You are what you ABSORB.

Understanding the Digestive Process for Better Health

As the saying goes, "you are what you eat". But for many people, even when they're eating what is considered "healthy" food, they may not feel great. They may experience symptoms like fatigue, bloating, gas, brain fog, joint pain, headaches, reflux, abdominal discomfort, constipation, or diarrhea, while others who eat the same food feel fantastic. One possible reason for this discrepancy is how well the body is able to digest and absorb nutrients from the food we eat. 

In this 3-part series, we will explore the factors that can impact our digestion and how it impacts our overall health and well-being. Understanding the digestive process and its connection to other systems in the body can help us optimize our nutrition and alleviate digestive issues.

The Digestive Process

The digestive process is like a symphony that involves many players, including the brain, mouth, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and large intestine.

Each of these components plays a crucial role in breaking down food and absorbing its nutrients. When one component of the digestive process is disrupted, it can negatively affect the entire process.

Imbalances in Digestion

Within the GI tract itself, symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, gas, and bloating can all be signs that something is amiss with your digestion.

These symptoms may indicate issues such as inflammation, gut dysbiosis (an imbalance of gut bacteria), food intolerances, or other digestive disorders. If left unaddressed, these issues can not only cause discomfort but also impact overall health and well-being.

Outside the GI tract, digestion can manifest in various symptoms that may seem unrelated at first. Hormonal imbalances, fatigue, skin issues, headaches, and more can all be signs that your body is struggling to digest and absorb nutrients from food and/or the foods themselves may be causing inflammation. This is because the nutrients we get from food are essential for various bodily functions, including hormone production, energy production, and skin health, among others. When digestion is compromised, these functions can be affected, leading to a range of symptoms.  Therefore, taking steps to optimize digestion can have a ripple effect on overall health and well-being.

The Brain-Gut Connection

The first phase of digestion actually starts in the brain, before we even take a bite of food.

The thought, memory, smell, or sight of food triggers a signal from the brain to the gut, initiating the digestive process. This is why our mouth waters when we think about or see delicious food, even before we start eating.

One way to support this is by cleaning up our eating hygiene.

The Importance of Eating Hygiene

How we eat also plays a significant role in digestion. Many of us eat on the go, while standing, driving, or watching TV, without paying much attention to our food. However, practicing good eating hygiene can greatly improve digestion.

Consider the following questions:

• Where are you eating your food - the car, while working, etc?

• Do you pay attention to the colors, smell, and sound of your food?

• Do you chew your food thoroughly?

• How fast do you eat?

• Do you truly taste and savor your food?

• Are you stressed during mealtimes?

These fundamental aspects of eating hygiene are the first step in the digestive process. While it may be challenging to slow down in today's fast-paced world, prioritizing mindful eating can help prevent digestive issues and promote better overall health.  Start with an assessment of your eating hygiene and see where you can create a more mindful mealtime to improve your digestion.

Summary

Starting to take steps with a top down approach from the mind and the mouth can get us started on the path to optimizing our digestion and absorption. If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, trust me, I get it and I’m here to help!

You can schedule a free 20-minute consultation with me HERE to ditch the overwhelm and learn how to get started!

In part 2 of this series we will explore some things that impact our digestion that we may not realize are even playing a role - stay tuned!