Part 3: How to Support Digestion with Food & Daily Habits

Introduction: Small Shifts, Big Impact 🌿

Healing your gut doesn’t require extreme cleanses or complicated protocols. It happens through daily rhythms — the simple choices in how you eat, drink, rest, and move. Think of digestion like an orchestra 🎻. When every section plays together — the mouth, stomach, intestines, microbiota — the music flows. When one instrument is out of tune, the whole piece feels off.

This blog explores the NOURISH phase of the journey: the foods and habits that help your digestive orchestra find harmony.

Chewing Thoroughly: Digestion Begins in the Mouth 🍽️

Chewing is the first step in digestion. Saliva contains enzymes like amylase (to break down carbohydrates) and lingual lipase (to begin fat digestion).¹ Rushing through meals skips this step, leaving the stomach to do extra work.

Chewing thoroughly also signals to the brain that food is on the way, priming gastric secretions and bile release.² In other words, chewing is the conductor’s opening note for the digestive orchestra.

Mindful chewing can also be a form of stress management. Taking time to pause and savor your food naturally slows your eating pace and helps shift the body into “rest and digest.” A client once told me that simply doubling the number of times she chewed each bite reduced her bloating within a week.

Gut-Healing Foods 🌱

The foods we choose can either soothe digestion or strain it.

Some foods have particular benefits for gut repair:

• Bone Broth → rich in collagen, glycine, and glutamine, bone broth supports the integrity of the intestinal lining.³ These amino acids act like patch kits, repairing microscopic tears.

• Fermented Foods → sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and yogurt provide probiotics that enhance microbial diversity.⁴ Studies show that higher diversity in gut bacteria is linked to reduced inflammation and improved resilience.

• Bitter Greens → arugula, dandelion, chicory, and radicchio stimulate gastric juices and bile production. This aids fat digestion and supports liver detoxification.

• Prebiotic Fibers → foods like garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas, and chicory root provide food for beneficial bacteria, helping them flourish.⁵

Practical tip: Try a simple gut-friendly snack: a small bowl of kefir topped with sliced banana and chia seeds. It combines probiotics, prebiotics, and fiber — a three-part harmony for your microbiome.

Crowding Out Irritants 🚫

Healing isn’t just about removing foods — it’s about filling your plate with nourishment so irritants have less room. Common irritants include:

• Refined sugar → fuels harmful microbes and increases inflammation.

• Seed oils (soybean, corn, canola) → contribute to oxidative stress and imbalance.

• Highly processed foods → often contain additives that irritate the gut lining.

A gentle strategy is to use swaps:

• Soda → sparkling water with lemon.

• Vegetable oils → olive or avocado oil.

• Processed snacks → raw nuts, seeds, or fruit.

One client swapped her afternoon soda habit for sparkling water with lime. Within two weeks, her reflux symptoms had improved dramatically.

Hydration with Intention 💧

Water is vital for every step of digestion: softening food, producing gastric mucus, supporting motility, and aiding detoxification.⁶ Without enough hydration, constipation and sluggish digestion often follow.

It’s not just how much you drink but when:

• Start the day with a glass of water to rehydrate after sleep.

• Sip steadily throughout the day, rather than gulping large amounts at once.

• Avoid over-drinking with meals, which may dilute stomach acid.

Herbal teas like ginger or peppermint can also support digestion. Carrying a reusable water bottle makes it easier to stay consistent.

Stress and Digestion 😣

Stress is one of digestion’s biggest disruptors. In fight-or-flight mode, the body diverts blood flow away from the gut.⁷ Motility slows, enzyme production decreases, and the microbiome shifts toward imbalance.

The vagus nerve plays a key role here. Activating it through slow breathing, humming, or pausing before meals helps restore parasympathetic dominance. In practical terms, that means your body can rest, digest, and absorb.

A client described constant urgency at meals during a stressful job transition. Practicing two minutes of 4-7-8 breathing before lunch calmed her system and cut the urgency in half.

Mindful Eating 🧘

Mindfulness at meals doesn’t require long meditations — just intentional pauses:

1. Pause → take 3 slow breaths before eating.

2. Notice → engage your senses: look, smell, and appreciate the food.

3. Savor → chew slowly and put your fork down between bites.

This practice not only improves digestion but also enhances satiety, reducing the tendency to overeat.

Sleep and Circadian Rhythm 🌙

The microbiome follows a circadian rhythm, repairing and resetting overnight. Poor or irregular sleep disrupts this cycle, reducing microbial diversity and gut barrier integrity.⁸

• Late nights and inconsistent schedules have been linked to microbial imbalance.

• Adequate sleep supports both immune resilience and digestive regularity.

A client who shifted from midnight bedtimes to a consistent 10:30 p.m. routine reported less bloating and more energy within two weeks. Sleep is the rehearsal that makes tomorrow’s digestive performance possible.

Pulling It All Together 🎻

Daily choices — chewing, food selection, hydration, stress care, mindfulness, and sleep — work together like sections of an orchestra. One instrument out of tune can disrupt the whole performance. When they align, the result is harmony.

Conclusion: Nourishing the Journey 🌿

Supporting digestion isn’t about perfection. It’s about building capacity — feeding the gut with nutrient-rich foods, supporting it with hydration and rest, and aligning daily rhythms.

This is the NOURISH phase of The Wellness Journey with Michelle — giving your body the building blocks to heal and thrive. Clients often find that once they master this phase, energy returns, cravings ease, and resilience grows.

In the next step of this Gut Reset Series, we’ll explore the Gut-Brain Connection 🧠 — how stress and microbes shape mood, focus, and vitality.

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Disclaimer:

The information provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, or supplement routine. The author does not claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References 

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