Having issues with digestion is not a pleasant experience. Symptoms such as feeling bloated, passing gas, being constipated, and having diarrhea can be quite uncomfortable.

All of these are indicators of a digestion system that is not functioning correctly. Poor digestion can be the cause of many medical problems. When the digestive system fails to do its job, it makes it difficult for the body to deliver the necessary nutrition to our cells. What can be done to address this issue? Fortunately, it does not require a major overhaul to enhance digestion – usually, just some adjustments are necessary. If you’re looking to better your health or you’re having difficulty with digestion, try putting these basic modifications into practice.

1)    Take the time to chew your meals.

Chewing is the first move in the digestive process for the body. This physical activity initiates the secretion of digestive juices that help in breaking down food. If the food is already broken down in advance, it causes lower exertion for the stomach and intestines. Properly chewing also makes it simpler for your cells to absorb the nutrients. There is a recommendation from certain health professionals that you should chew your food 25 times; though this may appear to be an extreme measure, being aware of chewing more extensively will help the entire process.

2)    Enhance your digestive juices.

To properly break down proteins, the stomach needs to be highly acidic. If the acid levels are low, large particles of the proteins will travel to the small intestine, thus causing problems like abdominal bloating, excessive gas and acid reflux. To raise the acidity of the stomach, people can try to drink a mixture of a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and a glass of water before consuming a meal that is high in proteins. You can also use supplements in the form of HCL or digestive enzymes that contain HCL is a good strategy to help break down the various elements within your meals.

3) Incorporate probiotics into your diet.

If I were only able to use one dietary supplement each day, it would be probiotics. Probiotics are living microorganisms that restore the beneficial bacteria in the intestines. It is essential to have the right balance between good and bad bacteria for digestion and for boosting the immune system in the gut. Probiotics enhance the body’s capacity to get the most nutrition from the food we eat. Eating probiotic foods are another way of getting beneficial bacteria into your digestive system. Good sources of fermented foods are kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha.

At the London Centre for Functional Medicine, our go-to probiotics are Cell Core CT Probiotic which is a combination of three different strains of probiotics including a blend of spore-forming and non-spore-forming bacteria including Schroyer’s boulardi combined with Carbon Technology. It provides 11 bacterial strains that are essential for supporting detoxification, digestive function, and immunity

4) Start using the blender.

Our digestion system has to expend energy in order to break down a piece of chicken into amino acids that can be used by our cells. To give our digestive system a rest, I suggest replacing a meal per day with a low glycemic smoothie. Make sure that your smoothie contains enough protein, fat, and fiber to make you feel full and balance your glucose level. The dish I default to when I want to eat a balanced, easy to digest meal is a smoothie with good fats, protein, critical clean carbohydrates which can be used as a meal replacement.