Digestion: how to optimize it.

In my last post, we covered what is poor digestion and what can go wrong. Good digestion is vital for good health. Therefore if there is poor digestion, we will begin to see dysfunction in other areas of our body. Thankfully there are few simple tips to improve digestion you can try today at home.

4 Tips to improve digestion:

1. Breathe! Take a moment before you eat to take a few deep breaths, show gratitude or say a prayer of thanks for your food. Studies have shown meditation can improve digestion function.

2. Chew your food. Better chewing leads to smaller food particle size and increase absorption of nutrients. It can therefore, work to alleviate digestive issues in the stomach and intestine.

3. Increase bitter, tangy and sour foods. You may have heard that taking diluted apple cider vinegar or lemon juice can help reduce digestive issues. It’s true! Stimulating the senses and engaging the digestive system, bitter foods have long been valued for a unique ability to cleanse the body and build vitality. Digestive bitters are herbal combinations that support digestive function by stimulating the production of stomach acid, bile and enzymes to breakdown food and assist in the absorption of nutrients.

4. Add fermented foods. Fermenting is natural, ancestral method of food preservation but also can be a great source of beneficial bacteria and yeast (probiotics), vitamins and enzymes. Science has associated probiotics with a variety of health benefits such as, improved digestion, better immunity and even increased weight loss. Great fermented foods to try are kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, beet kvass, miso and kimchi.

Start with small for better health 

 Whether you are experiencing a little or a lot of poor digestion, you can see improvement in with a few simple changes. Also, it is important to remember digestion starts to the ‘north.’ In other words, working to improve our habits from the top down will yield the best success in alleviating many digestive issues. In conclusion, as your body is able to better use the fuel and nutrients as intended, you will experience improved health and vitality.