Ten things you should know and do to keep your digestion up to scratch..
Always eat when you are relaxed.. eating on the go or whilst you are stressed shuts down digestion and prevents proper absorption of nutrients.
Take some deep breaths before you start your meal this will help you to get into a state of 'rest and digest' also known as the parasympathetic nervous state to support digestion of food.
Chew on some bitter foods before your meal to activate digestive enzymes and stomach acid. This will help break down food whilst eating. Watercress, radish, arugula, dandelion are all good options.
Chew really well until there are no more lumps and the food is a very soft consistency. This will help the body to extract nutrients and prevent reactions from the immune system.
Put your knife and fork down in between mouthfuls to prevent rushing your food.
Chat with friends or family during the meal to continue being in a relaxed state for optimal digestion.
Don't drink large quantities of water immediately before or during the meal as this can dilute the stomach acid that we need to break down proteins and absorb vitamins and minerals.
Allow plenty of time to digest your food fully before going to bed this helps to prevent any reflux. 3-4 hours before bed is ideal.
Aim to eat 30+ different types of plant fibres per week. This will give your good gut bacteria food for your optimal health.
Eat a healthy source of FAT (olive oil, avocado, nuts & seeds, oily fish, etc), PROTEIN (meat, poultry, fish, tofu, eggs, nuts and seeds,etc) and FIBRE (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc) at each meal to keep your blood sugar balanced for better sleep, energy, satiety and many more benefits.
