Dr. Priti Nanda Sibal shares nine strategies to improve digestion, from chewing 32 times per bite to fermented foods and essential oils. Bone broth heals the gut lining better than juice cleanses. Stress and poor sleep trigger digestive problems through the gut-brain axis.
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Hi, last week we spoke about 9 tips for a healthy gut, and a lot of people came back to me saying we feel we are not able to digest our food properly. So today let's talk about 9 ways to improve our digestion. So a lot of my clients come and tell me that their parents used to say ABC, which meant already been chewed. And the explanation to this was that the moment we smell our food or we look at food, our mouth starts releasing enzymes. And if we start chewing our food even before we have put it in, more enzymes are released. And you will realize that if you chew your food 32 times, the carbohydrates which you chew turn to sugar in the mouth itself, and you feel that sweetness in taste which we so long for. 2. Monomeals. If your gut is not behaving right, if you are not able to digest food, just try and give some rest to your digestion. By taking mono food or single food in your meals. Why? Because the pH, the chewing process, the digesting process becomes simpler, and therefore the quality improves. Third, foods like bone broth or collagen-rich foods are exceptionally good when it comes to healing your gut and improving your digestion. Adding that to your routine is much better than adding juice protocol to routine. The reason: juices help in detoxification but does not help too much in healing the gut, whereas with collagen, bone broth helps in healing your gut. Fourth, fermented foods. We all have heard that fermented foods are wonderful. And in Indian cultures, if we look at our traditions, North, West, South, East, all the cultures have some good fermented foods in their daily eating habits. For example, in North, yogurt is used very, very normally. In South, we use idli and dosa, which are fermented foods. Outside, people use sauerkraut, kimchi, which now we get in India also. Kefir, a great food, and even people who have lactose intolerance can use water kefir with lot of benefits. These foods actually increase the gut microbiome towards healthy gut, especially bacteria like Lactobacilli plantarum, which is found to be very healthy, increases when we eat these foods. So remember to include these foods in your diet. Fifth, as cranberry we all know is for UTI, blueberries are for your digestion. So adding blueberries, either fresh or dried blueberries, in your smoothies in the morning can go a long way in healing your gut. Why? Because it is very, very, very rich in antioxidants, and also it has resveratrol, which helps us get good skin, good gut, good hair, helps in anti-aging. And to add to this, blueberries help with metal detoxification. We know that today a lot of diseases are being caused because we are not able to excrete or eliminate metals from our body. Diseases like autism, schizophrenia, mental diseases, are because these kids or adults are having high doses of mercury or lead or other metals, aluminium, and therefore this plays a huge role in healing our gut. Sixth, essential oils. Peppermint oil has been found to be excellent for gut healing. Just adding one drop on your toothpaste in the morning or adding 1 to 2 drops in your smoothie can make a huge change in your gut health. Try using it. The other oils like coriander oil, ginger oil, fennel oil, frankincense oil, all these are good and you can keep using them interchangeably to have good digestion. 7th, very, very important is adding a rebounder or an exercise which increases your motility of the gut and improves digestion. You can always get on a trampoline and jump for a while, and that will also help you get better mobility. Don't forget to do this normally in your daily routine. And the last— second last one is Core 4, which means that you must keep your gut hydrated. and at times hydrated could not only be because of your water intake, it could also be because of your low fat intake. So having fats like olive oil, like flaxseed oil are exceptionally important to have your gut hydrated. Third, adding probiotics to your diet is exceptionally important. And fourth, Adding fiber, soluble and insoluble. If you can have fruits and vegetables with both types of fibers, it's excellent. But if you have upset digestion, have soluble fiber, and if you are towards constipation, have insoluble fiber. And kiwi is one fruit which really has both and helps wonderfully if you have constipation. So try it and relieve yourself from that. Ninth, but very, very critical, is emotional health plays a very important role in your digestive health. We know gut and brain axis are connected, and this is proven by this. Imagine the day when you are stressed, when you have not slept well, when you are angry, when you are frustrated. What will happen? You will feel constipated, or I get some clients who come and tell me, the moment it happens, I have to rush to the washroom. Because I have an urge to pass stools. So friends, we get this message again and again and again that emotional health is important for digestive health and for our well-being, but we tend to ignore it or keep it at the back. Bring it forward and remember it whenever you are emotionally upset. Just sit, relax, do a deep breathing, or do a laughter yoga, and get yourself set to heal your digestive health and digestion. Chew well, eat well, digest well, and feel well.
