20 Tips to Improve Digestion & Prevent Heartburn
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› Unlabelled › 20 Tips to Improve Digestion & Prevent Heartburn

“All disease begins in the gut.” ~Hippocrates

20 Tips to Prevent Heartburn, Indigestion & Bloating and Improve Digestion

Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is the most overlooked and undetected disorders in healthcare today. Many health complaints, problems losing weight, mood disorders, brain dysfunction and underlying root causes of disease can be attributed to an altered microbiome and poor digestive health.

Healthy digestion, good bacteria (flora), sufficient levels of stomach acid, healthy bile, and optimizing your microbiome are crucial in how you think and feel, your weight, reducing symptoms of autoimmune disease, depression, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, gas, bloating, sugar and carb cravings, minimizing food sensitivities, and reducing risk of diabetes, autism, and even cancer.

The GI tract is connected to every major system in the body. Over two-thirds of neurotransmitters are produced in the gut and 70-80 percent of the immune system is located in the gut. The GI tract has a very high metabolic function that influences hormone metabolism, cholesterol regulation, toxin elimination, brain function, energy production and absorption of nutrients.

The gut is considered the second brain also known as the enteric nervous system that is located in sheaths of tissue lining the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon. Many gastrointestinal disorders like colitis, leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome originate from problems within the gut's brain.

The brain in the gut has a mind of its own that guides our feelings, moods, certain behaviors and reactions, and plays a major role in human happiness and misery. Approximately 90-95 percent of serotonin made in the gut. When the gut’s inflamed, not functioning optimally or there’s a leaky gut, production of serotonin and other important neurotransmitters will be impaired leading to depression, anxiety, mood disorders and neurological manifestations because the gut has lost the ability to effectively absorb nutrients or convert them into these vital brain chemicals.

Bear in mind that an inflamed gut or leaky gut equals an inflamed, leaky brain, and an inflamed, leaky brain increases risk of depression, mood disorders and dementia.

The digestive system is responsible for breaking down food into tiny particles to be used for energy, maintenance and repair. The digestive process also involves healthy and daily elimination of wastes and toxins.

You can be eating the healthiest, organic foods, but if you’re not breaking down, absorbing or assimilating your food properly digestion will be compromised, which can negatively affect your weight and immune function, accelerate age-related disorders, brain dysfunction, and influence overall health and quality of life.  

20 Tips to Prevent Heartburn, Indigestion & Bloating and Improve Digestion

1. Identify foods you’re sensitive to and avoid items that irritate and inflame the gut (soy, dairy products, gluten, wheat, corn, artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup and sugar, vegetable oils, conventionally-raised, factory-farmed meats and fish, caffeine, alcohol and NSAIDS). Eating foods you’re sensitive to creates inflammation in the intestinal tract by stimulating the immune system to attack your cells causing digestive dysfunction. The main culprits: dairy, soy, gluten, wheat, grains, corn, sugar and artificial sweeteners. Other items that your body does not recognize and cause digestive distress include processed vegetable oils and trans fats, GE foods, chemically-altered frankenfoods and processed, packaged foods. Even so called healthy items can be problematic for a specific individual.

2. Rule out dysbiosis, viruses and chronic low-grade infections in the gut (e.g., yeast, parasites, fungus, bacterial, Candida, C. dificile and H.pylori) that are underlying factors than cause digestive distress. These infections can flourish for years without causing any particular noticeable symptoms. Realize that oral contraceptives, antibiotics, PPIs, NSAIDs, wheat, sugar and fast food feed pathogens in the gut, cause leaky gut, autoimmune disorders, mood disorders, health problems and more severe gut dysfunction. The smartest way to rule out pathogens and infections is through a Comprehensive Stool Analysis. Order your lab tests here.

3. Restore beneficial bacteria with probiotics to re-establish a healthy balance of flora in the gut. Probiotics help reduce inflammation, improve digestion, ensure healthy gut flora, support immunity and help balance mood. Consume prebiotic-rich foods, a fuel source for probiotics: onions, garlic, leeks, dandelion, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, homemade kombucha and live-cultured, grass-fed yogurt can be beneficial.

4. Consider supplementation with hydrochloric acid (HCL), digestive enzymes and bile acids. Avoid antacids and PPIs at all costs. Instead supplement with HCL and digestive or pancreatic enzymes. Advertising suggests that heartburn and indigestion are caused by too much stomach acid. This is seldom, if ever the case. Actually, it’s just the opposite, not enough stomach acid. It’s unfortunate that many in the medical community fail to recognize how serious a health problem hypochlorhydria and achlorhydria are.

HCL is essential to protein digestion and the assimilation of vitamins and minerals. Overtime, low stomach acid can lead to serious health consequences. Those with low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) or no stomach acid (achlorhydria) often complain of bloating, belching, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach after eating, loss of desire to eat protein or feeling full after eating only a small amount of food. And then, there are those with little or no stomach acid who experience absolutely no symptoms at all. The two main causes of hypochlorhydria and achlorhydria: overly stressful lifestyles and the normal aging process. Avoid HCL if you suspect you have an ulcer and instead use Gastrazyme, vitamin U (raw cabbage juice) and other nutrient components.

5. Eat s-l-o-w-l-y. Did you know that fast eaters have more belly fat, higher glucose levels, increased insulin levels, more nutrient deficiencies and experience more digestive problems?

Chew food thoroughly until it’s liquefied so its broken down, enzymes are activated and nutrients can be absorbed. As a bonus, you’ll eat less and your brain will receive signals from digestive hormones secreted by the gastrointestinal tract that you’re full.

6. Pay attention to how you feel 30-90 minutes after eating. Do you feel energized? Bloated? Tired or fatigued? Keep a food journal to help identify foods that are stressing your digestive system.

7. Be conscious of your mood and avoid eating under stressful conditions, or when you’re feeling depressed, angry, bored or upset. The digestive process is impaired when you’re stressed out and when there are unresolved emotions in which the mind is improperly digesting life experiences.

8. Don’t drive and eat. Instead, sit down during mealtime, turn off the television and your cell phone, stay off the computer, avoid listening to chaotic music. and engaging in stressful, complicated conversations.

9. Eat organic food for what it doesn’t have in it! Choose organic, locally-grown food that is in season as much as possible. At minimum choose grass-fed meats, pastured-raised poultry and wild fish over conventionally-raised. Familiarize yourself with the highest pesticide “dirty dozen” vegetables and fruits and always buy those organic.

10. Practice mindfulness. Be mindful and fully present during mealtime. The digestive process is 30-40 percent less effective when you’re tuned out and eating mindlessly. Before eating, take a few deep, full belly breaths and bless your food with a silent prayer of gratitude. Full, deep, diaphragmatic breathing activates the relax and digest response in the body.

11. Include more soluble-rich fiber foods in your diet such as dandelion, kale, chard, spinach, cauliflower, cucumber and broccoli. Green smoothies are a simple and easy way to increase your intake of nutrient-dense veggies and folate-rich leafy greens with the added benefit of cleansing your digestive system and helping to move things along while providing an extra dose of fiber and nutrients.

12. Sip on tea away from meals that help soothe the gut: cinnamon, peppermint, ginger, chamomile; pau ‘d arco, slippery elm, fennel

13. Take a walk after mealtime to stimulate digestion. Practice parasympathetic activities such as yoga, Qi gong, deep breathing or meditation to help your organs function more effectively.

14. Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight puts pressure on the abdomen, which can encourage acid reflux.

15. Avoid aspirin and NSAIDs, which can tear up the gut lining, cause leaky gut and GI stress. A study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology reported that even low-dose aspirin (as low as 75mg daily and up to 325mg daily) increases the risk of GI bleeding. Taking aspirin regularly not only increases risk of GI bleeding, it increases risk of micro-bleeding in the brain by 70 percent. According to the American Journal of Medicine approximately 107,000 individuals are hospitalized every year for NSAID related GI complications, and at least 16,500 deaths occur.

16. Drink a cup of water with the juice from a fresh lemon or lime, 1-2 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar with a pinch of Celtic sea salt, ginger and cinnamon 15-20 minutes before meals to to improve digestion and increase HCL production.

On the flip side, it’s best to avoid drinking water during mealtime as it can weaken and impair digestion, and dilute natural levels of HCL and bile, which are required to properly breakdown and digest food.

17. Make sure vagal tone via the vagus nerve to the stomach is stimulated. The vagus nerve is the longest of all our cranial nerves and creates a direct connection between our brain and our gut. It provides vital information between the brain and the gut on how the body is digesting food. The parasympathetic branch of the nervous system influences rest and digestion. Efficiency of the parasympathetic nervous system relies on the health and stimulation of the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve regulates breathing, heart rate and digestion. Those with low vagal tone are more sensitive to stress and disease, and tend to have challenges such as difficulty swallowing, increased heart rate, constipation and weak digestion.

One of the best ways to naturally and effectively activate the vagus nerve is to gargle. Slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing and various relaxation techniques also activate the vagus nerve.  

18. Provide nutrients to heal, restore and support intestinal health and function, which is specific to each individual and their unique biochemistry. Visit my website store for a detailed description on each item.

      • Digestzymes • L-glutamine powder
      • Aloe vera • Essential fatty acids
      • Vitamin D • Pre- and probiotics
      • Beta-TCP or Beta Plus • Zinc carnosine
      • Curcumin • Gastrazyme
      • ADP • N-acetyl cysteine
      • Chlorophyll • Homemade bone broth
      • DGL • Slippery elm tea, Marshmallow root tea

*** Note: if you take probiotics, take them at the end of your meal or bedtime (not at the same time as HCL or digestive enzymes).

19. Identify vitamin and mineral deficiencies, specifically zinc, magnesium and B vitamins (especially thiamine, B12 and folate) that can affect digestion.

20. Read the steps to the Gut Restoration Program found in the Chapter on digestion in Fat Loss Revolution and this 5-Step Formula for Healthy Gut.

As a holistic nutritionist and functional health practitioner, my philosophy is to identify the root cause of any underlying health issues, slowly "peel away the layers of the onion," and design a healing protocol and comprehensive LIFESTYLE plan specific to your unique biochemistry so you can heal, experience vibrant health, balanced hormones and look, think and feel better than ever for a lifetime. I consult with men and women throughout the U.S. and with clients locally in the Phoenix area. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation!

Copyright © Paula Owens. All Rights Reserved.

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