Top 10 Ways to Optimize Nutrient Absorption From Food

Last week’s WellnesSeries class on digestion was fantastic! Thank you to all of those that took the time out of their schedule to learn ways to improve digestion and become one step closer to optimal health!

For those that could not make it, here are the top ten ways you can optimize your nutrient absorption from what you eat:

• Chew food at least 100 times before swallowing.
• Be present with your food. Take the time to smell, enjoy and digest.
• Minimize liquid when eating food to prevent diluting digestive enzymes.
• Avoid antacids as much as possible – try chewable papaya enzymes instead.
• Support digestion with supportive digestive enzymes* to see if it makes a difference.
  • Pancreatic enzymes (best taken 15 minutes prior to meals)
  • Hydrochloric acid (best taken with meals)
  • Bile salts (best taken with meals if the gall bladder has been removed)
  • Papaya enzymes (best taken after meals)
• Support your liver with teas and yearly detoxification programs to improve its function.
• Encourage daily bowel movements and dilute toxins by drinking 6-8 eight ounce glasses of water per day away from meals.
• Support good healthy gastrointestinal micro-organisms to prevent overgrowth of bad organisms by incorporating these into your lifestyle:
  • Fermented foods (sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi, natto, miso, tempeh, kefir, kombucha, etc.)
  • Yogurt with live cultures
  • Probiotics (encapsulated micro-organisms) and Prebiotics (food for them to flourish, such as inulin/chicory root fiber)
• Practice effective stress and emotional management techniques for optimal digestive function.
• Remove foods that you know are problematic for you to improve overall GI health. If you are not sure what foods affect you, come and see me. I will help you determine the foods that are best avoided and those that are healthy for you.

*Note: Digestive enzymes should not be used by those with a history of gastrointestinal ulcers.

Would you like more information that is personalized to your unique health concerns? Please feel free to contact me by email or simply call 612-250-2804.