Do you feel like your digestion is sluggish? Are you often feeling full and bloated after eating or have slow transit time (yes, I am talking about poop!)? You may need to give your digestion a boost.

Here are some tips to kickstart digestion:

• Exercise: Strong muscle tone around the abdominal area helps move food through our digestive tract. Increasing exercise can improve digestion even if you don’t change your diet. Find ways to move! Take the stairs, do some crunches while watching tv, take a family hike or bike ride or start your day with a morning walk.

• Chew your food: Something simple like taking smaller bites and chewing your food more can greatly help with digestion. Saliva contains a lot of digestive enzymes and when it mixes with food with aides in digestion. Slow down and savor your food.

• Boost stomach acid: Heartburn, burping, gas, fatigue, headaches, and many more can all be a result of low stomach acid. Naturally increase stomach acid by adding freshly squeezed lemon juice to your morning tea or to warm water or drink one tablespoon of raw fermented apple cider vinegar with water each morning. 

• Drink water: Water is particularly important for proper digestion. The stomach needs water to maintain the health of the mucosal lining, which supports the small intestine bacteria for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. When the digestive system does not get enough water it can result in ulcers, indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux, brain fog and constipation. Men need 3 liters of fluid a day and woman require 2 liters. 

• Choose whole foods: Processed foods can be challenging for the body to digest. Your body must supply its own energy and nutrients for processed foods to metabolize. Eating whole foods like organic meats, wild fish, mostly organic fruit and vegetables, and whole grains are easier to digest and supplies your body with adequate nutrients. 

• Stop eating when you are full: Overeating any food puts stress on the digestive system and can affect the rate of digestion. When you overeat, the body must expend extra energy to digest which stresses the system, and the body tries to use too many nutrients at once. Practice eating smaller meals and notice fullness cues and stop eating when your almost full. 

When our food is not digesting properly it can leave you feeling gassy, bloated, overly full and the nutrients are not being properly absorbed. These simple additions to your routine can greatly improve your digestion and help you feel better!!!

Recipe

8 oz warm water

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp raw honey

Mix together and drink on an empty stomach.