People often say, “you are what you eat” but the truth is “you are what you absorb.” Meaning, you can have the healthiest diet of properly prepared, nutrient-dense foods, but you must also be able to adequately break down the nutrients you’re consuming. Without a healthy digestive tract, the body can't uptake the daily nutrition needed to function properly. This can affect energy levels, mood and lead to unhealthy weight levels. Here’s the good news: with a few small lifestyle adjustments, many people can experience a huge shift in the health of their gut.
So how do you know if you’re properly absorbing these nutrients or if your gut is in an unhealthy state?
Signs that point to an unhealthy gut:
belching, gas or bloating after eating a meal
heartburn or acid reflux
skin conditions like eczema
feeling better when you don’t eat
allergies or asthma
sugar cravings
autoimmune disease
poop that is not well-formed or hard/difficult to pass
The root cause of each of these varies a bit, however, each symptom you may be experiencing is a telltale sign that you have digestive dysfunction, aka, an unhealthy gut.
The most common cause of the majority of these issues is low stomach acid, also known as hypochlorhydria. Stomach acid is a vitally important digestive juice that can be easily affected by unhealthy lifestyle practices such as antacid drug use, excess sugar, highly processed foods, chronic overeating, constant snacking between meals, excess alcohol consumption, or nutrient deficiencies, just to name a few.
Let's go back to the good news! There are many things you can do in terms of lifestyle changes to help support your digestive system.
Digestion is a north to south process. Meaning, digestion starts in your brain with the sight and smell of food and ends with the elimination of that food in the form of feces. When it comes to rehabilitating an unhealthy gut, it’s very important to start from a northernmost point. Following these steps in the order they’re presented, will ensure that each part of the digestive system is working optimally, and the organs and systems to follow can rely on the health of the organs before it.
1. Rest to digest. The most important step you can take to improve digestion is to ensure you are in a relaxed state before you eat. Step away from the phone, TV, and any other electronics or distractions. Sit down, take a deep breath, and enjoy your food. By entering into this “rest and digest” mode of your body (called your parasympathetic state) you’re allowing your brain to activate the salivary glands and produce saliva, which begins the digestion process!
2. Chew your food. Aim to chew 20-30 times per bite, or until your food is in a liquid state. Many people find it helpful to put their fork down in between bites to avoid eating too quickly. As you eat, savor the taste, smell, texture, and colors of your food. Remember, your mouth is the physical gateway to the digestive system. The mechanical and chemical breakdown of food takes place here, so when we skip this step it enormously affects the rest of the digestive process. Chewing ineffectively or too quickly allows large particles of food to enter your stomach and intestines, potentially causing digestive stress and dysfunction. Chewing your food thoroughly allows you to absorb more nutrients from your food, helps you maintain a healthy weight, allows for easier digestion, and leads to fewer digestive issues like gas and bloating.
3. Increase stomach acid. Hydrochloric acid promotes digestion and the absorption of many vital nutrients. Unfortunately, with the prevalence of the Standard American Diet and poorly managed stress, this critical digestive component is often negatively affected. Incorporating digestive bitters, raw apple cider vinegar, or even lemon in warm water before a meal will help prepare the digestive tract for digestion and encourage the production of digestive juices and enzymes. Drink LESS fluids with meals! If you are already low in stomach acid and you’re drinking 12oz or more of fluids with a meal, you are substantially diluting the little stomach acid you have! Additionally, following the two steps before this will set the stage for the production of stomach acid.
4. Support bile production. This includes supporting your gallbladder. If you don't have a gallbladder, you likely have a very high need to support your liver and bile. More information on how to support your liver HERE. Read all about liver/gallbladder health and signs that you are not digesting your fats HERE.
5. Gut lining support. Healing the gut lining is the actual “leaky gut” healing piece of the process. Leaky gut is when the walls of your small intestine lining become inflamed and permeable. This permeability allows the contents in your small intestines to leak into your bloodstream and cause a reaction by your body. Your body sees this leakage as a foreign invader and mounts an inflammatory or immune response (or attack). It can be slow and subtle until one day it's not. That's when your symptoms may get louder and more obvious to you. Incorporating collagen or bone broth in your diet are a couple of my favorite options for gut healing.
One of the keys to recovering and healing your body includes healing your gut. When I say, healing your gut, I'm referring primarily to your small intestines. However, your entire GI tract and digestive system all work together, heal together and fall apart together. That shared, your GUT impacts your entire human system. No part of you works in isolation, ever.
And as Hippocrates so wisely said, “All disease begins in the gut."
Whether you’re experiencing one, two, or all eight of the symptoms listed above, following these steps, in order, will provide the ultimate foundation for a healthy gut and optimal functioning digestive system. If you are ready to get more support to start learning how you can become nutritionally wealthy, and turn your surviving into thriving, I invite you to check out my program.Nutritional Therapy is a functional approach to restoring health. The hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA)will help to determine the state of your digestion and how much support you need.
Healthy Blessings, Karri, FNTP
Other reminders: If you need to order supplements, here's the link: FULLSCRIPT. While my dispensary catalog is open for you to search everything offered from Fullscript, if you go to Favorites from the menu, there are categories within Favorites. Favorites are my preferred brands - the brands that meet my quality standards. There is also an autoship option from the main menu, in case you have certain supplements that you would like delivered at a certain frequency.
