Are You Digesting Successfully?

You can give your body the highest quality, nutrient dense, organic foods - but if you’re not able to properly digest and absorb those nutrients, you’re not receiving the benefits of your healthy diet!

Some clues that your body isn’t successfully digesting are:

- bloating after eating,

- fatigue after eating,

- constipation

Not fun!

How To Improve Digestion

If you are experiencing those symptoms, here are some simple adjustments you can make to your diet and routine for more comfortable and successful digestion:

• Simple meals - try limiting the number of ingredients in your meal. Think about 1 grain, 1 vegetable, and 1 protein, with 1 spice. Simple can be delicious!
• Small meals, often - this is much easier on your system then one or two big meals in a day.
• Warm, cooked foods - take a break from salads and smoothies. Raw foods take more energy to digest, so if your system is ‘tired,’ give it a break by eating food that is already warm and cooked. Soup and oatmeal are some of the most easily-digestible meals.

Digestion and Seasonal Living

In the height of summer, we may be eating salads and ice cream without discomfort. Digestion needs heat/energy, and in the summer heat we may find we have stronger digestion.

But as the environmental temperature begins to cool, so may our ‘digestive fires.’

Change with the season and make it easier on yourself by eating easier-to-digest foods as summer wanes.

A Helpful Analogy

Imagine that your upper digestive system is like a factory. This factory takes in food, and uses energy to separate that food into nutrients and waste. If the factory is running warm and efficiently, it has the energy and momentum to take in cold or raw foods that take extra energy to process. If the factory is cold, or has been turned off for a while (like first thing in the morning or if you wait a long time between meals), it takes more energy to complete the same process. In this case, adding cold, damp food (like ice cream or smoothies) to the factory will slow it down even more, requiring lots of extra energy to process. And if your system doesn’t have the energy/heat it needs, the factory doesn’t function properly, leading to those symptoms of bloating, constipation, or simply not extracting nutrients from food.

Chinese Medicine

This information comes from the philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and follows the 5 Phase Correspondence Theory.

This 5 Phase or 5 Element framework observes changes in the environment throughout the year relating to changes in the body.

In this framework there are 5 seasons: Spring, Summer, HARVEST or Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Harvest season, or mid-August to early October, is a time all about transitions - the shift from a hot and energetic summer towards a quieter, more inward-focused autumn. This Harvest season is also related to our digestion - in Chinese Medicine, each season is linked with a pair of Organ Systems, and Harvest is linked with the Spleen & Stomach systems.

In this framework, the Spleen Organ System doesn’t quite match up with the anatomical role of the spleen itself - rather, it represents a larger function of digestion. To keep it simple, we could say that the Spleen Organ System is in charge of Transformation and Transportation (the factory turning food into nutrients and waste, sending those nutrients throughout the body), and the Stomach Organ System is responsible for the Ripen and Rot physical digestion (what we think of as anatomical stomach and intestinal functions).

Take Action with Balance

During this season of transition, remember to take action with balance. You don’t need to cancel your ice cream date next week and start only eating soup. Have ice cream once in a while if that serves you, and see how it feels to switch from daily smoothies to a warm breakfast.

Bloating Emergency Acupressure Points

Do you have a bloating emergency? Try massaging these acupressure points:

Zu San Li (Leg Three Miles) - measure the width of 4 fingers below the bottom of your kneecap, then roll to the outer edge of your shin bone.

Tian Shu (Celestial Pivot) - two thumb widths on either side of your navel. Press in hard and make some clockwise circular motions.

Want to keep learning? Check out @practicewithbren on Instagram for more tips on Harvest season, digestion, and yoga.

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