How To Speed Up Digestion

Are you having any of these symptoms?

If this is the case, it means your body is telling you something important.

Each of these symptoms indicates that one or more parts of your digestion are not working properly.

Usually, each symptom originates in a different area of the digestive system, and knowing or understanding the mechanics could help you target the area causing the problem.

In some cases, the symptoms could actually be correlated with other areas, but we will make an easy analysis of how to speed up a slow digestive system.

What to expect from this post?

We will explain 5 different stages of the digestive system, how they work, what body parts are involved, what symptoms you may have in each area, and how to fix them with natural ingredients or supplements.

We will be simplifying what the digestive system does since it is actually more complex than what we will expose.

In the end, as the Pareto principle says, 80% of the results come from 20% of the causes, and for this reason, we will try to explain the 20% that you need to focus on to improve 80% of your digestion.

The only recommendation is to always consult your doctor before making any changes.

1. Mouth And Esophagus (Salivary Glands)

Everything starts in your mouth.

This is where you chew the food to break it down, so the digestive system is ready to transform the raw materials of your food into the nutrients and energy that keep you alive.

Once you chew it, your salivary glands produce saliva, which helps with the initial breakdown of starches.

Then the esophagus lubricates the food and transports it to your stomach.

So what exactly is important in this part?

Make sure to chew as slowly as you can; you will make it easier on your digestive system once it reaches your stomach.

2. Stomach (Acid)

Here is where it starts to get interesting.

So what exactly happens in your stomach?

Your stomach helps to breaks down the proteins, absorb certain minerals, and aids in killing pathogens.

The key ingredient here is the acid in your stomach; it needs a ph of 1 – 3 to work properly.

What happens if you don’t have the ideal acidity in your stomach?

The main problems: Heartburn and Acid Reflux (GERD)

How can you improve heartburn and Gerd naturally?

This is probably a little counterintuitive and not something that many people are used to hearing.

A common solution is to take antiacids.

The problem with this approach is that you will only have a short-term and temporary solution since, as we previously said, the problem is the lack of acidity. Yes, your pain or symptoms might go away with antiacids, but this will not fix the long-term issue.

You can actually take a magical ingredient you may have in your home called apple cider vinegar (ACV).

Apple cider vinegar has a component called Acetic Acid, which will improve acidity in the stomach if you take it before eating. There are many recipes, but the most important thing is to dilute one tablespoon with water. Then you can add other ingredients to make it taste better.

The 1 thing you should consider before taking ACV is if you are already in a critical case with ulcers. If this is the case, you will have to treat the ulcers first and then implement the practice of adding ACV to your diet because the acid in ACV could make it worse.

Don’t like the taste of Apple Cider Vinegar?

There is a supplement that does the same job without the bad taste.

This supplement is called Betaine Hydrochloride (HCL), which will help your body produce hydrochloric acid and keep the acidity levels you need.

3. Gall Bladder & Liver (Bile)

Bile is actually produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder, which helps you break down fats.

There are many reasons you wouldn’t be producing enough bile; for example, not having a gall bladder or having a fatty liver is one of the biggest problems.

Obviously, your diet is also important.

What happens if you are not producing enough bile?

The main problems: Bloating, Burping, Belching.

How can you improve bloating, burping, and belching naturally?

Here is a list of foods that will stimulate your body to produce more bile.

• Beet Tops
• Ginger
• Artichoke
• Lemon

You can also take purified bile salts, which should be taken after eating.

This will help the breakdown of fats in general.

4. Pancreas & Small Intestine (Enzymes)

Now the food has reached your small intestine; it is ready to absorb the rest of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and micronutrients.

What happens with enzymes?

The enzymes are produced in many stages in the body.

For example, the saliva in the chewing process has enzymes, the stomach produces some enzymes, and even the large intestine produces enzymes.

We focus on the small intestine and pancreas because this is where it becomes critical for food absorption.

What happens if you don’t produce enough enzymes?

The main problem: Indigestion.

How can you improve indigestion naturally?

As far as foods to include in your diet, the most important is to eat raw foods.

The problem with cooked food is that the natural enzymes of the food have been lost. Then, your body will need to do the extra work and produce enzymes to break down the food.

When speaking about raw food, vegetables are the main issue. Baking, frying, or any type of heating will diminish the benefits.

Supplements to take?

The digestive enzymes are the most common.

There are different types, and you can find them anywhere.

5. Large Intestine (Gut Flora)

This is where most of the microbiome or gut bacteria live.

What happens in the large intestine?

The large intestine is the final stage of the digestive system. It basically works to extract the final liquids, nutrients and excretes the remains as a stool.

What happens if you have unbalanced gut flora?

The main problems: Constipation, Diarrhea.

These are actually opposites, but both are problems in the large intestine.

Having said that, let’s start with constipation.

How to fix constipation?

Fiber is what you should be taking.

Best foods to relieve constipation are:

• Prunes
• Apples and Pears
• Blackberries and Raspberries
• Water
• Spinach
• Beans
• Coffee

What supplements will help you relieve constipation?

Any supplement that has fiber should be great. In case you don’t know any, here are 2 that are trending at this moment.

• Synogut
• ConstiCleanse

What if you have diarrhea?

This is a more complex problem because even though one of the most important issues is balancing good and bad bacteria, you need to have all the previous stages fixed.

If you start consuming probiotics through food or supplements but haven’t addressed the previous stages, there won’t be much impact.

At the same time, this can be caused by allergies or intolerance to foods like dairy.

But as far as having a good gut health, probiotics are the important thing at this stage.

Best foods that have probiotics:

• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Cottage Cheese
• Kimchi
• Pickles
• Kombucha

Supplements for diarrhea?

Do your research, but you can try this supplement for probiotics.

• P3-OM

Additional Tips To Speed Up Digestion

Managing Stress

Stress plays an important role in digestion, which means that if you are constantly in a stressful environment, it doesn’t matter that you are eating the healthiest foods; you will in some way be absorbing fewer nutrients and not optimizing the energy food provides than if you would in a relaxed environment.

What is the relationship between stress and digestion?

Stress releases a hormone called cortisol which having it constantly in your body may cause problems like constipation, indigestion, lower nutrient absorption, and the list goes on.

This is a hormone that is useful for “fight or flight response”, which means that in case you are in danger like being attacked by a lion, will be helpful.

At the same time, cortisol is a hormone that is released to wake you up. So yes, a little bit of cortisol is good now and then, but for the rest of the day, it will cause more harm than good.

Best ways to manage stress?

Exercise and meditation are the best ways to reduce stress and will help you improve your digestion.

150 minutes a week of exercise and 60 minutes of meditation a week is a good goal to shoot for.

Don’t try to do everything in one day and the rest of the week do nothing. It’s better to split it out into as many days as possible. The daily habit will have a higher impact on your health.

Final Thoughts

Having a proper digestive system is important so the body can work optimally.

Daily nutrition habits and proper supplementation are key to improving your digestive system.

Managing stress through exercise and meditation will be the icing on the cake to speed up your digestion.

Now that you have seen the different symptoms and solutions for your gastrointestinal tract make sure to listen to your body and give it what it is asking for.

Everyone has the power to heal its body naturally.