Sick of Stomach Bloat? 10 Ways to Optimize Digestion

Do you scarf your food down as quickly as possible?

Instead, take time at each meal to bless your food, pause for gratitude, or notice what’s on your plate. Thank the person who prepared the meal and cultivate gratitude for the animals, plants, and people who helped bring you this nourishing meal. Try putting your fork down between bites.

Not only does this practice encourage gratitude and help you enjoy your meal more, it actually helps your body digest food! [5]

Most of us know the adverse effects that processed and refined foods have on our body, and digestion is just one more system these foods affect. Your body does not digest fake food easily, which slows down the absorption of nutrients from healthy foods in the process and hurts your immune system in the long run.[6]

Dairy, grains, and legumes are difficult to digest for those with compromised digestive symptoms. Try eliminating these foods from your diet, at least for a few weeks, to see how you feel. You might be able to slowly add raw dairy products into your diet, especially fermented dairy products like kefir.

This tip seems simple — but don’t underestimate the power of properly chewing.

Digestion begins in the mouth, where enzymes are secreted by your salivary glands to help break down food. This helps prepare the food to be further digested in the stomach, making digestion easier for your system down the line.

Studies show that the popular technique of “grazing” is actually quite harmful to your health.[7] Instead, try sitting down for meals and chewing your food 32-36 times per bite.[8] This brings awareness to how much you chew (or don’t chew) your food and forces you to eat at a slower, healthier rate.

Sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented foods are great to use as condiments with your meals. These foods are rich in probiotics, a kind of good bacteria that aids in digestion.[9] Ideally, these foods should be raw and unpasteurized. If you can’t find them at your local supermarket, try making them at home.

Not a fan of sauerkraut? If you feel you aren’t getting enough probiotics in your diet through fermented foods, try our NativePath Probiotic to rebalance and restore gut health.

Bone broth is a superfood that’s full of gelatin — a nutrient that helps heal, seal, and nourish our digestive tract.[10] In traditional Korean cooking, bone broth is consumed regularly for its anti-aging properties — another benefit of gelatin! [11]

Best of all, it’s a tasty way to start your day and is easily made at home in a crockpot or Instant Pot. Click here to get the recipe and learn more about the healing properties of bone broth.

Have you ever wondered how humans pooped before toilets? That’s right — they had to squat! Womb squatting is shown to be an effective way to improve digestion by promoting proper elimination.[12] It also opens the hips and ankles after a long day of sitting at a desk, helps relieve constipation, and decreases menstrual cramps. 

Here is a video explaining how to use the womb squat in your daily pra

ctice.

You can also catch my podcast interview with Wellness Force Radio to learn more about the womb squat as a pain relief tool.

Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, is a technique used to manage gastrointestinal stress. This form of deep, meditative breathing has been shown to reduce stress, support the immune system, decrease muscle tension, improve digestion and even increase energy.[13],[14]

Try belly breathing if you’re feeling stressed or frazzled throughout the day. To start, lay flat on your back. Take a few minutes to completely relax and focus on the breath as your stomach rises and falls. Most of us take very shallow breaths, so work on slowly and intentionally letting the air in and out of your mouth or nose.

Try this technique twice a day for five minutes, preferably after big meals as a way to help digestion.

Drink a glass of warm water with lemon and a pinch of salt first thing in the morning to help jumpstart digestion and get things moving! The salt will help you better absorb the water and keeps you hydrated. It also promotes vascular and neurological health while providing beneficial electrolytes. Studies show lemon juice may help prevent weight gain, and some researchers think lemons also contain anti-cancer properties.[15],[16]

Hara hachi bu is an ancient saying, practiced in Japan, that teaches eating until you are only 80% full.[17] Our brains are about 20-30 minutes behind our stomachs, meaning we often over-feed ourselves and don’t know it until we’ve finished eating. 

Try eating about half of what you normally eat, but at a slower pace. It may take a few weeks to reset the muscle memory of your stomach, but you’ll probably find you actually need less food to feel full.