Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAC, CNC, CITP

Digestion Tips that Aren't Hard to Swallow

You are what you eat, according to the old adage. But, I think "you are what you digest" is an important addition to the saying. After all, what you eat and digest will become the building blocks of every cell in your body.

Digestion 101
Digestion begins in the mouth. The act of chewing stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, both in the mouth as well as lower in the digestive tract. The saliva in the mouth contains an enzyme called amylase that starts the digestion of starchy foods like pasta, rice, potatoes, or bread. Your mother may have told you to "chew your food well"-she was right. Foods need time to mingle with this enzyme to be properly broken down. If you gulp your food down quickly you are missing a vital stage of the digestion process.

Once you swallow, the food travels down a tube known as the esophagus to the stomach. The stomach secretes a powerful acid that starts the digestion of protein-based foods like meat, fish, legumes, dairy products, nuts and seeds. This acid is so powerful that it would burn a hole through your skin if it were located anywhere but the stomach. The stomach contains a thick coat of mucus that acts as a barrier.

After food leaves the stomach, it passes into the small intestine, where other digestive enzymes help break it down further. The pancreas secretes many enzymes into the small intestine to aid in the digestive process. The gall bladder secretes bile-a digestive juice produced by the liver-into the small intestines to assist with fat digestion. Nutrients are absorbed through the lining of the small intestine.

Then, the remaining food is passed down to the large intestine. At this point, the waste matter is mostly liquid. The water passes through the wall of the large intestine to be absorbed by the body. The remaining waste product of the food is then eliminated.

The food molecules that are absorbed through the intestinal walls are transferred to the liver by the bloodstream. There, some food molecules are broken down further while others are converted into fuel that can be stored by the body.

Causes of Poor Digestion:

1) Failure to chew food properly-this is usually caused by eating too quickly. Because the rest of the digestive system depends on food being properly chewed, inadequate chewing may result in indigestion or other uncomfortable symptoms later.

2) Drinking large amounts of fluids with meals-drinking too much at mealtimes dilutes the digestive secretions thereby reducing their efficiency. When food has been adequately broken down by the acid medium in the stomach, the stomach becomes slightly less acidic. This is a signal the body uses to inform the stomach that its job is done. Drinking with meals can improperly "trick" the stomach into "thinking" it has finished digestion because the fluids dilute the acid. This makes the stomach dump the food prematurely into the small intestines. The small intestines cannot perform the work of the stomach. Only the stomach can do the stomach's work.

3) Eating large and/or complex meals-the digestive system was not designed for many of the heavy and complex meals we eat. The larger the meal, the less likely the body can digest it properly. Also, consider what you may have learned in high school chemistry. Because proteins require an acid medium and carbohydrates (starches) require an alkaline medium for digestion, mixing the two can neutralize the digestive juices required for each. The result: inadequate digestion.

4) Stress-emotional or mental stress impairs the function of the digestive system. That is why it is best not to eat when you are upset.

5) Late meals-because digestive processes lessen in the later part of the day, eating late can ensure that the body does not adequately digest meals. Some of the main problems with eating late include: weight gain, gas heartburn, indigestion, and bloating.

6) Low stomach acid and/or digestive secretions-as we age, we tend to produce fewer digestive enzymes and less hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This inadequacy results in improper digestion or digestive problems, along with other health concerns such as allergies, flatulence, weight gain, and nutrient deficiencies.

7) Overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the intestines-harmful bacteria overgrowth impedes the healthy flora that are needed in the intestines to ensure proper nutrient absorption from food.

Tips to Improve Your Digestion:

It need not be difficult to improve your digestion. The overall health results of making a few changes to how, when, and what you eat will astound you. Not only will you have less indigestion, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, or other digestive difficulties, you'll also find other negative symptoms improve. The reason is simple: you'll absorb more nutrients from your food and fewer waste products into your bloodstream.

1. Chew, chew, chew your food. Then, chew it more.

2. Don't drink with meals. Or, if you have supplements to take with meals, drink a small amount of water.

3. Simplify your meals. Stop eating protein foods with carbohydrates at the same meal.

4. Don't eat when you are stressed. If you are always stressed, learn some stress-management techniques.

5. Eat prior to 7:00 or 7:30. That gives your body time to digest foods thoroughly. That also means no late-night snacks.

6. There are two ways to increase the amount of digestive enzymes you have. Supplement with a full-spectrum digestive enzyme product. It should contain a wide range of enzymes since each one serves a unique purpose. For example, lipase aids fat digestion, protease aids protein digestion, amylase assists with carbohydrate digestion, lactase assists with digestion of dairy sugars, cellulase and hemicellulase assist with breaking down plant fibre. Ideally, you should get all of these enzymes in a supplement. Always take a digestive enzyme product with each meal. The other way to get more enzymes and to aid digestion is to eat raw foods with every meal. Raw foods contain enzymes that are destroyed by cooking, canning, processing, or pasteurising food at temperatures over 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Raw foods help lessen the toll on your digestive enzymes. I recommend eating a large salad at every meal. Vary the types and ingredients to get a wide range of nutrients and enzymes.

7. To help replenish healthy intestinal flora (thereby killing off harmful ones), supplement with a probiotic formula that contains a range of intestinal flora such as lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidus. By regulating intestinal flora, you will also regulate bowel movements. This is critical to great health since waste products that pass through the intestines slowly pass through the walls of the intestine and are absorbed by the blood.

You are what you eat and what you digest. By improving your digestion, you'll be making big strides to improve your overall health. Your body will thank you in the form of fewer problems with digestion, greater energy, and weight normalization.