Rooted Family Medicine

  • Home
  • Clinics
    • Mission & Vision
  • About the Doctor
    • Reviews
  • Services
  • FAQ's
  • Resources
    • Covid-19 Information
  • Schedule
  • Contact
  • Blog

11/1/2013

Food as Medicine -                                Habits to Support Digestion

0 Comments

Read Now
 
PictureFriends resting in anticipation of Dinner
Discussions around food and nutrition often revolve around what to eat. But what about how we eat? How we eat affects our digestion. This can have long lasting effects on different aspects of our health. 

Why is proper digestion important?
  • Less stomach pain
  • Increased nutrient absorption
  • More energy
  • Less issues in the bathroom

Here are some simple steps that you can take to increase proper digestion:
  1. Smell your food – Smelling your food before eating it causes production of stomach juices and saliva, both of which help break down food properly. Saliva production is especially important because it predigests your food in your mouth before it gets to the stomach allowing for less work for the stomach. 
  2. Chew your food – Try to chew until it is liquid. In grad school we would say 31 times! This is very hard to do but every effort helps. Chewing your food adequately helps breaks it down into smaller particles that make it easier for stomach to break down. 
  3. Eat in a relaxed environment – Try to sit down to eat. Sitting and relaxing helps your increase your parasympathetic tone. The parasympathetic system is about resting and digesting. Resting increases the body's ability to digest. Often we tend to be in a more sympathetic state. The sympathetic system, sometimes considered the opposite of the parasympathetic system, is what allows us to 'run from the tiger'. It shunts blood flow to the muscles and away from the stomach, therefore decreasing digestion. This is why it is important to avoid stressful situations like driving a car while eating.
  4. Avoid eating in front of the television – When you eat in front of the television you are not focused on your food, leading to less chewing. Also, if you are watching "Walking Dead" you are probably stressed out!
  5. Practice Gratitude - This increases your parasympathetic tone and allows for a moment to stop and think before "digging in"! 

Share

0 Comments
Details

    Archives

    March 2021
    August 2020
    September 2015
    February 2015
    September 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety
    Coconut Oil
    Diet
    Digestion
    Food Hygiene
    Herbal Medicine
    Immune Support
    Nutrients
    Recipe
    Sleep
    Weight Loss

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from mrhayata
  • Home
  • Clinics
    • Mission & Vision
  • About the Doctor
    • Reviews
  • Services
  • FAQ's
  • Resources
    • Covid-19 Information
  • Schedule
  • Contact
  • Blog