“A good digestion turneth all to health.” George Herbert
Good digestion is essential to our health and our mood. We tend to take it for granted when it’s all working smoothly. It’s not until things go awry that digestion moves to the forefront of our minds.
Suppose you suffer from digestion issues such as constipation, heartburn, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, gas, or nausea. In that case, you know that it can quickly become all-consuming, affecting some of your mental bandwidth every moment of the day. The discomfort is only the tip of the iceberg. If we’re not digesting food properly, we’re at risk for nutritional deficiencies. That’s because the digestive system is our central “distribution center,” breaking down what we eat and shipping nutrients to the cells that need them.
Like any supply chain, a broken link has extensive consequences. In addition to the many far-reaching effects of nutrition deficiencies, poor digestion creates emotional stress, and even depression due in part to the gut’s role in producing serotonin (our happy neurotransmitter).
It’s Increasingly Common to Have Digestion Problems
The incidence of digestive disorders has risen dramatically in recent years. This increased frequency is likely because our fast-paced lifestyles contain many elements that contribute to problems. These factors include high-stress levels, too much time sitting, and poor quality sleep. The good news is that getting your digestion back on track is possible.
By getting to know your digestive system and experimenting with different lifestyle habits that are known to make a difference, you can figure out how to fix what’s wrong, reclaim your social life, and feel confident that what you eat is truly nourishing your body.
10 Proven Ways to Improve Your Digestion
Eat whole foods
Choosing whole foods means opting for the least processed version of real food whenever possible. Choose an apple over apple pie, for example, or whole grains over refined flour products. Not only is this the best way to get all of your essential nutrients, but it helps to remove the additives and excess sugar in processed foods that disrupt your gut microbiome and contribute to gut irritation, bloating, and cramps. Artificial sweeteners are another culprit of poor digestion since even the so-called “healthy” sweeteners like xylitol have been linked to bloating and diarrhea.
Stay well-hydrated
One of the most common culprits for constipation is dehydration. In a wave-like muscle movement called peristalsis, water helps move things along through your digestive tract. However, if your body senses that you need more water elsewhere, that takes priority. The large intestine draws water from your stools to redirect it to other parts of your body, such as your muscles or brain, making your stools harder to pass if you don’t drink enough.
Choose your fluids wisely. Sipping on water and herbal teas throughout the day are great options to keep you hydrated. Avoid alcohol, which acts as a diuretic and further dehydrates, as well as sweetened beverages. The jury is still out regarding coffee’s effects on digestion. Some people find it irritates their digestive tract and leads to heartburn, but scientists haven’t found a direct causal effect. Coffee does have a laxative effect for many people and is best consumed in moderation.
Focus on soluble and insoluble fibre
To understand the myriad of ways fibre promotes digestive health, it’s helpful to distinguish between the two types of fibre:
Soluble fiber
As the name suggests, soluble fibre dissolves in water. When it passes through your digestive tract, it provides prebiotic fibre that feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Good sources of soluble fibre include beans, apples, oats, and strawberries.
Insoluble fiber
Because insoluble fibre doesn’t dissolve, it helps provide bulk to stools. Stool volume stimulates your gut wall to propel bowel movements along your digestive tract more easily. This contributes to regularity and that sometimes elusive feeling of complete elimination. Good sources include vegetables like cauliflower, green beans, nuts, and many unprocessed grains.
Your diet should contain both fibre types to promote good digestion, a healthy gut, a robust microbiome, and bowel regularity. To increase your overall fibre intake, increase your consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Numerous ways to sneak more fibre into your diet include leaving the peel on potatoes, adding a handful of nuts to a salad, and sprinkling freshly ground flaxseed on yogurt. However, if you eat a low-fiber diet, be careful not to ramp up your intake too quickly, leading to gas and discomfort. As you introduce increasing amounts of fibre, ensure you’re also drinking more water, as the fibre absorbs a lot.
Choose healthy omega-3 fats
Toss a fiber-rich salad with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, these are much healthier options than packaged dressings. Healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, and nuts help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, so don’t be afraid to add them to a meal. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent inflammatory bowel disorders like Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. Foods high in omega-3 include fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and nuts.
Eat slowly and mindfully
Part of making mealtimes less stressful can mean slowing down. Avoid eating on the go, and try to make a policy of eating while sitting at a table instead of in your car or running to another activity. Turn off the TV and pay attention to the pleasure of a good meal.
Use your senses throughout a meal. The look, taste, smell, and texture of food help prepare your gut for digestion. Food should be enjoyed, after all. Savour every bite instead of absent-mindedly snacking while looking at your phone. You’ll improve digestion by preventing overeating to the point of overloading your stomach and being too full to digest properly.
Reduce your stress
Yes, this is easier said than done. But consider this: Your gut has millions of neurons receiving messages from your brain and sending messages back. When you’re under chronic stress, you’re more vulnerable to stomach ulcers and other upsets. Plus, when you’re stressed, your adrenal glands release more of the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol, which can lead to cramping as the body redirects resources from your intestines to your running and fighting muscles in your arms and legs.
Try to create a calm atmosphere for meals and keep dinner conversation light. Tackle long-term stress by introducing more stress-busting mindfulness activities such as meditation, yoga, or long walks outdoors.
Chew your food well
What’s the rush? When you chew your food, you’re starting the digestive process, so it follows that chewing breaks down your food more thoroughly. Plus, chewing mixes the food with saliva, which contains enzymes that start digesting. Aim to chew your food 20 – 30 times before swallowing to aid digestion. You want the food to become a liquid in your mouth.
Get moving
It’s simple: When you move, your digestive system moves. That might sound overly simplistic, but scientists have found that exercise can improve the rate at which you digest food. The peristalsis process speeds up with the increase in blood flow and the triggering of various movement receptors in your colon, pushing food through the digestive tract at a regular pace.
Exercise also reduces stress, boosts energy, and improves mood and heart health. If you’re doing some sort of impact activity, like jogging, gravity also helps to move food through your gut. Moving stool through your gut faster holds more water in the stool, which keeps it softer and easier to pass, rather than hard and dry stool that is more difficult to pass.
Clean up your habits
You can add “better digestion” to the many reasons to quit smoking and cut down on alcohol consumption. Some smokers feel that smoking helps them stay regular, but like caffeine, that is due to a stimulant effect that can be irritating to your gut. Smoking also greatly increases the risk of acid reflux, peptic ulcers, Crohn’s disease, and cancer of the colon. If this is you, I can work with you to create a health plan to help you cut out smoking – while practicing other good digestion habits – so you won’t feel the need to rely on cigarettes.
Maintain your microbiome
Your digestive tract contains trillions of healthy gut bacteria known as your microbiome. The bacteria in your gut outnumber the cells of your body. Maintaining that microbiome is essential for avoiding digestive problems like gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. A healthy gut microbiome is also necessary for mental health, as your gut is the leading site for producing your happy brain chemical or neurotransmitter, serotonin.
Follow these tips to maintain balanced levels of the right kinds of gut bugs:
- Because your microbiome contains many different types of bacteria, be sure to eat various foods to help sustain them.
- Fermented foods help replenish good bacteria, so choose foods like unsweetened yogurt, kimchi, kefir, tempeh, and sauerkraut when possible.
- Good bacteria help digest some fibres, so following a high-fibre diet stimulates their growth. Research has found that those who consume a low-fibre diet starve off some of their good microbes. Once these bacteria are gone, they don’t necessarily come back even if you switch to a high-fibre diet.
- Probiotic supplements help to maintain a good balance in your gut. Research suggests they’re an effective supplement to reduce the symptoms of existing digestive problems, although they may be less effective at preventing problems.
Don’t let digestive problems hold you back from enjoying life. If you’d like to talk about testing for digestion problems, further strategies to treat gut issues naturally, or want help creating a plan to implement these tips, give me a call!
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