Inside: Our Guts, Digestion, and Immunity

Let’s talk about our insides, specifically our digestion, gut and microbiome and how we can improve our gut health and immunity!

We can help our digestion become a well-oiled machine in a few simple ways.

Here are 5 Ways to Improve Digestion

Deep breathing

Optimal digestion starts in the brain when our body is in a calm state.

Starting meals with 3-5 rounds of deep breathing is a great way to transition your brain into the “rest and digest” Parasympathetic nervous system to optimize digestion.

Cook + Smell

Cooking and smelling food actually stimulates digestive secretions as the brain triggers the body to prepare for the meal.

Digestive Bitters

Digestive bitters help prime the digestive system for the influx of food.

Chew

Did you know its ideal to chew your food about 30 times before swallowing? This begins the digestion process by breaking your food down. 

Stick to a Schedule

Digestion take a lot of energy for the body, so we want to make the process worth it! Aim to eat meals around the same timeframe each day that are full of protein, healthy fat and fiber to keep you satisfied and your blood sugar stable. Also, it is best to stop eating about three hours before bed so that our digestive system can break down dinner before we enter sleep mode.

Did you know our gut is also called our "Second Brain"?

Inside our GI tract are 100 trillion microorganisms, a community including bacteria, fungi and viruses that make up our microbiome.  We have about the same number of microorganisms in our gut (mostly in the large intestine) as we do human cells in our entire body. 

These microbiomes influence everything from our appetite, metabolism, and weight, to our mood and wellbeing. They differ greatly from person to person, depending on lifestyle and diet.  Further, the standard american diet of highly processed, high sugar, low fiber foods severely alters our gut bacteria and contributes to the obesity epidemic. 

Food is so powerful!  There are foods we can eat to help support the overall health of our gut.  

Here are some of the best foods for our gut: 

• yogurt

• garlic

• kefir

• miso 

• ginger

• sauerkraut

• kimchi

• sourdough

• almonds

• kombucha

Even more impressive, our gut is home to over 75% of our Immune System!

The beneficial bacteria in our gut support our immunity in powerful ways.  They communicate with our bodies to sound the alarm when defenses are needed to help keep our body in balance.  These "good bugs" fight harmful substances that enter our bodies by detoxifying them and eliminating them. 

The bottom line: Supporting digestion and healthy gut bacteria with nutritious foods is one of the most important things we can do to improve our health!

>>> Tell me below: What tip will you commit to or find most interesting?