Ten Simple Tips To Improve Your Digestion

The key to optimum digestion is to increase the transit time while obtaining maximum nutrient uptake. The longer the transition time of digestion the higher the chance of fermentation and toxic problems can occur.

By incorporating this list you will give your body a chance to make adjustments naturally and have ideal digestion throughout your system. If you have a digestive disease, please consult your doctor first.

1.) Proper Hydration
It's important to stay hydrated first and foremost for health and easy elimination. Drinking warm liquids aids digestion. Drinking room temperature or lukewarm water first thing in the morning allows the body to become hydrated after sleeping and encourages elimination. Staying hydrated also helps with jet lag when traveling. Trust your body and drink before you are thirsty. If you are thirsty, you are dehydrated. Most people do very well by drinking eight cups per day. Here is a good resource for more information to determine your specific needs: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

2.) Breathing
Breathing is the catalyst for all movement in the body. When we focus on our breathing, especially during and after eating, it aides digestion. Only 10 deeps breaths after each meal is enough to kick start your metabolism and improve your digestion. With your mouth closed, inhale deeply through your nose to a count between 6 - 8 seconds, hold a few seconds. Exhale slowly by doubling your count 12 - 16 seconds and hold at the end for a few seconds.

3.) Add More Leafy Greens
The more greens you have in your diet, the better your digestion will be. Greens have so many benefits! Naturally nutrient rich, greens are also alkalizing. Adding more alkaline foods helps to reduce acid and free radicals which increase aging and disease. Greens are anti-cancer, especially colon cancer. Greens are high in fiber and water which together aid digestion. The best source of leafy greens is organic whole foods. If you travel a lot or for convenience you may want to incorporate green powders and mix with juice and/or water, such as Greens Plus and Green Vibrance.

4.) Have An Apple a Day
Apples promote good digestion, prevent intestinal fermentation, and reduce colon inflammation. Apples contain high levels of water and pectin, a soluble fiber which is highly beneficial to the colon. Apples are beneficial for both diarrhea and constipation. Be sure to eat only organic apples so you can eat the valuable peel where most of the pectin resides. If you buy non-organic apples, be sure to peel them as they usually contain wax which allows even more pesticide residue to cling to the apple. Red apples have more nutrients than any other color. Try eating an apple by itself at least 20 minutes before a meal. You will notice a big difference in your digestion the next day!

5.) Eat Good Fat
Fats lubricate our digestive tract and have many other benefits as well. The best fats are those found in whole, raw foods such as avocados, soaked nuts and seeds, sun-cured olives and young coconuts.

Several seeds worth mentioning for their digestive benefits are hemp, flax and chia seeds. Two oils, even though processed, that are still very good fats are extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil. All other oils are not as stable and have a higher tendency to become rancid. Rancid oil is one of the most toxic foods most people generally ingest. Processing fats, especially with heat, allows the fat to transform into a mirror chemical called trans-fat which our body uses in our cells. These are not stable chemicals and cause our cells to die prematurely. When you see “partially hydrogenated” on labels, companies intentionally force hydrogen into the fat to prolong shelf life and make more money. This is outrageous and causes even more harm to our cells! Partially hydrogenated fat means the substance is primarily made up of trans-fat. The reason companies try to increase the shelf life of fat is because generally the shelf life for fat/oil is so small. Eating rancid oil or fat is a problem but suggesting the cure is partially hydrogenation is not a viable solution.

Coconut oil is stable at room temperature for up to two years! For those who cook with oil, coconut can maintain its structure at higher levels of heat then even olive oil. Coconuts generally get a bad rap from the medical profession. Primarily because most companies who process coconuts do so at high heat which is bad for all fats/oils and allows fats to denature into trans-fats.

Coconut is a saturated fat but does not cause an elevation of cholesterol. In fact, coconuts actually allow our bodies to process other fat more efficiently. Coconut oil is made up of medium chained fatty acids and is the only fat that can readily be digested and enter the Kreb cycle to be metabolized for energy. All other fat has to be thoroughly broken down by the liver before it can be used as energy. There are so many benefits of raw coconut.

6.) When to Eat
Trust your body. Eat when you are really hungry and stop eating before you are full. Over-eating is not good for digestion. The body can handle smaller more frequent meals easier than fewer and larger ones. Eating late at night is harder on the body to digest and can interrupt sleep and the restorative processes. During sleep, we usually aren’t eating so the body is able to go through important maintenance for the organs to be nourished and restored. If we eat late at night we change the priority of the body to take care of digesting food instead of restoring and repairing our organs, tissues and cells.

7.) Food Combining
Fruit is made up of simple sugars that digest much faster than any other food. Fats and proteins digest much slower because of their complex structure. Eating fruit has a cleansing effect and speeds elimination which is a good choice in the morning. Eating fruit either by itself or before a meal is a good start to resolve food combining problems. If you have chronic heart burn or indigestion consider eating fruit separate from protein and fats. You may even want to consider not eating meat and dairy even temporarily, and you might find your digestion improves. Go raw and your food combining issues will be solved.

8.) Exercise
Exercise is another way to help keep your digestion moving. Taking walks after meals stokes the body's metabolism. Moving the body increases breathing, circulation and works muscles which also encourages peristalsis of the digestive track. Peristalsis is the muscle movement that squeezes the “food” along the digestive tract.

9.) Massage
Abdominal massage aids digestion by mimicking muscle movement. The ascending colon, due to gravity, is where most people’s digestion tends to slow down. It's a good idea to massage your belly or abdomen at night before you go to bed and in the morning before you get up. Start at your belly button and rotate clockwise following the natural flow our digestion follows. Start to move your hand a little wider. Focus especially on the right side of your abdomen, your ascending colon, which fights gravity to move things upward to the transverse and travels horizontally right below your diaphragm to your descending colon, which is on the left side of your abdomen. If you feel a place that is tight or increases pressure just hold it until the peristalsis has a chance to engage. This will help stimulate movement through your tract.

10.) Sleep
Keeping a regular schedule allows your body to maintain its important rhythm, which allows optimum digestion. How many hours of sleep does your body require to thrive? Know your body and pay attention to what works for you. Include keeping a regular schedule on the weekends will do wonders for your health and digestion.

Here's to your improved digestion!

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