Easy Digestion Tips

Digestion is an extremely complicated process and very nuanced in the way dysfunction presents. Whether it be tied to diet, lifestyle, stress, an autoimmune condition… we must remember that everyone has a different bio-individual health profile and will require individualized support to tailor their specific needs. This is where working with a functional health practitioner like an NTP can be very supportive! This being said, read on for some general digestion tips that can be helpful for anyone.

Digestive distress or dysfunction can manifest as many different symptoms. These can look like obvious, physical symptoms such as:

• Gas

• Bloating

• Constipation

• Heartburn

• Diarrhea

Symptoms tied to digestive issues can also be less obvious, such as:

• Acne, eczema and other skin conditions

• Environmental allergies

• Fatigue

• Hormonal imbalances

• Chronic inflammatory conditions

• Autoimmune disease

• Joint pain

• Mental health challenges

Even if you are following an ideal diet, if your digestive function is not optimal, you might not be actually absorbing all the beneficial nutrients from the food you are eating.

Tips for Improving Digestive Function:

• See and smell your food thoughtfully before your first bite – digestion starts in the brain! Sight and smell trigger our silvery glands to start secreting saliva, which contains digestive enzymes. By experiencing our food via other senses first, our body will begin to get the digestive juices flowing.

• Starting the day off with warm, filtered water, with a pinch of high quality sea salt and a squeeze of lemon can help stimulate bile flow and digestion in the morning

• Practice eating in a parasympathetic state: relaxed, “rest and digest”, mindful, no distractions. Chew your food thoroughly, and don’t eat in a rushed state

• Avoiding consuming large amounts of liquid within 30 minutes of eating (before and after) as this can dilute your stomach acid making digestion more difficult

• At the same time, away from eating windows, make sure you are drinking lots of water throughout the day

• Avoid eating unnecessarily and snacking across the day. When you snack consistently, digestion is always at work. Your migrating motor complex, a crucial part of digestion, is the pattern of physical movement and contractions that take place to help sweep the system of undigested food, bacteria, and other unwanted matter. This can only take place in a fasted state.

• Gentle movement after eating: movement such as walking after eating can not only help regulate your blood sugar, but will also help to physically support movement of your digestive system

• Eat whole foods as much as possible. You can think of ultra processed food as “predigested” so our body has less work to do – digestion of these foods happens much quicker than our bodies are designed for. As these foods are not in the whole food, natural form the way our bodies are meant to receive them, consistently consuming highly processed foods can weaken our own digestive systems over time and disrupt the gut microbiome

Supplemental Support for Digestion

When necessary, additional supplemental support may be beneficial. This may include:

• Digestive bitters: herbs that have a bitter taste when they touch the tongue – they help to initiate the secretion of gastric juice. Common herbs found in bitters:

  • ginger, gentian root, bitter melon, artichoke leaf, burdock root, dandelion, yellow dock

• Digestive enzymes: can be plant based or animal based (glandular). Direct addition of digestive enzymes into GI tract help with the overall breakdown of food and absorption of nutrients.

• Betaine HCl (hydrochloric acid): Can be supportive if you have low stomach acid (HCl). This is a direct replacement of HCl into the stomach, which is a key player of the breakdown, digestion, and absorption of food.

• Ox bile: an animal based supplement, supports the absorption of dietary fat and fat soluble vitamins. Is especially useful for those with gallbladder issues or removal

Below are some herbs and spices that can support digestive function and assist in nutrient absorption:

• Turmeric

• Cinnamon

• Ginger

• Cardamom

• Peppermint

• Slippery elm

• Marshmallow root

• Lemon balm

• Fennel

• Caraway

• Garlic

• Oregano

• Licorice

While these are quick and helpful tips, digestive function is a very nuanced and bio-individual topic, and will present differently among everyone. There are many factors at play when it comes to digestive health, and it is worth working with a practitioner to get to the core cause of your digestive distress if it is ongoing.