10 Tips for Better Digestion
You are not what you eat… you are what you digest, absorb, utilise and excrete. A challenging health diagnosis means that along the way, some of your digestive processes may have been compromised. Issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, diarrhoea and constipation are all too frequent nowadays. It is important to restore your digestive system so that you can strengthen your body to support your natural healing processes.
It is always best to choose whole-foods that are nutrient dense and spray free. Avoid foods (or food like products), that are full of fake chemicals, GMO proteins and rancid fats. Consider implementing some of these suggestions below to improve the digestion of your beautiful and tasty whole-foods.
1. Start Your Morning With Lemon Juice and Warm Water
Lemon juice’s atomic structure is similar to the digestive juices found in your stomach, which in turn, tricks your liver into producing bile, which helps to keep food moving through your body and gastrointestinal tract smoothly. Drinking lemon water can also help keep you hydrated to promote regularity, make you feel less bloated, and allow your body to naturally detoxify.
2. Chew Thoroughly When Eating
Chewing is a vital part of digestion and your saliva contains the first digestive enzymes that your food will come into contact with. The act of chewing triggers the rest of your gastrointestinal system. Your lower stomach muscles will relax and release food and your pancreas will produce enzymes and bicarbonate. Nutrient extraction is also impaired if your food is not adequately chewed. Undigested pieces of food may also serve as food for bacteria in your colon, leading to bacterial overgrowth and toxicity.
3. Consider Taking Some Herbal Digestive Bitters Before Each Meal
We now understand that a reflex exists, termed the “bitter reflex,” that begins a cascade of actions in your body to prepare your digestive system for the food you are about to eat. Digestive bitters are a formula of bitter herbs that support digestive function by stimulating digestive juices, like stomach acid (aka HCl), bile, and enzymes so that you can breakdown food naturally – and absorb all those healthy nutrients. My favourites bitters are Gentian and Ginger.
4. Show Your Food Some Daily Gratitude
Your food has a story. It may have grown from a seed and been tended to by a farmer. It has an intelligence and an energy life force. Showing gratitude for your food helps to activate the part of your nervous system that supports your digestion.
5. Take 5-10 Deep Breaths Before You Eat
This practice will also help to turn on the part of your nervous system that supports digestion, your para-sympathetic nervous system. This will enhance your digestion and the production of your digestive juices and enzymes. Try and eat in a relaxed state of being.
6. Consider Using Digestive Enzymes To Improve Your Absorption
Digestive enzymes help break down large macromolecules found in the foods we eat into smaller molecules that our guts are capable of absorbing, thus supporting gut health and making sure the nutrients are delivered to your body. They turn complex foods into smaller compounds, including amino acids, fatty acids, cholesterol, simple sugars and nucleic acids. Enzymes are synthesized and secreted in different parts of your digestive tract, including your mouth, stomach and pancreas.
7. Implement Some Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a great way to clean your digestive system, boost your immune cells and support your microbiome health. It is best to fast in the evenings. This is when your digestion is programmed to rest. You have stronger digestive juices in the morning. Let’s keep it simple. Do not eat for 12-14 hours after dinner and before breakfast. For example: finish your dinner at 6 pm and eat breakfast at 7 am. This is a 13 hour fast. You can drink herbal tea and water during those 12-14 hours.
8. Eat Some Raw Foods Daily (These Foods Contain Vital Electrical Energy)
The highest nutritional and electrical-energy foods on the planet are fresh raw fruits, vegetables, herbs, seaweeds, nuts and seeds. It is important to add some raw foods into your daily diet. They are full of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, simple sugars, water, electricity and much more. This is where juicing fruits and vegetables daily can boost your energy and nutritional requirements.
9. Exercise Daily
Daily exercise can improve blood flow to your digestive organs and nervous system. This can help stimulate the movement of food along your digestive tract. Yoga postures such as child’s pose, plow pose, butterfly pose and sitting with a half-spinal twist, can also support your digestive system.
10. Stay Hydrated
Your body weight is made up of about 60-70% fluid, so water is pivotal to important bodily functions like digestion, metabolism and muscle contraction. You are also constantly losing fluid through breathing, perspiration, and other bodily functions. Keep hydrated with good quality filtered water, herbal teas and juices. Calculate the amount of water you need to drink daily. You will need on average 30mls per kilo of body weight.