Poor digestion? Start with these 3 basics!
When it comes to poor digestion, it’s easy to start thinking about the complex things that could be going on in the gut. However, I want you to start with the absolute basics. These are foundational habits that everyone who struggles with digestion should be exploring FIRST. If these habits aren’t in place, it will be hard to have better digestion.
First, let’s explore what I mean by poor digestion. Below are some obvious, common symptoms I see in those struggling with poor digestion:
bloating after eating
waking up with bloating
upper or lower GI pain after eating or randomly throughout the day
reflux/GERD (heartburn)
food uncomfortably sitting in stomach after eating
getting full much too quickly, after eating only half of your plate or less
constipation/diarrhea
seeing food in your stool
pale/clay-colored stools
food intolerances
There are also some less obvious signs of poor digestion, such as skin issues (acne, eczema, etc.), joint pain, headaches, hair loss/thinning, and much much more. But let’s stick to some of these more obvious ones.
If you are struggling with any of the symptoms I listed above, I want you to start exploring the following 3 foundational habits:
CHEW YOUR FOOD. As a fellow fast eater, I get it. You have shit to do. You don’t want to waste time eating. Or, as a child, maybe you were taught to eat your food quickly because there were 5 other children and you wanted to make sure you were able to get seconds. Doesn’t matter where it came from, what matters is that you start to slow the hell down. Yes, our stomach and intestines chemically break down our food, but we have to prime them with the first step of digestion: mastication. The more we chew, the more we are physically breaking down that food, but we also have chemical digestion happening in the mouth as well! Our saliva releases two enzymes called salivary amylase and salivary lipase to start breaking down carbohydrates and fats, respectively, in the mouth. So by eating quickly, not only are you sending larger pieces of food to the stomach, but you also aren’t allowing these enzymes to have enough time to help break down our food as well. Now your stomach has a hell of a lot more work to do, which will likely cause bloating, pain, constipation/diarrhea, etc. etc. If you’re eating in less than 5 minutes, set a timer for 8 and work up to that. Once that feels comfortable, move to 12 minutes. Ideally, I want you to take 15-20 minutes for you to eat your meal. If you focus on chewing, you will naturally slow down. It’s a tough one, but I know you can do it!
STOP CHUGGING LIQUIDS WHILE YOU’RE EATING. Our stomach needs to be very acidic to break down our foods. When we eat, our stomach acid naturally becomes slightly more alkaline (less acidic) because we are introducing foods into the space and that will dilute your stomach acid. Now if we add a ton of liquid to that meal, whether it’s water, alcohol, tea, etc., you are further diluting your stomach acid, which will make it harder for you to digest foods, especially protein. It’s important to stay hydrated, but try to keep your water intake in between meals rather than during meals. It’s okay to sip on some liquids, especially if you need to cleanse your palate. Just try not to chug right before, during, or right after meals. I can’t tell you how many of my clients have found this tip to be useful when struggling with gut issues!
CALM YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM. When we are in a “fight, flight, freeze” response, blood flow to the digestive tract is limited. If you can calm down your body before eating, you will help increase the blood flow to your GI tract and hopefully help with better digestion. Start with taking 5-10 deep belly breaths before eating, or consider even doing a quick 5-minute meditation. Also, think about your environment. Are you eating breakfast in traffic on your way to work? Eating at your desk while working? Is your kitchen table trashed? Are your toddlers screaming during dinner? How can you set up your environment to be less stressful while eating? Obviously there are many things out of our control, so focus on what is in your control.
I hope this helps! If you need further assistance in supporting your gut issues, let’s chat in a free 20-minute discovery call! I have many tools to dive deeper and support you on your journey to better digestion :)