8 Easy Ways to Improve Digestion & Gut Health
Written By Karina Jackson
1. Chew Your Food. A LOT
You should be chewing each bite about 30-40 times. Of course the number will vary depending on the food but either way, the consistency should be that of baby puree. If you're eating with others, you could count in your head and no one would ever know. Or you could share this fact and help others learn about digestion too!
2. Interact With Your Food
Digestion starts in the brain. More specifically, it starts with your five senses. When you hear a sizzle, or you smell its yummy flavor, those sensations send signals through the body letting it know it’s time to start the digestive process.
3. Sit Down, and Relax
Unfortunately this means no tv, phone, work emails, or even reading a book. Truthfully, you shouldn't be doing anything while eating except well, eating. Your brain might be able to multitask but your digestive system is notorious for sucking at this. As a result of distracted eating, you're more likely to overeat. This could lead to undigested food, a lack of nutrient absorption, high blood pressure, diabetes, and unhealthy weight gain.
4. Put the Fork Down After Every Bite
Trust me this works. It really slows you down so that you might feel fuller faster
5. Eat Collagen Producing Foods
Even this came as a shock to me, but collagen is INCREDIBLE at improving gut health. Without getting too scientific, collagen heals the gut lining, promotes stomach acid production, helps break down your food, and leads to better nutrient absorption. Collagen is also beneficial to those with conditions like crohn's disease, colitis, celiac disease, and IBS.
Examples of collagen producing foods include…
Bone broth
Chicken
Fish skin, head, and eyes
Egg whites
Vitamin C & Zinc
Leafy Greens
6. Don’t wait till you’re starving to eat
By doing this you could overeat, store fat since your body goes into survival mode, make unhealthier food choices, and your hunger hormones could be extremely out of whack if you often wait till you're starving to eat.
7. Start a Food Journal
And I don’t mean to count calories. Just writing what you eat, how much you eat, and what time you eat could have many benefits.
you’re visually able to see if there is too much or too little of something in your diet
You could see a pattern in what is causing symptoms (gas/bloating/acid reflux/etc.)
8. Walk After Eating
This is actually my favorite piece of advice and has been an absolute game changer for me. After I finish a meal, I'll wait about 15 minutes before walking my dog. This helps improve digestion, promote healthy weight loss, reduce the risk of heart disease, and regulates blood sugar/ blood pressure.