By When I say how we eat, I am talking about our behaviors before, during, and after meal times. The health of our mealtime habits can determine if we experience digestive symptoms or not. This is because digestion doesn’t start in the mouth. It starts in the brain.
Our brain and gut are connected by the enteric nervous system6. When this system is in a rested state (rest and digest), the brain signals to the gut that it is ready to digest food. If the nervous system is in a stressed state (fight or flight), the brain signals to the body that it must prioritize survival. This can disrupt digestion and lead to uncomfortable symptoms after eating.
The beautiful thing is that we have the ability to help guide our nervous system out of the stressed fight or flight mode and into rest and digest mode using a few key lifestyle strategies. Try out this three-step relaxation plan before your next meal to improve digestion in mere minutes. Build these strategies into your daily routine to experience smoother digestion and improved gut health over time.
Step 1: Set up your environment.
If we try to eat while multitasking, answering stressful emails, watching TV, etc., our bodies cannot completely prioritize digestion. In my practice, I’ve found that these distractions can lead to uncomfortable post-meal digestive symptoms. We have to make sure our bodies and environment are calm and focused on the food in front of us before we even start to eat. Here’s how to set the scene for drama-free digestion:
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Step 2: Do a mealtime check-in.
Check in with yourself during your meal: Are you racing through your food, barely chewing, chugging water, and never putting down your fork? The habits we have during meals impact how we feel after and can lead to burping, bloating, gas, and other gut symptoms. Focus on how you are eating by checking in on these key habits throughout mealtime:
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Step 3: Be thoughtful about meal timing.
Finally, the timing of your meals influences digestion. The goal is to give your gut and brain enough time to communicate hunger and satiety signals. Here’s how:
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The takeaway.
In my practice, I find the most overlooked aspect of digestive health is how we eat. If you are struggling with digestive symptoms or just looking to optimize your gut health, focus on these three steps. Implementing just some of these strategies in your day-to-day can help ease frustrating digestive symptoms–and provide some much-needed stress relief at the same time.
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