subject: 10 Ways To Achieve Better Digestion [print this page] If you have a lot of energy, it means that you are digesting your food well. Your body extracts the nutrients from everything you eat and drink and uses it to nourish your cells and produce new ones. At the same time, if your food is digested properly, your body is provided with the energy it needs to perform its various functions.
Digestion begins the moment you bite a morsel of food. It is in your mouth where the enzymes present in your saliva breaks down the starches. Food then moves down further down your digestive tract and into your stomach where other enzymes continue the breakdown process. Digestion time depends on the type of food eaten. Carbohydrates are the fastest to digest with protein taking longer and fats the longest.
If you are trying to lose weight but always feel that you lack energy, it may be because you are not digesting your food properly. During digestion, all the organs in the digestive system work at drawing out and absorbing the nutrients from the food and liquids you take in. If this process is impaired, the nutrients are not properly converted into available energy. Impaired digestion is often due to a wrong eating habit. Below are several suggestions to help you to digest your food better.
1.Do not eat proteins and complex carbohydrates together in one meal.
Proteins follow a digestive process that is different from the one at work when carbohydrates are digested. When the digestive system does not have to perform in two different ways, it is able to do its job better. In contrast, if it has to process two different types of foods simultaneously, it may not be able to digest either of the two food types properly.
2.Avoid foods that you have an intolerance for or are allergic to.
The presence of such foods in your system can cause irritation that preventing it from effectively absorbing nutrients for your cells and resulting in indigestion. Foods that trigger indigestion include puddings, custards, milk, sugar, jams, and jellies.
3.Make proper food combinations.
There are foods that go well together and foods that don't. Pairings that work are protein and vegetables and carbohydrates and vegetables. Plan your meals based on these combinations to make them easier to digest and more energy efficient.
4.Space your meals at three to four hour intervals.
If you eat before your previous meal is completely digested, you cause your digestive system to work overtime. It takes time for your stomach to perform all the different jobs involved in digestion thus a certain amount of waiting time is necessary. You will be able to avoid stressing your digestive system by not adding more food to partially digested ones that are still in your stomach.
5.Control your intake of carbohydrates.
It is important to practice portion control especially with carbohydrates. For 3 -4 servings of vegetables, all you need is a cup of cooked pasta or rice, or 2 slices of whole grain bread, or one medium potato.
6.Create meals that make use of fresh, organic vegetables.
Be inspired by recipes from different parts of the world that use flavors and spices that would stimulate your taste buds. A sample recipe that combines many types of vegetables would be sauted garlic in olive oil with spinach, slices of raw red pepper, avocado, onion and black olives. Keep in mind that tasty and interesting dishes combine not only flavors but textures.
7.Red meat and animal fats take the longest time to digest.
If you stop eating food that takes a long time to digest, you will avoid feeling sluggish and have more energy to use in doing your workouts if you are trying to lose weight.
8.Eat fruit by itself, don't mix it with other foods.
Fruits contain large amounts of sugar which is a stimulant thus making them irritating to digest. For this reason, it is best to eat fruits alone. Before eating other types of foods, you should wait for a few hours.
9.Combine steak, chicken or fish with three to four servings of different vegetables.
Meat and fish with vegetables without starches is easy to digest. Adding bread or potato to a sample dish such as sauteed mushrooms and garlic in olive, quick seared broccoli in olive oil and baked carrots will make you feel tired or bloated.
10. Don't take fluids with your meals.
If you drink while eating, the fluid will dilute the digestive juices present in your saliva. This will then prevent the proper breakdown of food in your mouth.
If you want to achieve good digestive health, you not only need to eat the right foods and food combinations but also practice correct eating habits and patterns. A digestive system in proper working order will provide you with the energy your body needs for it to perform at its maximum.
