Digestion
Here are some simple suggestions that may improve your digestion:
1. Chew your food! Your stomach does not have teeth. Stomach acid works on a microscopic level. Salivary enzymes must mix thoroughly with all carbohydrates to ensure proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. You cannot extract nutrition from bite-sized pieces of food traveling intact through the delicate tissues of the digestive tract.
2. Water consumption is vital. Divide your weight by two and drink that many ounces of water a day. Not coffee or tea or juice, WATER. Drink half an hour before eating or one to two hours after eating so that you don’t dilute your digestive juices.
3. Consume plenty of fiber, including vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Flax fiber can be added to increase moisture in the stool and thereby soften it. Some people avoid psyllium (the main ingredient in most fiber products) because it may cause gas and bloating.
4. Consider reducing your caffeine intake. Caffeine, like laxatives (including herbal ones) and nicotine, stimulates spasming in the digestive and eliminative tracts, forcing food and waste along too quickly. All of these stimulants create dependency in the body.
5. Reduce your stress! There are as many neurotransmitters in the gut as there are in the brain, responding to all of your emotions. Meditation, yoga, deep breathing, walking and laughing can all improve your digestion. So, breathe, smile, move your body, and enjoy life!
6. Consider taking a digestive enzyme with meals. Enzymes break chemical bonds, releasing nutrients from food. For many reasons, many people produce insufficient enzymes. A product that includes protease (for proteins), amylase and cellulase (for carbohydrates) and lipase (for fats) is a good place to start.
7. If your digestion or elimination doesn’t seem "normal" or "right" to you, learn more about it. Ask questions. Read Gut Solutions by Brenda Watson. There are digestive and eliminative disorders that may be reversible if you are willing to make some changes in your diet or lifestyle.
1. Chew your food! Your stomach does not have teeth. Stomach acid works on a microscopic level. Salivary enzymes must mix thoroughly with all carbohydrates to ensure proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. You cannot extract nutrition from bite-sized pieces of food traveling intact through the delicate tissues of the digestive tract.
2. Water consumption is vital. Divide your weight by two and drink that many ounces of water a day. Not coffee or tea or juice, WATER. Drink half an hour before eating or one to two hours after eating so that you don’t dilute your digestive juices.
3. Consume plenty of fiber, including vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Flax fiber can be added to increase moisture in the stool and thereby soften it. Some people avoid psyllium (the main ingredient in most fiber products) because it may cause gas and bloating.
4. Consider reducing your caffeine intake. Caffeine, like laxatives (including herbal ones) and nicotine, stimulates spasming in the digestive and eliminative tracts, forcing food and waste along too quickly. All of these stimulants create dependency in the body.
5. Reduce your stress! There are as many neurotransmitters in the gut as there are in the brain, responding to all of your emotions. Meditation, yoga, deep breathing, walking and laughing can all improve your digestion. So, breathe, smile, move your body, and enjoy life!
6. Consider taking a digestive enzyme with meals. Enzymes break chemical bonds, releasing nutrients from food. For many reasons, many people produce insufficient enzymes. A product that includes protease (for proteins), amylase and cellulase (for carbohydrates) and lipase (for fats) is a good place to start.
7. If your digestion or elimination doesn’t seem "normal" or "right" to you, learn more about it. Ask questions. Read Gut Solutions by Brenda Watson. There are digestive and eliminative disorders that may be reversible if you are willing to make some changes in your diet or lifestyle.