can be many varieties and combination of causes to every symptom. One must pay attention to the body's response and reaction -- with the help of a health or nutrition consultant try different products for one or two weeks at a time and make notes. This way one gets to know his/her own body for ultimate individual health maintenance.

In Canada, the Food Guide recommends the number of servings for each age group and gives the nutrients in each of these groups. If you live in a different country, call your local Health Department branch to obtain a current copy of the suggested guidelines and use it as your basic source.

As an example, here is a partial list for adults:

For milk & milk products: recommended: 1 serving = Equivalent to about 300 mg of calcium. It can be 1 cup (250 ml) of: skim milk; buttermilk; reconstituted dry skim milk; partially skimmed milk; whole milk; reconstituted evaporated milk; cocoa made with milk; flavored milk; yogurt; 1-1/2 oz (45g) firm cheese.

For bread & cereals: Recommended: 3 to 5 servings. Some of these are: 1 slice enriched or whole grain bread; 1/2 to 1 cup; (125-250 ml) cooked or ready to eat cereal; 1 roll, tea biscuits or bran muffin; 1/2 to 3/4 (125-250 ml) cooked rice, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles; 1/2 hamburger bun. Number and size of serving is a matter of individual choice according to energy needs and personal preference.

Fruits & vegetables: Recommended: 4-5 servings to include at least 2 vegetables, such as 1/2 cup (125 mil) cooked vegetable, fruit or their juices; medium size potato, carrot, green pepper, tomato; medium size peach, apple, orange, banana. Vegetables particularly dark green, yellow and orange are a major source of carotene which converts into Vitamin A in the body.

Meats and alternatives: Recommended: 1 serving = 17 to 22 grams of protein -- 2 servings per day such as 2 to 3 oz (60-90 grams) after cooking of meat, poultry, liver, fish. This is not including skin, bone or fats; 4 tbs peanut butter (60 ml); 1 cup (250 ml) baked beans, cooked dried peas, lentils; 2 oz (60 g) cheese; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup (80 ml) canned tuna or salmon; 1/4 to 1 cup (80-250 ml) nutmeats or seeds; 4 tb (60 ml) vegetable protein pieces.

The recommended grams of protein above may be over the recommendation limits from health experts on proteins from meats. Also for protein sources other than vegetables, fish should be the first and foremost choice, then poultry, then meat, in that order. And vegetables should be lightly cooked or raw.

If you are interested in optimum health, nutrition and easy dieting, getting familiar with these 4 groups of foods and expanding on the varieties and combinations within them will go a long way to reach your desired and permanent well-being./dmh

If you have any questions, please write them in the comments below and I will respond with an article on the subject.

To your health,

Diane

Articles copyright(c)2010 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include the following bio:

Diane M. Hoffmann is a certified nutritional consultant and an entrepreneur of offline and online businesses. Diane offers this web site on health and stress management for business people who need to keep healthy and strong in order to run their businesses.
.

It's here! My new "21-day Health & Weight Recovery Challenge"

Read all about it!

The long-awaited for "Feel Great and Lose Weight Within the First Week" program is finally ready.  Check it out by clicking on the "My Easy Diet" tab above. Read all about it and take action if you're looking for the ideal diet program to lose weight and get healthy.

See you later...

Diane



.

Easy Health, Wellness, and Weight Loss Diet.

Easy Health, Wellness, and Weight Loss Diet.

by Diane M. Hoffmann

So many people are looking for the perfect diet -- either to lose weight or get healthier or both. Usually it's both.  And there are indeed many of them around. But a lot of the programs are too cumbersome to follow.

One of the things that people are looking for in a diet program is SIMPLICITY.  I followed different types of programs over the years which worked somewhat but which still contained harmful foods.  About a year ago I wrote a truly healthy-eating program from much of the reading and research I did.

It came with recipes and all, but it became too cumbersome to follow.  Sometimes when I didn’t have the time to plan the meals ahead or didn't have the ingredients for the particular recipe on any particular days, I would have to either go to the store and buy the missing staples or substitute it with something bad which would get me off track.

So, I simplified. And I would love to share the program with you. If you're looking for a program just click on the tab above.

So many folks are suffering from actual diseases. I meet them all the time. Just the other day I ran into a couple in the grocery store.  Both suffer from various common diseases. Both are over-weight.

As they tell me their tales of woes and assure me they watch what they eat, I glance into their grocery basket and see 90% of the products are dead wrong!

I'm thinking, "I can fix you if you'd only eat what I tell you to eat and not to eat".  But that's the problem, we want to get better but still stuff ourselves with junk foods. And, hey, I know junk foods taste good!

Our diet today is killing us slowly. We could empty the hospitals by 50 to 75 percent if we changed it.

People think they eat well. But when I give them the test in my consultation, they fail it woefully. When I ask them to do the "1-week list of what they eat" and analyze it, it is 90% wrong.

People are looking for a diet that's easy to follow, they don't want to have to count calories, skip meals, fight cravings, buy expensive supplements -- and all that for short term benefits or none at all.

Well the simple way is to cut out the bad stuff and replace it with good living foods. Yes that means cut out the sugars and refined and processed foods.

You say, "that's hard to do." Well only at the beginning.  A good diet requires a change of lifestyle in our eating habits. Depends how badly you want to get well or lose the weight. Depends on how serious you are. Depends on how tired you are of being sick and tired.

And it doesn't mean you'll never, ever be able to eat ice cream or chocolate and chips, etc. again. It means you will have to change the priorities around. Once you get through the first couple of weeks of re-conditioning your body, you will start a second nature with your foods habits.

The easy part is that "dieting begins at the grocery store".  If you make a list of the right foods to eat, you just need to buy what' s on the list.  How easy is that?

And you will no longer have the wrong foods in the house to tempt you. Plus you'll feel so good that you will not want to get back to the old ways./dmh

Articles copyright(c)2010 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include the following bio:
Diane M. Hoffmann is a certified nutritional consultant and an entrepreneur of offline and online businesses. Diane offers her web site http://easyhealthwellnessweightlossdiet.blogspot.com on health, diet and stress management for business people who need to keep healthy and strong in order to run their businesses.

For my "Feel Great and Lose Weight Within the First Week" click on the tab at the top of the page.

.

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – Your No.1 Preventive Health Program

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – Your No.1 Preventive Health Program

by Diane Hoffmann, Certified Nutritional Consultant

The most important contribution to your preventive health program is reading your body signs. Knowing your body signs can help you determine nutrient deficiencies and then prevent illnesses by eating the right foods which will, in turn, provide the needed corrective nutrients.

Knowing your body signs will also help you recognize when to see your doctor. Sometimes you need the diagnosis of a medical doctor in order to know what problem exists before you can begin a remedial or preventive health program.

Once you have a professional diagnosis from your physician, you can work out a dietary or an alternative approach to drugs. If you must take drugs, let it be temporary. Work with your doctor toward an alternative to long-term intake of drugs that can create other problems. Certainly, eating well is always beneficial in any medical situation.

Before undertaking any major alternative health program and adding supplements to your diet, check it out with your doctor to make sure nothing will interfere with the conditions or medications. Your doctor will help you make the transition in the most beneficial manner.

Begin to understand your body language and learn what it means to your health. Your body may be getting enough nutrients or supplements and still give signs or symptoms of a lack of them. This could be because of several factors such as poor absorption of nutrients, poor digestion, not chewing foods properly, imbalances of nutrients foods taken together, stress factors, blockage by drugs, an increased rate of nutrients utilization, etc..

Different strokes for different folks.

World renowned biochemist Dr. Roger Williams coined a term “biochemical individuality” to denote the effect of heredity on the individual nutritional needs. This is based on the concept that every individual has different requirements and needs for their body and mind to function at optimum health. For example some people have natural gluten intolerance, or may have certain diseases such as celiac disease, the inability to digest the protein of wheat, rye, oats or barley. To some people, certain foods may cause mild or acute diarrhea, bloating and other discomforts.

Others may suffer from allergic reactions caused by pollen, certain foods, certain chemicals, certain clothes, etc. According to experts in the field, these people may have a certain requirement for the B vitamins complex or certain isolated B vitamins. Most people can minimize allergic reactions by strengthening the immune system through eating only healthy foods, getting lots of exercise, avoiding toxins, keeping free of stress and its effects, taking sufficient amounts of daily nutrients such as vitamins A, C, & B complex, etc.


In some cases, it may also be necessary to take digestive enzymes to break down the proteins and prevent allergic reactions in the bloodstream. Often, just taking the time to chew the foods to liquid state can change the whole digestive process for clear improvements. These are all signs to watch for from your body’s reactions and responses to regular foods and even supplements.

To help digestion, one must get “live” enzymes into the body. Most foods are cooked and with the cooking are lost important and critical enzymes. For proper bodily functions one should be eating raw vegetables and sprouts, natural, raw and sprouted, nuts and seeds, daily.

Garden of Eden

Pain and sickness makes us long for a time when there was “none of these diseases” — a beginning in time when things were the way God intended them to be. It was a time of innocence and purity of body, soul and spirit, in its most natural environment - the Garden of Eden - when people lived on a purely natural food source.


Natural foods from the garden was the sustaining fuel of the human being, originally provided to feed every cell and building block of life in the human body. And it was good !

Interestingly, I read somewhere that Thomas A. Edison had a dream that the doctor of the future would give no medicine but would interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. Let’s hope that his vision will come true some day. So far, most traditional doctors have been increasingly interesting their patients in pharmaceutical and medical products.

But, in the meantime, the #1 preventive health program is still to know what our body is telling us and act upon it. Making the right changes and choices of foods and educating ourselves on the issues specific to our individual body needs and requirements will take us a long way closer to our aim to enjoy a permanent state of health, nutrition and easy dieting./dmh

If you have any questions, please write them in the comments below and I will respond with an article on the subject.

To your health,

Diane

Articles copyright(c)2010 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include the following bio:

Diane M. Hoffmann is a certified nutritional consultant and an entrepreneur of offline and online businesses. Diane offers this web site on health and stress management for business people who need to keep healthy and strong in order to run their businesses.

.

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – 9 Factors For Permanent Good Health and Well-being.

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – 9 Factors For Permanent Good Health and Well-being.

by Diane Hoffmann

What is good health? Good health is a state of well being where optimum function in our body and good feeling is achieved. It is a place in our lives where we can achieve maximum productivity and functioning from our bodies and mind and where we feel most resistant to fatigue and disease.

To reach this state is not easy, I’m sorry to say. That’s why over 75% of Americans are not healthy in one way or another. It requires a lifelong program of health and wellness management brought on by the discipline of making the right choices of diet and exercise – one day at a time. And it seems, according to my own experience that the older you get the more you need to curb the intake of foods.

However, with a good state of mind and understanding of the importance of a good disciplinary program it can be easier to achieve. How do we get to good health and stay there? Here are 9 important factors that will lead up to permanent good health:

1.Self-driven discipline.
2.A positive attitude.
3.Desire, effort and patience.
4.Good nutrition choices.
5.Exercise.
6.Changing poor habits into healthy ones.
7.Knowledge of our body.
8.Education on the subject.
9.Continuous working on all the above.

What is sickness and disease?

If good health is a state of well being where optimum function in our body and good feeling is achieved, then what is sickness? It is the opposite where the body does not function well, bringing about an ill-feeling of fatigue, disease, aches and pains. If you are sick, your body is not living in harmony with normal principles. Ailments and pains are not normal. Health is normal.

Sometimes disease symptoms can be remedial steps to the body’s restoration, such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever, coughing, sneezing, etc.. Often sickness can be an intense bodily purification process. The body always strives to purify itself of harm.

To help the body rid itself of toxins, we need to eat properly, providing our body foods in natural state, raw or steamed. Meats & eggs should be well done and unprocessed, unrefined and without additives. With the help of a health professional, we can undertake a herbal program for cleansing.

To stay healthy, we need to get enough vigorous exercise, breath pure air, drink lots of pure water, balance our days in 1/3 sleep, 1/3 work, 1/3 leisure, and keep our body clean internally and externally.To help prevent sickness, we must be aware of what our bodies tell us at all times (how we look and feel), watch for our bodies’ signs and signals such as, symptoms, feelings, sensations. These are often overlooked until it is too late. For example one highly common and overlooked unhealthy sign is constipation. Simple. Common. Yet most of us don’t take immediate corrective action. It is an indication of poor food habits. Not enough water, not enough fibre, etc. That’s when the #6 factor above comes in: Changing poor habits into healthy ones.

Many ailments and serious diseases are caused by this chronic problem alone. But we keep on living with it, taking harmful laxatives, until a critical medical situation such as colitis or crohn’s disease, etc., sends us to the doctor or the hospital. This is one of the first signs of bad eating habits. All that’s required is an immediate change in diet. Foods do make the difference.

Diseases can also be the result of external causes involved in daily living such as, polluted air, non-nutritional foods, devitalized foods, bad eating habits, unhealthy foods and drinks, lack of exercise, uncontrolled emotions, toxics and poisons in the body.

Borderline health and vague feelings are when we may not feel sick but we could feel better, more energetic and enthusiastic. Again these are usually linked to nutrient deficiencies. Some of the possible symptoms are digestive disturbances, leg cramps, canker sores, eye discomforts in bright lights, scaly skin, chronic pains, headaches, etc.

Continuous knowledge and education in each of these issues and staying the course on the 9 factors listed above will go a long way to take us to permanent health and well-being./dmh

If you have any questions, please write them in the comments below and I will respond with an article on the subject.

To your health,

Diane


Articles copyright(c)2010 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include the following bio:

Diane M. Hoffmann is a certified nutritional consultant and an entrepreneur of offline and online businesses. Diane offers this web site on health and stress management for business people who need to keep healthy and strong in order to run their businesses.

.

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – Understanding Our Body System

Health, Diet and Weight Loss – Understanding Our Body System

by Diane Hoffmann, certified nutritional consultant

The human body is a complex organism with the ability to heal itself — if only we’d listen to it and respond with proper care and nourishment. If we have respect for our bodies, diet will be easy. Understanding the nine main divisions of our body will help to discuss our needs with out health professional.

Respecting this fearfully and wonderfully made body system is key to realize the importance of diet and health. Even the smallest elements going into our body play a critical role in its proper function of health and well-being.

The body is composed of millions of cells that work like tiny engines. These work either synergistically or independently. To work properly these cells need specific types of fuel or nourishment. Like engines, if they are not given proper fuel and oil they cannot work properly – it’s as simple as that.

These fuel and oil called nutrients come from within the healthy foods we eat. These nutrients are basically vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water, amino acids, carbohydrates and fats. All of these are vital for the body to carry on its daily functions. The functions of these nutrients take place on a microscopic level. That’s why every bit of healthy foods and supplements given to our body affects the system critically.

To give you an idea, a cup of coffee has approximately 375 mg of caffeine. When a doctor gives you a medication, check and see what milligram of ‘whatever’ it contains. Often these may be only 5 mg. If only 5 mg of some medication is enough to make a difference, imagine what coffee does at 375 mg 2, 3 and 4 times a day!

The specific processes of these nutrients differ greatly and are involved from fighting infections to repairing tissues and nourishing even our brain function and thinking. If we do not give our body the proper nutrients, the normal functions are impaired. And we all know that this generation is lacking a major portion of these. That’s why we have so many sick people around and obese. There may even be no signs of illness or disease for a long time before we begin to notice symptoms. It is our responsibility to find out if we are eating right — most people in our society do not!

Right off, one of the most common problems is the cooking and processing of our foods. We cook and process nutrients right out of our foods before they even get into our mouths. The next thing is the organic raw foods supplying these basic elements are largely missing from today’s diet, because of the constant attacks from environment pollutants, food additives, pesticides, drugs, air pollution, chemicals and now, increasingly, genetically altered foods. All these destroy the needed nutrients from our foods and our bodies.

If we want to be and stay healthy, we must increasingly take conscious control of the food intake in the form of good choices of foods and supplements in order to overcome these pollutants. And to do this, it helps to know where our bodies might be affected.

The body is divided into nine main basic systems: 1. The Immune system. 2. The Circulatory system. 3. The Digestive system. 4. The Intestinal system. 5. The Nervous system. 6. The Respiratory. 7. The Urinary. 8. The Glandular.. 9. The Structural system. Each of these systems receives the benefit of certain key supplemental products. For more on each of these main divisions of the body click here.

For example the Digestive system’s key requirements and supplements are enzymes. If we eat our foods mostly over-cooked and over-processed, they are depleted of needed enzymes. Enzymes are found mostly in fresh, raw vegetables. The Intestinal system requires also a healthy bacterial environment and good amounts of fibre which are found respectively in acidophilus, yogurt, raw vegetables and fruits, etc.

So in order to get the right foods and supplements for specific problem areas, it helps to understand that not all foods and supplements are the same for all over the body. Being aware of this will help you to discuss your needs with your health professional in order to put your money in the right places. If we have respect for our bodies, diet will be easy./dmh

Articles copyright(c)2010 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include the following bio:

Diane M. Hoffmann is a certified nutritional consultant and an entrepreneur of offline and online businesses. Diane offers this web site on health and stress management for business people who need to keep healthy and strong in order to run their businesses.

.