Are your habits helping or hurting your digestion?

Is your digestion feeling slow and sluggish? Many things in our lives, such as stress and what we eat, can impact our gut health. There are several simple things you can do to take care of your gut health. Here are a few questions to consider

Are you truly enjoying your meals?

Eating too much or too quickly can tax our digestive system. If our digestive system is overwhelmed, it may not work efficiently. This could lead to bloating and fatigue since we’re not properly breaking down our food. Try mindful eating, where you take time to see, smell, taste and experience your food. Doing this with the first few bites of food could make your meal more satisfying. It can also help you eat less and more slowly.

How are you preparing your greens and vegetables?

Salads and raw veggies are great, but sometimes they may make your belly unhappy. Cold and raw foods, like a salad, take more energy and effort for your stomach to break down. Foods that have been cooked for a long time — such as soups, stews, and foods cooked in a slow cooker — can be easier to digest and are less effort for our digestive system to break down. If you’re experiencing bloat or a sluggish gut, try switching out a couple of cold lunches per week and substitute a soup instead.

What are you doing while you eat?

We all live busy lives and often find ourselves checking emails, reading a paper, etc., during a meal. You may not realize it but reading that email may be stressing you out while you are trying to eat. That stress could put strain on the gut, leading to discomfort and other gut issues. Try to make mealtime only about the meal. Take a few minutes to unplug and try to focus on just eating. Your gut will be happier when it only has to digest a meal and not deal with stress, too!

Does your gut have enough good bacteria?

Good gut bacteria help us break down our food and support our immune system. Probiotics help support the good bacteria that live in our gut. A great way to get enough probiotics is by eating probiotic-rich foods. These are fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kefir, certain yogurts, kimchi and pickles. All you need is a few bites of these probiotic-rich foods daily to keep your gut happy. If needed, probiotic supplements can also be found in capsule form.

Digestive health plays a large role in our overall health. Try some of these tips to keep your gut happy and keep you healthy.