We’ve all be there – pants get tight, tummy starts to turn, confidence and comfort drop, and the brain fog hits. Here comes the bloat..
Dare we say, here comes the gas. Not cool. And mood? Ruined. The day just took a turn for the worst.
But, the thing is, it goes way farther than just feeling uncomfortable. Improper digestion can mean big problems for our overall health. When your body doesn’t properly digest the food you are eating, you are losing out essential nutrients and causing inflammation.
What starts as a stomach ache can, over time, develop into a serious health issue.
So let’s stop the indigestion in it’s tracks. Here are my top eleven tips for better digestion today:
- Chew!
Our digestive systems begin in our mouths. Chewing well eases the work required from the digestive system, and get the body ready for digestion by signaling that food is on its way down. This is one of the reasons why I like topping my Morning Power Smoothie with a few healthy toppings, like cacao nibs + coconut flakes. It makes you chew your smoothie! Something that is very easy to gulp down.
Try chewing each bite of food 20 times. This can also help prevent overeating (not good for digestion). - Eat real, fresh, whole foods
Focus on whole, fresh foods. Avoid processed, packaged, and fried foods. These are all difficult to digest, and aren’t doing your body any good. Our bodies don’t know how to properly digest food chemicals like aspartame (a fake zero calorie sweetener) and preservatives. But real, whole foods, it loves those! We’ve been eating berries and greens for years, so the body knows how to properly process them. - Ditch the common toxic triggers
I refer to foods that cause indigestion, inflammation, bloating, fatigue, and over long periods of time, much larger issues, as common toxic triggers. These include: gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Removing most common toxic triggers allows the digestive system to relax and rejuvenate. This will immediately tone down inflammation. It’s like your digestive system gets to take a deep sigh.
I know, it can sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to! Try it out for a week and just see how you feel. - Drink up!
Water is essential for basically every bodily function, especially digestion. It helps the body digest soluble fiber, which helps make well-formed, soft stools that are easy to pass. Water eases digestion by helping convert the foods we eat into raw materials, which fuel the body and ease the transport of nutrients in and waste out of organ tissue.
I recommend 2-3L of water a day! Yummy herbal teas like peppermint, ginger, fennel and fenugreek, which are all known for their digestive supporting properties, count too. - Supplement with fermented foods + probiotics
Fermented foods are high in good bacteria, which help the body fight invaders, improves nutrient absorption, and improves daily detoxification. Some of my favorite fermented foods include sauerkraut and kimchi. Probiotics (good bacterial strains) support in reducing the toxins we inevitably encounter day to day, modulating the immune system, and improving digestion and nutrient absorption. - Stress management
Let me say it louder for the people in the back here – stress matters and you’ve got to manage it! Digestion is not exception here. When you’re stressed, and in “fight-or- flight” mode, blood flow is redirected to the brain and limbs. If your body is stressed while you are eating, it can actually cause your metabolism to slow down.
We are in a sense what we eat, but we are also, how we eat. Stress can also shut down digestion, leading to constipation, which can lead to problems including gas, bloating, stomach pain, and weight gain. Stress can also have the opposite effect on your digestive tract. It may cause food to move too quickly through your system, which leads to nutritional deficiencies. Scarf your lunch while sitting at your desk responding to emails? Eek. I know. I’m totally guilty of it too.
To better manage stress, try experimenting with different stress relieving techniques like meditation, breathing, yoga, and even walking. If you’re thinking, but I don’t have time for that, try this simple exercise: before every single meal, take 6 slow, deep belly breaths. This will immediately calm your nervous system and help ease digestion. It’s totally simple, it’s free, and you can do it anywhere. Bonus points if you make sure you eat while sitting down. - Supplement Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes ensure that food is properly digested and nutrients are properly assimilated in the body. These really come in handy when traveling, eating out, or eating a specifically large meal. Our bodies naturally make enzymes when we eat, so this is like an extra little boost, which can really come in handy when dealing with a gut issue. - Move
Ooooh baby I love exercise for so many reasons. One of them being that great effect that it has on the digestive system. Exercise makes bowel movements easier to pass by decreasing the time it takes food to move through the large intestine. It also accelerates your heart rate and breathing, which helps stimulate the natural contraction of intestinal muscles.
Can’t make it to the gym? A walk first thing in the morning can help get things going. Try incorporating small bits of movement throughout your day, like taking the stairs, parking around the block, and walking to the far bathroom in your office building. These small acts add up.
PS the more water you drink, the more you’ll have to get up and walk to the bathroom. It’s a win from all angles. - Ditch the nuts + seeds
Don’t get me wrong, healthy fats are amazing and a critical component of a healthy diet. However, if you feel like your digestive system isn’t working top notch, you may want to limit the amount of nuts you are consuming each day.
While healthy for most people, nuts are difficult to digest and can leave you feeling constipated, gassy, and bloated if you have too many. Switch your healthy fats to things like coconut milk and avocados instead. Watch the portion sizes of these healthy fats too, because you can have too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to optimizing digestion. A meal that is too big, regardless of what it is comprised of, will hinder digestion and likely lead to gas and bloating. - Eat more fiber
Fiber helps keep everything moving smoothly in our intestines. It slows down digestion and absorption so glucose enters the bloodstream more slowly. This keeps blood sugar at an even level, which is also good for weight management. - Increase cooked foods
Raw foods are often more difficult to digest. I LOVE my salads, but if my gut is acting up on me a bit, I will scale back on the raw foods, and increase my intake of yummy cooked foods. Soups can be great to add in to your diet as well. They are blended and the fibers have been broken down already, leave less work up to your digestive system.
