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Chew On This: Follow These 5 Tips for Naturally Better Digestion

Digestion. It’s something we all have in common, but not everyone experiences optimal digestion. In fact, many people struggle with poor digestion and the tolls it takes both physically as well on your daily life.

Whether you are experiencing stomach aches, indigestion, constipation or any other symptoms of unhealthy digestion, there are natural ways to improve your digestion that don’t require a lot of time, money, or prescription drugs.
 

The average person takes just 23 minutes – in the entire day! – to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to the Alliance for Natural Health.

 
Read on for easy digestion hacks that tackle the psychological and physical problems that often derail our hardworking digestive systems.
 
 

Here Are 5 Tips to Improve Your Digestion:

 

1. Slow Down to Savor

“So often, even when we stop to say a blessing before a meal, we’re mentally preparing to spoon some pasta or potatoes onto our plates,” writes Mary DeTurris Poust in her book Cravings.

“We’re not usually focused on the present moment, simply placing ourselves before our food and entering into the still, slow space where eating is done for eating’s sake and not something we do simply to get to the next thing on our list.”

Great digestion starts before the food hits our stomach. The average person takes just 23 minutes – in the entire day! – to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to the Alliance for Natural Health. That means we’re gulping our meal down and treating everything like fast food.

Pause. Breathe. Slow down and savor each bite, chewing each morsel for approximately 30 chews.

Don’t feel like counting? For many of us, that means we should spend 30-45 mindful minutes at each meal. Our mouths are an integral part of our digestive system, and slow, mindful chewing breaks down our food better, maximizes the power of our digestive enzymes, and triggers the satiety process that lets our brain recognize when we’re full.
 

2. Unleash the Raw Power of Unprocessed Enzymes

Pasteurization, cooking and food manufacturing destroys the natural enzymes in foods that help us to digest and absorb the vitamins, minerals and nutrients in our food. Introduce more raw, unprocessed foods to each meal to rebalance your digestive system.

Looking for the Perfect Healthy, Raw Snack? Try This Vegetarian Bali-Style Rice Paper Rolls Recipe

Additionally, a naturopath or doctor may review our diet and recommend we try digestive enzyme supplements comprised of lactase, amylase, protease, lipase and the many other enzymes that work to process fat, protein and carbohydrates.
 

 
 

3. Take a Chill Pill

“Certain stressful life events have been associated with . . . some of the most common chronic disorders of the digestive system,” reports the international peer-reviewed medical journal Gut.

Our gut and digestion is linked to our nervous system, and when we’re stressed, our digestion slows down and in some cases stops completely so that our body can focus itself on the stressful situation.

Before trying to fix the symptoms of our stress, we should first look at what’s triggering it – a chaotic office schedule, a long commute, a relationship that needs some healthy boundaries – and work on managing the root cause. But life is busy and it’s not always possible to avoid all stress triggers.

When we feel stressed, well-researched relaxation techniques like meditation, tai chi, yoga and guided imagery can help ease away our worries.

Want to try a guided meditation? This Guided Pranayama and Mindfulness Meditation Will Cultivate a Calm and Peaceful Mind (Video)
 

4. Fertilize the Good Guys

By now, many of us have heard about the benefits of beneficial gut bacteria, also known as probiotics. The friendly bacteria assist the break down and absorption of food, reduce bloating and gas, and prevent constipation.

But there’s a missing puzzle piece: prebiotics. Prebiotics are functional foods that work sort of like fertilizer to make our probiotics flourish and grow.

Gut health is key for digestion! Try These 5 Simple Snacks for Optimal Gut Health

Add a prebiotic to each meal to amplify the benefits of the probiotic supplements with certain foods, including fermented foods (yogurt, kim chi, sauerkraut, etc.). Top prebiotics include dandelion greens, garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus and bananas.

Curious about the gut health and digestive benefits of fermented foods? Here Are 5 Major Health Benefits of Eating Fermented Foods (Pass the Kimchi!)
 

5. Hydrate With Gut-Friendly Herbs

Drinking plenty of fluids moves our meal through our digestive tract and prevents constipation. Take your hydration game to the next level with herbal teas that support healthy digestion.

Hydration is key for healthy digestion. Here’s How to Hydrate – and Stay Hydrated – the Ayurvedic Way

Dandelion tea, milk thistle tea, ginger tea and peppermint tea may all help with bile production, digestion, bloating and gas.
 

 
 

You Are On Your Way to Better Digestion With These Natural Tips!

Yogi Bhajan summed up much of this advice by saying, “Before a man eats, four conditions should exist in the environment. If these conditions are not met, then it is better for a man to remain hungry.”

These conditions are: A calm and quiet atmosphere, not eating under mental or physical pressure, properly cooked food made with natural, nourishing ingredients, and last but not least, enough time to eat gracefully.

Are you taking the necessary steps to ensure your digestive system is operating optimally? We all know the adage “You are what eat.” If this is true, then we’re only as healthy as our digestive system.

Eat to your health! Your digestion will thank you.

This article and all included information is not intended as medical advice and does not treat or diagnose. Please consult your doctor for any health or addiction-related questions or concerns.

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Josh Duvauchelle

Josh Duvauchelle is a spirit-conscious health coach and certified personal trainer with a nutrition certificate from Cornell. A commitment to a healthy lifestyle is a tool for spiritual growth, teaching us how to tap into our inner strength to uplift our approach to any challenge, both those inside and outside the gym.

joshduv.com

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