What happens at your meal times? Is it a calm, soothing environment, or is there disruptive background noise and tense conversation?
Good digestion is about much more than what you put in your mouth and the environment in which you eat is almost as important as what you eat.
It could be the healthiest meal on the planet, but if you’re on the run, stressed or upset, your body won’t be benefiting from all those lovely nutrients.
This is because we need a combination of digestive juices, including stomach acid, digestive enzymes and bile, to digest and absorb our food. The release of these juices is dependent on the state of your nervous system.
So if you’re feeling frazzled at meal times, your body’s going to have a hard time digesting what you just ate.
Tips for healthy digestion
- Sit down to eat, even when snacking
- Leave difficult conversations for another time, or give the conversation priority over the meal
- Switch off the TV, especially the news
- Take a moment to ‘arrive’ at the table before diving in
- If you’re feeling stressed or upset, it’s best to stop eating and try to calm down
- Chew food until it’s paste
- Eat slowly – this gives your body a chance to deal with the food and send messages to your brain so you know when you’ve had enough
Following these simple tips will help your body break down and absorb the nutrients in your food, so you’re really getting the most from each meal.