Happy Friday! For today’s food Fact Friday I want to start talking about digestion. I know that last week I said we would continue to talk about food quality and we will! But digestion is such a important factor to our health that I want to begin sharing the process.
Without a properly functioning digestive system, you will not be able to breakdown all the higher quality food that you are eating. If you are not breaking down that food, then your body is not able to transfer the nutrients throughout the body to be used as needed.
So where do you think digestion begins?
The stomach? The mouth? Those are close, but not the right place.
Digestion is a north to south process. It actually begins in your brain!
At the sight and smell…heck, maybe even at just the thought of food, your digestion begin! These are all enough of a signal for the production of saliva to begin. Saliva contains the enzyme salivary amylase, which starts the chemical breakdown carbohydrates while your teeth start the mechanical.
In today’s fast-paced lifestyles, people are not always slowing down long enough for their brain to have time to recognize that they are about to eat. Breakfast may be eaten while driving to work, lunch eaten will mindlessly scrolling Facebook or Instagram. And then dinner is eaten while driving little Suzie to soccer. Not good for digestion!
Why you might ask? Because, if you are not slowing down to acknowledge the food you are about to consume, the brain simply doesn’t know what is to come and it doesn’t start producing saliva. This has an affect on the breakdown and absorption further south in the digestive tract.
When carbohydrates reach the small intestine, another set of enzymes begin to work on them. The job of these enzymes is to finish the breakdown of carbs into the usable forms the body wants. So if you are producing insignificant amount of saliva because you are not acknowledging your upcoming meal then salivary amylase does not start the breakdown…no breakdown begins so no breakdown is FINISHED. If these carbs are not being processed correctly, they just sit in your gut and begin to ferment. While fermenting is a good thing at certain times, like when making kombucha, it is never a good thing in your gut. Undigested carbs will cause bloating and gas. And none of us want that!!
Rushing into a meal, consuming it too quickly and being in a stressed state during a meal will hinder digestion from the time it starts in the brain all the way until food leaves the body. One process signals the next process, which signals the next and so on and so on. The body works in unison to carry out all processes. It is essential to support the body as much as possible, a relaxed state will do that while eating and beyond.
Here are my top tips for finding relaxation and better digestion with each meal. Give one or all of them a try! 
If you are struggling with digestive issues like gas, bloating, feeling of excess fullness after meal, heartburn, constipation or anything else, I can help you resolve those issues. You can schedule a free 20 minute consultation by clicking here.
