The best methods to digest

Slow digestion is a fairly common problem. We can certainly improve it by reviewing our eating habits and our way of eating, too often fast or too abundant. The increasingly hectic life leads us, too often, to compensate for some deficiencies with food, mostly sweets and carbohydrates. This is why stress and anxiety interfere with our relationship with food, which we ingest with greed and speed, and consequently interfere with the digestive mechanism. Herbal teas and grandmother’s remedies can promote the digestive process.

Let’s see together some tips to digest and avoid the swollen belly like a balloon.

Digestion: how it works

Digestion begins in the mouth, with the chewing of food and the activation of salivary enzymes.

When we swallow, the whole thing goes down to the stomach. Here gastric juices and digestive enzymes process and break down the introduced food so that the body can easily assimilate nutrients.

The production of bile by the liver contributes to the digestion process. In fact, bile emulsifies ingested fats and vitamins to facilitate absorption.

What finally arrives in the intestine is further broken down and subsequently eliminated through the faeces.

The causes of difficult digestion

The problem of poor digestion, also known as dyspepsia, is to be found in several factors such as:

• wrong eating habits (junk foods, alcohol, fried and fatty foods but also consuming meals too quickly);
• hearty meal;
• indigestion;
• pathologies of the digestive and gastrointestinal systems;
• liver pathologies;
• gastroesophageal reflux disease;
• obesity;
• gastritis;
• Helicobacter pylori;
• use of medications;
• smoke;
• gastrointestinal viruses.

Symptoms

In case of digestive disorders it is possible to incur one or more of these symptoms:

• swollen belly;
• heaviness of the stomach;
• stomach acid;
• Cramps;
• belching;
• stomach pain;
• nausea;
• sleepiness;
• abdominal swelling;
• constipation;
• heartburn and subsequent pain in the chest;
• meteorism (gas in the stomach or intestines);
• aerophagia (air ingested in the stomach);
• flatulence (expulsion of intestinal gas);
• constipation;
• vomit;
• diarrhea.

Methods of digesting

In case of digestion problems, you can resort to some natural remedies such as herbal teas and infusions.

• The “canary”: hot water and lemon peel. Boil for a few minutes the peel of half a lemon, preferably organic. Strain and drink the infusion while the water is still hot. Also useful in case of stomach pain and nausea;
• lemon juice and baking soda. Combine the juice of half a lemon in a glass of warm water, then add the tip of a teaspoon of baking soda and turn. The drink should be drunk all and immediately, as long as the effervescence lasts. Immediate digestive effect;
• Infusion chamomile and sage, drunk after meals has digestive properties. Just add chamomile flowers to a few dried sage leaves. Leave to infuse in boiling water and strain;
• herbal tea with fennel seeds and rosemary. You will need two teaspoons of fennel seeds, a teaspoon of rosemary, half a liter of boiling water. Leave to infuse and strain the digestive herbal tea;
• water and lemon. A little warm water combined with lemon juice facilitates digestion;
• lemon and bay leaf herbal tea. How to prepare: add in half a liter of water, an organic lemon peel and 2 bay leaves. From the moment it starts to boil cook for another 5-10 minutes. Drink preferably lukewarm after meals. If you like, you can add ginger and cloves for a more spicy taste;
• infusion of bay leaf and cinnamon.

Many more herbal ideas and preparations could be mentioned.

Laurel brings considerable benefits in case of digestive disorders and food poisoning, in case of nausea and colds, and in many other contexts. Useful especially after a large meal, thanks to its digestive properties, it avoids the fermentation of food in the stomach, reduces heartburn, bringing a general sense of well-being.

Gentian, cumin, licorice, coriander and many other drugs have important digestive properties, so they are used to prepare infusions and herbal teas.

Advice and prevention

For a healthy digestion we recommend an active lifestyle and a balanced diet, light and free of excesses. Very often we tend to eat quickly, if not even while moving from one place to another, or while working, but this only makes digestion more difficult, makes us swallow a lot of air (aerophagia) creating bloating and abdominal tension.

It is advisable to make small meals throughout the day and slowly chew each bite, because as already mentioned digestion begins in the mouth. This habit can speed up the metabolism and promote good digestion.

Avoid drinking carbonated drinks and especially drinking with a straw. Do not go to sleep immediately after meals, but prefer a short walk or a little movement to promote digestion and intestinal motility.

And if that’s not enough

In case digestive problems persist, you can use supplements to stimulate digestion.

Among these we can remember Citrosodine in sachets, a calcium-based food supplement that contributes to the normal functionality of digestive enzymes.

Even dietary supplements can be a valuable aid to promote digestion and fight stomach acid, but it is always advisable to read the warnings before use.