Many digestive issues can occur due to the types of nutrients we are putting into our bodies, but some issues might also arise due to our behaviors before and after we consume food. There are many activities and small changes you can make to your routine that can further prepare your digestive system for consuming foods and drinks. It is also important to acknowledge that in order to enjoy what life has to offer there are going to be days you stray away from the recommended types of foods and drinks for proper digestion. We have compiled a list of ways you can prepare yourself for certain scenarios that might otherwise negatively impact your digestion.
Proactive Habits To Add When Eating at Home
When you are consuming food in the comfort of your own home, it becomes much easier to dedicate yourself to preparing for the meal you are about to partake in. There are many ways in which you can best prepare your digestive system before consuming foods and drinks, but we are going to highlight just two that are specific to dining in at home.
Wearing Comfortable Clothes: While we always strive for comfortable clothes wherever we go, the reality is that many outside factors might hinder one’s ability to wear what they consider ‘comfortable clothes’ to public places or institutions. Luckily, when you are dining at home you can wear whatever you’d like. Wearing tight-fitting clothes puts a high amount of pressure on your abdomen that can make it discomforting to digest foods.
When there is an excess amount of pressure on your abdomen during consumption it leads to heartburn. Wearing loose-fitting clothes is not only a good rule of thumb during mealtimes, but also is essential when you are heading to bed. Comfort is essential during bedtime, because it allows for your body to get the rest it needs to perform its processes while you sleep. If you are wearing restricting clothes to bed or during mealtimes, you are not giving your body the proper space it needs to successfully help your body get to where it needs to be.
Consume a Glass of Water: Hydration is essential for proper digestion, but consuming a glass of water 30 minutes before mealtime is specifically vital to having optimal digestion. Adding this habit to your routine prevents overeating, because your body will already be semi-filled by the water. Overeating is an unhealthy habit that can lead to bloating, abdominal pain, and heartburn. In order to have a no more bloat situation, it is recommended that the water be at lukewarm temperature as it helps to break down the foods already in your stomach.
Take Your Supplements: While this is not specific to every single supplement, there are many supplements that help with bloating that might be especially helpful when taken before a meal. When dining at home, there is no reason as to why it should be difficult to take your supplements as they are more easily accessible. While our 3-step wellness routine has been curated with travel and a busybody in mind, it is adaptable to both meals at home or on-the-go. Probiotic Renu is one of the best bloating supplements made to be taken right as you wake up right before your first meal to ensure you are giving your body the tools it needs to successfully support you in the digestive process.
Proactive Habits to Add When Dining Outside Your Home
Although it would be ideal to work towards dining at home as much as possible, we realize that this is not always the case. When you do choose to treat yourself to the wonders of dining out at a restaurant, it can become more difficult to prioritize habits that will work towards better digestion, but there are still a number of ways you can work towards giving yourself that extra boost of support. These habits include:
Look Over The Menu Beforehand: For those who have found they have a food intolerance that negatively impacts their digestion, it is important to identify the foods that include these ingredients that hurt them. When you go out to eat, this can become difficult as you are not the one creating the meals and thus truly know the ingredients. In order to best prepare yourself and your stomach when going out, it can be beneficial to look at the menu of the restaurant beforehand to ensure there are digestive-friendly meals that avoid the foods you are intolerant to.
Eat a Small Snack Before Your Meal: When we do go out to eat, sometimes it can lead to overeating or indulgences that we otherwise would not want to invest our time in. This is due to the reality that you will be waiting longer than anticipated at times for your meal. A way to avoid overeating or buying foods that you otherwise might not want is to indulge in a high protein snack a bit before you know you are going out to eat. This will help to satiate your stomach’s hunger to not allow it to reach an unbearable level, and it has been known that eating smaller meals more frequently can help to avoid issues such as bloating.
Be Cautious of Your Previous Meals: While it is easy to believe that we dispose of the food we consume shortly after eating it, in reality, food takes around 6-8 hours to fully digest in our systems and another whole day before it is disposed of through the colon. In order to avoid having an unpleasant experience at the dinner table in your new favorite restaurant, it is important to make sure you are eating digestive-friendly meals the day before you go out to eat. This will help to avoid irregular bowel movements or unneeded pain when you are out and about.
These are just some of many little adaptations you can make to your routine to help your digestive process. Our biggest goal when it comes to digestion is to make it as agreeable and convenient for you as possible, and through our 3-step wellness routine you will find just that!