When it comes to improving your digestion, the first question that comes to mind for most people is “what should I eat?”.
The truth is how you eat has a profound effect on your digestion.
Digestion is essentially the process of extracting useful nutrients from food to fuel our survival needs and help us function optimally.
In this process, our eating behaviours can influence the biochemical expression of enzymes, the mechanical breakdown of tougher fibres and macronutrients, and the brain-gut connection.
You’ll see that the way we consume food can be a great place to start to begin building robust digestion since it requires no financial investment or equipment, all it takes is mindfulness.
3 eating behaviours that promote better digestion:
1, Chew each bite 25x
The mouth is the first mechanical step in breaking down food.
The goal here is to turn solid food into an almost-liquid mush and to thoroughly coat each bite with salivary amylase, a carbohydrate digestive enzyme found in your saliva.
Enzymes are chemical assistants that help reduce nutrient molecules to their smallest, most absorbable forms.
And chewing 25 times gives you a good reference point for how finely ground each bite of food should be before you swallow it down your esophagus and into the stomach.
If you take smaller bites, you are more likely to easily and completely do the above. Bigger bites can also lead to swallowing more air, which can cause uncomfortable bloating.
2, Finish eating 3 hours before bedtime
So we just talked about the “rest and digest” nervous system state, but it’s important to note that this does not apply when you are sleeping. Digestion is slowed down almost to a halt when you are snoozing.
This means if you eat a big meal right before bed, you’re likely to wake up still full - as the meal hasn’t progressed through your G.I. tract, yet.
When food sits in your stomach and G.I. tract overnight, it can lead to degradation in nutritional value as well as more gas production and bloating from the nutrients in your meal fermenting and oxidizing.
3, Minimize stress or technological distractions at meal times
The brain-gut connection is a super fascinating area of study in digestion as it explores the bidirectional interactions between your brain and gut. They inform and influence each other all day long.
For this reason, when you are present and focused on what you’re eating, and how you’re eating, the brain can help interpret your satiety levels and manage your appetite accordingly. In other words, we’re more likely to overeat when we’re not focused on the task at hand.
I personally really relish the time I have to enjoy a meal without my laptop, phone, or TV. It’s me-time and I notice myself feeling full sooner than if I were to multitask at meal times.
So, there you have it! Three simple, very actionable tips that you can start pretty much with your next meal or snack. Taking care of your digestion is such a valuable act of self-care.
And if you want to go the extra mile, why not add some R’s KOSO to your day for the digestive support. It’s a fermented Japanese drink that has a plum-like flavour. I usually dissolve a teaspoon of it into the water and enjoy it with my meals. The probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics in this drink boost your gut flora and support digestion.
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