*This post is in partnership with Pascoe Canada.
Improving digestion naturally is one of the first steps many are wanting to address. How we digest our food is the foundation of our health. Without proper digestion, our food would just sit in our stomach and would not have the ability to properly break the food down and extract the nutrients to feed and fuel the cells. The main point of digestion is to break down the food you are consuming so it can feed the body vitamins, minerals and proteins.
Nutritional deficiencies can occur when the body is not properly breaking down food. Weak digestion can also allow for an open door for pathogens and gut infections.
One of the main reasons for weak digestion is low stomach acid. When stomach acid is too low, it allows unpleasant bacteria and candida to overgrow. When they invade the body, this can inhibit nutrient absorption even more as they like to take your nutrients to fuel themselves.
It is often thought that if someone has heartburn, reflux, indigestion or GERD, they have too much stomach acid. However, it usually means the opposite!
These are signs that someone does not have enough stomach acid. When this happens, the stomach is not able to break down food properly which leads to fermentation and gas.
Taking an antacid is a Band-Aid solution to the problem and only masks the symptoms and does not get to the root cause. In the long run, antacids can make matters worse.
Here are 5 Ways to Optimize Digestion:
1. Sleep: One of the reasons that sleep is considered so important is that it allows your body time to rest and repair. Sleep gives you a chance to replenish your energy levels which are essential for your digestive system to function properly. Without an adequate supply of energy, your digestive system won’t be able to break down your food as efficiently.
To optimize sleep, use blue-blocking glasses when using electronics in the evening. Having a bedtime routine can help to remind the body when it is time to go to sleep. A weighted blanket can also be helpful if you feel anxious before bed.
2. Tongue Cleaning: Tongue scraping is a way to practice oral hygiene that removes bacteria, food debris, fungi, toxins, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue. Using mouthwash for bad breath is like putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg. Bad breath can be a signal of some sort of infection: H. pylori, chronic tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis, or digestive dysbiosis (bad bacteria or fungi (candida). Other contributors can include low HCL levels (stomach acid), GERD, poor flora and constipation. As we sleep, our digestive system works hard to remove toxins from our body and deposits them onto the surface of our tongue.
Scraping these toxins off of our tongue as soon as we wake up can help to prevent us from reabsorbing the toxins. If we reabsorb the toxins, it can lower our immune system and leave us with digestive troubles.
As we remove the toxins from our mouth, we are also activating saliva production which will help to aid in digestion as it creates digestive enzymes. Removing the bacteria also helps to prevent the bacteria from going back into our digestive system.
3. Chew your food to a paste
Many forget to properly chew their food during meals. The average number of times a person chews their food before swallowing is three times. This is not enough for proper digestion. How we chew our food has a huge impact on digestion. Chewing our food properly will also help the body to properly absorb nutrients.
Digestion begins before food even enters the mouth. The smell and appearance of the food allow for saliva to increase which is crucial for digestion. When we chew our food, it will send signals to the brain to alert it to begin digesting food.
4. De-stress
When our stress response is constantly being triggered, digestion usually takes a hit and stops working properly. You see, stress causes a fight or flight response within the body. Your body is too busy trying to “survive” that it forgets about good digestion.
Our body is not capable of knowing the difference between being chased by a psycho versus the first day on a new job or sitting in traffic dealing with road rage.
Stress is always stress and our body’s response will remain the same.
This is what happens when your body is in a state of chronic stress.
- Stress can increase and decrease gut motility which results in IBS symptoms (constipation/diarrhea). This then results in malabsorption.
- Stress can alter the ratio of good and bad bacteria in the gut causing you to be more prone to illness.
- Stress causes inflammation in the gut and can lead to leaky gut (tiny holes in the lining of the digestive tract and allows toxins to move into the bloodstream leading to skin issues, hormonal imbalance, autoimmunity etc.
- Chronic stress decreases stomach acid which inhibits the absorption of essential nutrients.
How can we address stress?
- Practice saying no
- Remove all distractions and put the body in a calm state before eating
- Take a break from social media and the news if it is triggering you
- Set boundaries with friends and family
- Pencil time in for yourself
- Talk to a professional if need be
5. Herbal Digestive Bitter
One area that I struggled with for many years was chronic bloating. Bloating can be painful, uncomfortable and embarrassing.
There are several causes for bloating but common causes can be a lack of stomach acid, bile and pancreatic enzymes. These are essential for breaking food down. If the food does not break down, bacteria ferment causing gas and bloating.
Many individuals have low stomach acid and this can make them more susceptible to parasites and bad bacteria in the gut.
Pascoe Canada’s Amara blend is a herbal digestive bitter to help release stomach acid, increase bile flow and digestive enzymes to support digestive function. Herbal digestive bitters also support the liver to slow the rate that sugar enters the bloodstream. Herbal digestive bitters may also increase the absorption of nutrients and support your immune system.
Amara herbal digestive bitter blend is perfect to help reduce bloating and other gastrointestinal disturbances. The best time to use digestive bitters is 15 – 30 minutes before consuming a meal. Herbal digestive bitters will stimulate the production of bile and prime your stomach and digestive system for efficient digestion.
Amara herbal digestive bitters contain the following herbs:
Cinchona: Stimulates appetite by promoting the secretion of digestive juices. The bitter compounds, alkaloids and quinovin, encourage the release of saliva and improve digestive function. It can also help to relieve bloating.
Gentian: Increases digestive juices and digestive enzymes which will help with indigestion and gas.
Bitter Orange: Used to stimulate appetite and aid in digestion. It also supports liver and gastric juice deficiencies. Other uses for this herb include helping with indigestion, low stomach acidity and heartburn.
Cinnamon Bark: Known for its calming effect on the body to aid in the digestion of fats and to settle indigestion. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory herb that promotes intestinal motility. It can assist with loss of appetite, bloating gas and mild cramping.
Why do I love digestive bitters?
- Supports digestive function
- Helps to increase bile flow
- Stimulates appetite
- Relieves digestive disturbances and dyspepsia
- Helps with loss of appetite, bloating, and sluggish digestion
FINAL THOUGHTS
Digestive issues can be frustrating, painful and can hold you back from living your life.
Along with proper nutrition and lifestyle, Pascoe Canada’s herbal supplements can be excellent supporting tools to help on your gut healing journey.
To learn more about Pascoe Canada’s products, visit their website here: https://www.pascoe.ca/