Your gut deserves better lifestyle choices to improve your digestion. An improved digestion will directly reflect on your energy levels as well as skin and hair quality.
We’ve all been there — feeling bloated, sluggish, or just off after a meal. The good news is you don’t need a cabinet full of supplements to get your gut back on track. Here are 10 simple ways to improve your digestion naturally.
1. Chewing 30 times
Your digestion does not start in the stomach but it starts in the mouth. Chewing properly breaks food down into smaller pieces, making it easier for your stomach to do its job. Slow down, savor each bite, and aim for about 20–30 chews per mouthful. It may make your food a bit tasteless towards the end and this is a habit that is hard to adopt as most of us do not have the patience to chew this much. Let me tell you there is another aesthetic advantage to this other than just better digestion, Chewing many times will give you a good jawline.
2. Drink Lots of Water
Water helps break down food and keeps things moving in your digestive tract. However, make sure you are not drinking water during your meal. It is best practice to drink water half an hour before having your food and half an hour after having your food. This ensures that your digestive juices do not dilute and your digestion happens effectively. Bonus points for warm lemon water in the morning — it gently wakes up your digestive system.
3. Consume Fiber
Fiber keeps things flowing smoothly, supports gut bacteria, and prevents constipation. Load up on fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. But go slow — too much fiber too fast can backfire and cause bloating.
4. Intake Probiotics
Probiotics are “good” bacteria that help balance your gut microbiome. Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented products, buttermilk and kombucha are all natural sources. A happy gut leads to smoother digestion, better immunity, and even improved mental clarity.
5. Say No to Processed Foods and Sugar
Highly processed foods and excess sugar can mess with your gut bacteria and slow down digestion. Try to eat whole, real and fresh food as often as you can.
6. Control the Stress
When you are stressed, chances are it will affect the smooth functioning of your gut. Your brain and gut are deeply connected hence sometimes you experience stomach issues when you are under a lot of stress. Practices like deep breathing, yoga, meditation, or even a simple walk can help calm your nervous system and support digestion.
7. Active Movements
Movement helps keep your digestive system running efficiently. Minimum 20-minute cardio post-meal can do wonders for reducing bloating and boosting metabolism.
8. Don’t Eat After Sunset
In Ayurveda it is found that your digestion rate decreases as the day turns to night. Avoid eating after sunset. Even if you are hungry, binge on small portions of healthy home-made food. Late-night meals can interfere with your body’s natural rhythms and slow digestion. Try to finish eating 3-4 hours before bed so your body can rest, not digest.
9. Avoid Overeating
Imagine you fill up your mixer jar with fruits up until the brim. Imagine which is more difficult to extract smooth juice, a mixer jar filled 3/4th or up to the lid? Eating until you’re uncomfortably full puts extra pressure on your digestive system. Listen to your body’s hunger cue (burp) and practice mindful eating to know when to stop.
10. Household Aids for Digestion
Certain herbs and teas are natural digestion boosters. Peppermint, ginger, garlic, fennel, and chamomile can soothe the gut, reduce gas, and support overall digestive flow. Sip on herbal teas after meals or add fresh herbs to your cooking. You may even want to sip on boiled carom seeds in water to aid in digestion.
Improving digestion naturally doesn’t require a complete lifestyle overhaul. Just a few mindful tweaks to how and what you eat, move and how you manage stress can help you improve digestion. Start with one or two changes and build from there. Your gut will catch on quickly.