After eating do you ever get a burning feeling, feel bloated, uncomfortable or even nauseous? These feelings may be due to indigestion. Below are a few suggestions that can help combat those feelings.
Digestion starts as soon as food enters your mouth. Chewing food well helps to break it down. This also helps the digestive enzymes in your stomach work more efficiently.
Don’t rush when you eat. Try this little experiment I give my clients from time to time….Try putting down your knife and fork, sit on your hands, do not lift your knife and fork again until every bit is gone from your mouth! You’ll be amazed how much less you eat and how full you feel.
Try not to eat at your desk, turn off the TV and put away your phone. Be mindful when eating.
Eating too much puts extra pressure on your stomach and its ability to digest and breakdown your meal. Being conscious of how you are feeling when you are eating. Often we get so used to overeating that we do not even notice that we are full.
I remember seeing an experiment Paul McKenna did with a group of people. He took them into a café and gave them a full fry. He asked them to stop eating when they were full. The following day he did the same again, but he blind folded them. They ate much slower and much less. The first day hardly anyone left anything on their plate and said they were ‘satisfied’. They second day not one person finished it! They said they were ‘stuffed’!
You may think that indigestion is caused by too much acid in your stomach. However, too little acid in your stomach and long periods of digestion can cause a build-up of pressure in your stomach. This can put extra strain on your oesophageal sphincter, allowing what little stomach acid you have to come back up. Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in water between meals is perfect for helping with this!
How to take apple cider vinegar….dilute a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a cup of water or tea, and drink before a meal. This will also combat constipation, since the vinegar stimulates digestive juices that help your body breakdown food.
Water is very important for healthy digestion. Water helps digest your food and it is also essential for allowing your body to absorb essential nutrients. The key to drinking water to help digestion is to drink between meals not so much during. Water helps to dilute the acid which is essential for optimal digestion. I have tested all the main bottles of water you can buy and Evian is the best.
Your gut is full of many different types of bacteria, good and bad. Digestive problems can occur when you get the wrong balance of bacteria. Good bacteria helps to produce vitamins and short chain fatty acids. They are essential for aiding digestion, warding off infection and reducing inflammation in your body. Make sure you take a good quality probiotic or eat lots of fermented foods such as yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir. Although they aren’t that easy got! So I always take a probiotic supplement each morning. If you would like help on choosing a good probiotic let me know. I can also get a discount on most supplements. Good quality bone broth is another excellent way to help nourish and grow good bacteria. There are lots of recipes online.
Keep your liver healthy and your digestion will also benefit. Eat lots of green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, beetroot and carrot. Plus bitters such as rocket are also great for your liver. Try juicing these or put into a smoothie for breakfast the odd morning. You could also try dandelion root tea is a wonderful liver health tonic, and is also great for improving your digestion.
Stress can play havoc on your digestion. Make sure that you do something every day that you enjoy. Take some time to wind down and relax. You could try meditation, reading, walking, yoga or pilates. Do something that makes you feel happy. My favourite things to wind down are going for a walk on the beach, listening to a health/fitness/wellbeing podcast or doing some Pilates. I take time out every day for myself. Even it is only 5 minutes! Since starting to do this about 2 years ago I have found a real sense of calmness.
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