10 Tips for Better Digestion, Part 1

In the best of worlds, you are blissfully unaware of your body doing its job of digesting your food. You eat, your body breaks down the food, extracts and absorbs the nutrients, and you poop and pee out the rest. Simple.

Unfortunately, for many people, this is not the norm. You may experience reflux, belching, bloating, pain, constipation, or diarrhea. Pretty unpleasant.

If this is you, you might be experimenting with eliminating certain foods, going gluten-free, intermittent fasting, etc.

Which is good…but have you considered HOW you eat? People tend to focus on the WHAT of eating and often forget the basics of digestive wellness: HOW you eat.

In a world of eating on the fly and multitasking, the Art of Eating has been lost.

1. Relax. If you carry the tension of the day into mealtime, hands down guaranteed you will not digest optimally. Take a moment before beginning to eat to release the tensions of the day. (You can pick them back up after the meal…or not!)

2. Sit down. Eating while standing or walking is not relaxing. Eating while lying down puts you at risk of choking. So sit down while eating.

3. Don’t eat while wearing tight clothes. If your pants are tight and constricting, this inhibits the flow of your food through your digestive system, possibly causing reflux, bloating, or pain. Better to not wear tight clothes, but if fashion demands it, loosen your clothes while eating.

4. Sit up straight. Just as tight pants can prevent good digestion, so can slouching. Your digestive system is basically a complicated tube that starts at your mouth and ends at your anus. Ideally, that tube is not squished or constricted anywhere along the way. Sitting on the couch, and slouching forward to eat off the coffee table could be the source of your digestive discomfort.

5. Just eat. Digesting and assimilating nutrients is a really important job. So give your body the chance to do its job well by not multitasking while eating. Your qi follows your mind, so if you are working while eating, your energy is split and digestion suffers. Listening to music or having good conversation support digestive wellness. Writing a proposal or staring at your phone while eating do not.

That’s Part I of Digestive Wellness Tips - and we haven’t even gotten to the actual act of putting food in your mouth! Eating well is essential and sacred. Take the time this week to integrate these tips. Look for Part II next week.

PS These digestive wellness tips are useful for everyone. If you are navigating life with IBS, Crohn’s disease, SIBO, or other chronic digestive problems, you’ll do well to follow these suggestions, but you will also want the guidance and expertise of our in-house Digestive Wellness expert, Angela Coon, L.Ac. She is available for in-person and telemedicine Digestive Wellness consultations. Contact Energy Matters to set up an appointment with Angela.