4 Dietary Mistakes That Are Keeping You From Achieving Optimal Digestion
Are you like so many of my clients and you’re struggling with digestive issues?
Many female entrepreneurs find themselves experiencing gas, heartburn, bloating, sleepy after meals, stomach pains not realising that their dietary choices, even foods you might think are in no way related, can be making things worse.
As a clinical nutritionist, I see these common dietary mistakes time and again. And today, I want to bring your awareness to them!
Let's dive into the 4 dietary mistakes that could be hindering your progress towards optimal digestion.
The Mistakes:
1. Not chewing food thoroughly
Common Mistake: Many people overlook the importance of chewing your food thoroughly, which is crucial for digesting your food properly.
What it does: Without adequate chewing, achieving optimal digestion becomes more challenging because when you eat food too fast and swallow air with your food, this will cause digestive stress leading to poor absorption of nutrients and digestive problems like gas and bloating, and possible growth of harmful yeast and bacteria in the digestive tract.
Quick Fix: To correct this, start chewing each mouthful of food 20-30 times before you swallow it.
2. Not drinking enough warm liquid before meals
Common Mistake: It's easy to fall into the habit of not drinking enough nourishing fluids, especially when you are running a super busy successful business and have a life too.
What it does: Not drinking enough fluids, particularly warm liquids (such as warm water with lemon, broth, and soup) before meals can sabotage your efforts to achieve digestive wellness because you will not be adequately preparing your digestive tract for digesting your incoming food.
Quick Fix: Try drinking 250ml of warm liquid 30 minutes before main meals.
3. Consuming irritating foods
Common Mistake: Regularly indulging in alcohol, coffee, refined sugars, and processed foods is often overlooked but plays a significant role in achieving optimal digestion.
What it does: Eating the above foods and beverages, causes digestive stress and depletes vitamins and minerals within the body which are vital for enzyme activity, together with depleting stomach acid, making it harder to digest food properly.
Quick Fix: Focus on slowly reducing these irritating foods and beverages, and instead focus on fresh wholefoods and nourishing fluids.
4. Underestimating the importance of fruits and vegetables
Common Mistake: A frequent oversight is underestimating how crucial eating fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables is for digestive wellness.
What it does: Without paying attention to this, optimal digestion remains elusive. This is because fruits and vegetables have high water content, and this helps with producing digestive juices (that help to break your food down) and increase bowel transit time.
Quick Fix: Start by eating one extra serve of fruit and vegetables per day, and you'll notice a significant difference in your digestive wellness. Examples one serve are as follows: ½ cup cooked green or orange vegetables (for example, broccoli, spinach, carrots or pumpkin,1 cup green leafy or raw salad vegetables,1 medium sized piece of fruit such as an apple and orange
Avoiding these 4 dietary mistakes can significantly impact your journey towards optimal digestion. As a clinical nutritionist, my goal is to help female entrepreneurs like you navigate the complexities of nutrition and diet, particularly when it comes to overcoming digestive issues.
If you're ready to make a change and see real results, book your free clarity call with me.
Together, we can tailor a dietary plan that aligns with your unique needs and goals, ensuring that your digestive wellness is not just a dream, but a reality.
In wellness,
Sara
Got questions?
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