5 Steps to improve your digestion now

As a nutritionist, the number one thing I hear from clients is ‘I suffer from bloating.’ Bloating
can be a side effect of food sensitivities, intolerances, an imbalance in stomach acid levels,
intestinal growth and poor diet choices but most day to day bloating can be improved by a
few simple changes to enhance your gut microbiota and digestive efficiency. No expensive
products or vigorous methods needed.

If you are someone who suffers from regular bloating, make these 5 changes today to see
how much your symptoms have improved in a week.

1. Sit down to eat

If you are eating on the run your body has too many mechanical processes to think
about and digestion can take a back seat. When your running to your next appointment,
meeting or eating in the car – you are most likely in Sympathetic Nervous System
Dominance, this is because your body is moving, your mind is thinking about what is
coming up and all the things that you must get done that day. When you are in SNS
Dominance your bodies Parasympathetic Nervous System is unable to function
optimally- this is our rest and digest. if you are eating on the run, or under stress it
doesn’t matter how clean, fresh or organic you are eating, the food you are consuming
will be unable to be broken down, nutrients may not be absorbed, digestion comes to a
stop and food can ferment on our colon wall. Which can then lead to several more
digestion problems such as candida and IBS.

2. Eat Mindfully

Put your phone down, stop starting at the TV, use a knife and fork, breath, take your
time and eat. It really is that simple, eat slowly, enjoy your food and be present when
you are eating. Looking at your phone or the TV while eating can take your mind away
from resting and digesting, This is where once again our digestion can become
compromised, we overeat, and we also experience more cravings, nutrients aren’t being
absorbed and our body hasn’t recognised that we have eaten.

3. Have a ginger tea before meals

Ginger tea helps to stimulate stomach acid. It stimulates bile, saliva and gastic juices.
Having a ginger tea approximately half an hour before a main meal can aid in
smoother digestion.

4. Add Psyllium husk into your diet

Psyllium husk is a fibre that can act like a brush along your colon wall, helping to eliminate
any built-up waste and efficiently digest anything that may be stagnant. Adding some
Psyllium husk into a smoothie, juice or sprinkled within a salad can help assist digestion and
bloating.

5. CHEW!!

Next time you sit down to eat pay attention to how you chew your food. Are you taking a few chomps and then one hell of a gulp of are you chewing your food until you have a mouthful of soup. Digestion starts in the mouth. The more you chew your food, the more of a chance you have to enjoy it. Plus the more you chew your food the more of a chance you have to give your body seamless, simple digestion with maximum amount of nutrients absorbed. SO CHEW!