Digestion — the wellness chair

May 30

May 30 Digestion

Great health is built upon a strong foundation. Like any good structure, the foundation has to be solid and supportive to house the day to day activity that goes on. If you want your body to work efficiently, you need to focus on its foundation. Digestion is the body’s primary pillar and it supports the health of your immune system, thyroid, brain, heart and pretty much every organ in your body.

Your digestion starts working the second you look at the food that’s placed in front of you. Your senses begin to play here. Your eyes take a visual picture, while your nose inhales the food’s aroma. This signals the brain to activate the secretion of saliva in your mouth before you’ve even tasted or chewed your food.

Not Enough Acid

The food continues on to your stomach, where acid, a good amount of it, is needed. Without sufficient acid, nutrients don’t get absorbed, food doesn’t get broken down and it stays too long in your stomach. Here, undigested food begins to do one of three things: ferment(not the positive fermentation that happens when you eat fiber and it’s fermented by bacteria in your large intestine), putrefy or rancidify. Ever have bad breath? This is often why.

This lack of sufficient acid begins to destroy the lining of your stomach and the food that sits there eventually starts to leak through the damaged lining into the bloodstream and where it starts to overwhelm the immune system. This doesn’t happen overnight, yet on repetition, this process can initiate food allergies, sensitivities, stress on the liver and large intestine, weaken cells, create inflammation and set up the perfect stage for the onset of chronic disease.

Sounds miserable doesn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be. YOU CAN avoid this or reverse it! If you suspect you are dealing with poor digestion, and if, on a regular basis, you have signs like bloating, gas, reflux, heartburn, food irritation, or acne — start to pay attention. Begin to notice what foods affect you more than others and try avoiding them for awhile.

What Causes Dysbiosis?

Factors that may play a role in throwing your acid balance off are stress, excess carb intake( let’s just call it like it is, SUGAR), excessive alcohol intake, and prescription drugs. This is by no means inclusive, but some of the usual suspects that you should be aware of.

5 Simple Steps to Start Building a Good Digestive Foundation:

Eat when you are calm and relaxed. Take a deep breath if you need to get there.
Chew your food fully and slowly. The smaller the bits of food the more your enzymes can break it down.
Stay hydrated, but try not to drink too much water while you eat. It’s far better to drink a glass of water about 30 minutes before eating and 30 minutes after eating.
Eat nutrient dense whole foods instead of packaged, processed foods.
Try to keep a food journal of what you are eating. You may begin to see patterns in how the food you eat affects the way you feel.