6 Tips to Improve Your Digestion

3. Eat slowly.

The heaviest people tend to eat fast. Since it takes about twenty minutes for your brain to recognize you are full, the faster you eat, the more you overeat. Think of your meal as a series of first bites. You’ll savor your food, improve your digestion and eat less. Eating slowly also tends to lower your blood glucose levels. Take small bites over a long period of time, and chew each mouthful of food at least twenty to thirty times. If your biggest meal takes you less than thirty minutes, you are probably eating too fast.

4. Don’t wash your food down with a beverage.

Chew well, swallow and then take a sip of room temperature water, tea or maybe red wine. Stay away from ice cold beverages with your meals.

5. Relax while you eat.

6. Supplement with a high quality probiotic, a supplement containing friendly bacteria.

Without good gut bacteria, your body can’t absorb certain undigested starches and sugars. And it doesn’t absorb minerals and break down toxins efficiently. Normally, you don’t need to take probiotics forever, but they can be incredibly helpful when you eat excess grains or sugar, or if you have to take antibiotics. Taking a high-quality probiotic for a month, every 30–60 days, will typically help your digestive system function efficiently.

You may not need probiotic supplements, though. Cultured foods like yogurt and sauerkraut are good sources of natural, healthy bacteria. And fermented foods, such as natto, can give your body the similar benefits of consuming a whole bottle of good bacteria, at a fraction of the cost.