Chew your food. This is the number one reason for reflux and digestive upset. Chewing allows for more saliva to be mixed into your food. Saliva contains beneficial bacteria, enzymes for digesting carbohydrates, and appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin. Chewing your food sends signals to the body to prepare it for the types of nutrients it is about to receive; 30–40 times will work wonders. One study found that chewing 40 times (as opposed to 15) helped participants lose weight. More importantly, it is key to starting the gastrointestinal process correctly.
Take time to savor your food. Food is meant to be a pleasure. Relax and take time to enjoy your food. Your stress levels will decrease, and your body will benefit more from the food. Take at least 20 minutes to eat. Longer if you can. It would be good to try for 40 minutes. Relax. Breathe. Your good gut bacteria need the time to sort out what is coming in and send the right signals to the right places. Enjoy.
Eat smaller meals more often – this technique canbe helpful for individuals who are trying to lose weight. It’s also helpful for blood sugar. You have to decide what works best for you. Some people prefer three good solid meals and others prefer five or six smaller meals. What you should never do is eat until you’re full. This stresses the digestive system. Overeating depletes good gut-bacteria levels. Plan to eat until you’re about 80% full. This satisfies appetite, fulfills nutrient needs and reduces the pressure on the digestive system.
Try food sequencing. Eat vegetables first, then the protein and the carbohydrates last. Fruit is consumed alone or can be eaten with the vegetables. Vegetables, especially raw and bitter ones, contain important enzymes that aid in digestion. Eating protein and vegetables before carbohydrates leads to lower post-meal glucose and insulin levels in obese patients with type 2 diabetes, Weill Cornell Medical College researchers found in a new study. This means less impact on your blood sugar. Meat and fish protein need to spend more time in the stomach and require more stomach acid to break down.. By eating these before carbohydrates, they can spend the time they need in the stomach and get broken down properly, which will aid digestion.
Consume salads or fermented foods with meals to aid digestion. These contain enzymes, bacteria and acids that can be helpful.
Don’t drink with meals. Too much liquid dilutes stomach acid and fills the stomach cavity with more volume, which can lead to reflux. It’s similar to eating too much. If a stomach is too full, it doesn’t matter whether it’s from liquid or solid food. You can sip some liquid, such as wine, as it’s a fermented beverage with enzymes that was designed to be sipped with meals. Water can be sipped as well, in small amounts.
Try digestive enzymes and/or probiotic supplements as these can help improve digestion and absorption. Reach out if you need a recommendation.
Determine whether you have a food sensitivity. This is not necessarily permanent and does require gut-health work to fix, but in the short-term, reducing a food sensitivity can temporarily improve digestive and intestinal issues. And this will be beneficial for hormone health. The key is to not make assumptions. Don’t listen to common beliefs about specific foods. We’re all different, and there is nothing worse than pulling out a food because it’s a fad to do so, ultimately complicating your life and causing you more stress (which is bad for digestion and your gut). Instead, keep a food journal. Write down what you eat, the time you eat it and how you feel both physically and emotionally throughout the day. This can help pinpoint how and when you should eat and if any particular food may be bothering you. Keep a food journal for two weeks. Paying attention to how you feel on busy workdays as compared to relaxing days off can be enlightening as well. It can show what stress is doing to you. Consult a nutrition professional for assistance.
A great way to start the day:
Juice of half a lemon or juice of one lime in 8 oz of warm non-chlorinated water. Lemons and limes are prebiotics and this is a great way to start the digestive and intestinal systems off right for the day. 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (if too tart, you can use less) or 2 tbsp unsweetened cranberry juice are two other options – also prebiotic.
Additional beneficial option: Add at least 1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger. Ginger is also good for digestion and intestinal health. With this simple addition to your day, you have already added two foods that are beneficial for gut health. And good gut health is beneficial for good hormone health.
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