Four Simple Ways to Improve Your Digestion | WBT January 23, 2022
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WBT… About four things you can start doing today to improve your digestion and gut health!
Yes, this segment is always called we’ve been thinking, but that title has never been more accurate. Gut health is literally ALWAYS on my mind lol.
As someone who’s suffered from ALL the gut health related issues for years, I can’t help but constantly think about it. And the thing is, I know a LOT of you are suffering out there too.
So if, like I used to, you deal with any of these symptoms of poor gut health on a pretty regular basis – brain fog, bloating, gas, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, low energy, acne or other skin issues, anxiety or any other brain health problems – here are some quick tips that have helped me immensely over the years.
Breathe before digging in. Don’t roll your eyes! This tip is seriously life-changing. If you ever eat on the run, in the car, standing up, at your desk at work, or when you’re feeling even a little stressed or flustered, you’re putting your digestion at a disadvantage. The result? Poor absorption of nutrients, for one. But what you’re most likely noticing in the moment? Bloating. Big time.
So, here’s how to fix it: sit down to eat and before digging in, take 3-10 deep breaths. However many it takes to help you relax a little, get your salivary glands kicking in, and your stomach primed to digest the meal you’re about to eat. (Sprinkling in a little gratitude also won’t hurt!)
Stop grazing. This can be tricky, but ONLY if you’re either not eating enough at each meal or not balancing your meals properly. If you’re the type to get bloated and gassy in the afternoon, or you wish you were more regular (ahem 💩), this is super important.
First, focus on getting enough good-quality protein, healthy fat, and fibre at every meal. A good rule of thumb is to eat meals that keep you full for about 3-4 hours, maybe even longer if that feels right for you. So play around with it. Adjust how much you’re eating and the serving sizes of each of those hunger crushers (protein, fat, and fibre). Once you’ve got that figured out, your mission is to not eat in between meals, to give your stomach and GI tract a much-needed break to actually digest your food properly.
Drink water away from meals. This might sound like an old wives tale, but drinking a lot of water with meals can actually put your digestion at a disadvantage. When you drink lots of liquids with meals (which is the only time a lot of people actually remember to drink their water, just saying!) you dilute your stomach acid, which results in poor digestion and absorption of nutrients- not ideal.
Instead, try to drink the majority of your water in between meals. And drinking a few glasses first thing in the morning, before you’ve had any food at all, is an amazing way to wake up your digestive system for the day. So set alarms throughout the day if you have to. And by the way- if you feel like you need a drink with your meal to “wash your food down”, that’s a very good sign that you aren’t chewing enough- which is also a digestion no-no!
Take a good probiotic daily. Taking a good probiotic every single day is a must to repopulate your gut with beneficial bacteria. Otherwise, it’s easy for the bad gut bugs to take over- especially if you eat foods that they love to feed on like gluten, grains, dairy, alcohol, and sugar.
Just remember to start slowly, building up your daily intake gradually, so you don’t exacerbate your digestive symptoms. (Wondering which kind of probiotic to take? There’s only ONE that I recommend. It’s the best on the market, and you can find several reels about it on my @soulaianutrition IG!)
The beauty of these tips? You’ll probably notice that they help right away. (Three cheers for that!) Of course, making long term changes to diet and lifestyle will be necessary if you have a major gut imbalance, but I’m all about the quick fix if it means being able to better enjoy life now.
So give these a try and let me know how it goes for you!