"For the most part, we eat with great automaticity and little insight into its critical importance for us in sustaining life and also in sustaining health." - Jon Kabat Zinn
I see the same patterns in my practice over and over again. High
stressed individuals with digestive concerns; people who rush from one thing to
another without taking a second to stop, breathe properly, or even eat
properly. I admit that I am guilty of this too from time to time, but the
difference is astonishing when you CARVE OUT the time to live and eat
intentionally.
So, who should
incorporate this into their own life? Well, everyone but particularly those who
resonate with being high stress and/or those who don’t have optimal digestion.
This can be constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, heartburn or nausea (think,
Pepto Bismol commercial).
Our bodies have two
‘modes’. Our sympathetic state (also known as fight or flight) is our survival
mode. It is the part of our nervous system that signals to our metabolism,
muscles, brain and organ systems – including the gastrointestinal tract -
that there is a threat and we need to react. Our parasympathetic state (aka
rest and digest) is what we should be in the majority of the time. This
signals to our body that we are safe and we can carry on with our necessary
daily function like muscle growth, sleep, digestion etc. We cannot be in both
the parasympathetic and sympathetic state at the same time. Unfortunately, many
of us living a North American lifestyle remain in a sympathetic state
chronically. What does this mean? It means we put on fat, have trouble putting
on muscle, have disturbed sleep, anxiety, and of course digestive issues
(to name a few).
Lucky for us, there are
very simple ways to engage our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which you
can start today to help aid digestion:
1. Stimulate stomach acid: Many of us in the
Western world have poor quality or low stomach acid (yes, contrary to what many
people are told). This is often due to age, processed/refined diet, but
importantly, stress. When stomach acid is low, food cannot be broken down
properly and digestive enzymes are not released to break that down into
absorbable parts. This can lead to many undesirable digestive symptoms.
Increasing stomach acid stimulates the PNS, signalling to the body it is ready
for food. Having warm water with lemon, bitter herbs or apple cider vinegar
prior to meals can stimulate this process.
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2. Deep breathing: Deep breathing literally
stimulates the vagus nerve which engages the PNS. When this happens, your
stomach acid naturally increases (which is the goal) and the body switches into
the mode that is ready to digest and relax.
3. Mindful Eating: Turn off the
television. Put down the phone. Chew. Take a moment before starting the
meal to be grateful that there is food in front of you. In a study
published in the journal of Gastroenterology, two groups were given a mineral
drink; one group was to only focus on consuming the drink while the other had
distracter stimuli. The group that was focused on drinking absorbed 100% of the
nutrients while the distractor group absorbed significantly less. So, take the
time to notice what you are eating so you can get the most from it.
As always, this is for
information purposes only. Contact your naturopathic doctor to individualize
care for you.
References
1. Shu-Zhen Wang, Sha Li, Xiao-Yang Xu, Gui-Ping Lin, Li Shao, Yan Zhao,
and Ting Huai Wang. Effect of slow abdominal breathing combined with
biofeedback on blood pressure and heart rate variability in prehypertension. The
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. October 2010, 16(10):
1039-1045. doi: 10.1089/acm.2009.0577
3. (5) Sharp GS, Fister HW. The diagnosis and treatment of achlorhydria:
ten-year study. J Amer Ger Soc 1967;15:786-791
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