7 Tips For Better Digestion
Prioritizing healthy digestion is at the root of feeling your best. Unfortunately, many people do not think about gut health and therefore it is not a priority. It’s easy to forget how much digestion can impact our moods when there are a million other things going on in our lives. However, in order to ensure that we are properly digesting our food and utilizing the nutrients from that food, we need to make digestion a priority. And it’s much easier than you think! Below are 7 tips to help get you started on the path towards better digestion.
#1 Hydration
This is probably the most important of all the tips. If you are not drinking enough water, food is not going to pass through your GI tract as smoothly and you will start feeling very sluggish. Start by drinking about 8 cups per day and increase if you are active. Carry around a reusable water bottle with you when you go places. Note that for every cup of coffee you drink, it is helpful to drink 1 cup of water as coffee is a diuretic. Also avoid drinking too much fluid before and during meals because this will dilute your digestive enzymes, making them less effective at breaking down your food.
#2 Apple Cider Vinegar Before Meals
ACV is great for increasing hydrochloric acid in your stomach HCl is needed to begin the process of digestion by breaking down proteins and some carbohydrate. Dilute 1 TBSP ACV in warm water and add a squeeze of lemon if desired. Make sure to look for ACV “with the mother” which is some bacteria on the bottom that looks a bit dark and stringy!
#3 Probiotic Rich Foods
Your gut microbiome is full of bacteria! Eating probiotic rich foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, greek yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and tempeh can help populate your digestive tract with healthy bacteria. If you have an imbalance in gut bacteria, you are more prone to not fully absorbing the nutrients in your food, developing leaky gut, SIBO, and other gut disorders. Feeding the good bacteria in your colon can prevent the bad bacteria from overpopulating. A healthy gut microbiome is also important for regulating hormones and excretion of toxins in the body.
#4 Stress Reduction
Stress plays a huge factor in our digestion. Have you ever heard of the gut-brain axis? When our brain is stressed out, our gut receives signals from the hypothalamus that we are in a state of stress. This is also known as the “fight or flight” mode. If you have ever had those butterflies in your stomach before public speaking or before an exam you have experienced this. Make sure you are in a calm environment before meals. Let your body know its safe by taking 5 deep breaths before eating. Avoid eating on the go or in a stressful environment.
#5 Get More Sleep
If you are not averaging 7-9 hours of sleep each night, you are not fully getting the benefits of detoxifying and repairing that deep sleep provides. Quality of sleep matters too. It’s important to get into the REM cycle in which most of our mental and physical repair takes place. Sleep deprivation long term can put you at an increased risk for developing dementia and Alheizmer’s disease later in life.
#6 Move Your Body
Even if its just a 30 minute walk, exercise is a great way to keep your digestion moving. Movement sends oxygen throughout the entire body which aids in a healthy digestive track. If you can, short 5-10 minute walks or light yoga after a meal can aid in the digestive process.
#7 Identify Your Trigger Foods
I do not recommend self-diagnosing yourself with any food allergy/intolerance unless you have be tested. But being aware of certain types of foods that do not agree with your body is so important in optimizing digestion. The tricky part about this is that sometimes food intolerances do not show up until a few days AFTER you have eaten the trigger. If you have random flare ups after eating a certain food group/specific food, take it out of your diet for a few days to notice if there are any changes in bloating/indigestion. Also, check in with yourself to notice any physiological thoughts or feelings towards a certain food. If you are anxious about eating something, your body is going to respond by not digesting that food properly. Deliberate exposure to any “fear foods” over time will help with the physical discomfort that may arise by eating it.
