Do you know the keys to absorbing your nutrients from the foods you eat?

There is no doubt about it.  You can’t stop the aging process.  

As you age, your digestive system becomes less efficient and you cannot get away with the bad habits you had in your 20’s and 30’s.

Bloating, flatulence, feeling full after a small meal, burping, constipation and acid reflux are only some of the symptoms that seem to increase as you get older.

These signs of a weak digestive system are due to an underactive stomach, overburdened liver, overburdened pancreas, and dysbiosis (imbalance in gut bacteria).

Questions That Needed Some Answers

“I feel like someone pulled the plug on me.” was a common saying for me at my lowest moments.  You can call it crushing fatigue.  And sometimes it still hits me out of nowhere.  But I can usually trace it back to lack of self care and stress.

I did not know the "keys to absorbing your nutrients". I struggled for a long time with low energy and digestive discomfort.

Here are some questions I wish someone would have asked me:

“Are you absorbing your nutrients.”  (Well of course! I thought so.)

“Are you taking time to be alone in the quiet.”  (Not so much!)

The other questions I wish someone had asked me are:

“Are you drinking enough good quality water.”  (What's quality water?)

“Are you chewing well?” (What does that mean?)

The first time this was mentioned to me was by a naturopathic doctor when I was struggling with stomach pain, being underweight and developing allergies.  

She called it malabsorption.  

I had to look it up.  After having stomach and intestinal pain for months and the colonoscopy turned up with nothing to show for it, I was pretty lost as to what to do to feel better again.

The Problem

Digestive disturbances and food sensitivities may be part of your inability to break down and absorb your food properly.

What you need is sufficient stomach acid, and adequate digestive enzymes to break your food down into its smallest parts.  For example, protein is broken down into amino acids.  These are the keys to absorbing your nutrients.

If you don’t have enough amino acids then you can’t make the enzymes you need to break your foods down. 

If you are not breaking down the protein you eat due to insufficient digestive enzymes, stomach acid and chewing, then you cannot make enough enzymes, hormones, antibodies, and neurotransmitters.

You will also need amino acids for muscle and tissue repair which includes your gut lining repair.

The best course of action is to add foods in and restore the integrity of the gut lining first.  I do not take a lot of food out unless it is clear that the food is irritating.  

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes help you break down fats, protein and carbohydrates.  They come in the form of lipase for fats, protease for protein and amylase for carbohydrates.  The digestion process starts in the mouth.  This is why chewing is so important.

Introducing Bitters

The function of your bile is to break down and emulsify fats so your pancreatic enzymes can digest them. 

If you are eating a lot of fatty and processed foods, this can hinder the liver’s function in producing bile and the gallbladder’s role in regulating the storage and release of the bile as needed.

This hindrance to the gallbladder will prevent the efficient elimination of toxins from the body that hinders your digestion and your energy. 

Ultimately, you will start experiencing other symptoms such as brain fog, and skin issues.

Add Bitters Back in Your Diet

Including bitters before a meal such as using apple cider vinegar in a bit of water, ginger tea or lemon and water can help with secreting and thinning the bile from the gallbladder and be ready to emulsify the fats in your next meal.  

For example,  try to make a habit of ordering lemon and water before your meal at a restaurant.  

You can also include bitters in your meal such as grapefruit, dandelion, watercress, arugala, radicchio, rapini, and endive. 

If you are feeling sluggish and constipated, you can start with drinking lemon and water in the morning.  This will flush out the excess bile in the colon along with excess mucous that accumulates over night.  

Overburdening the liver is also a cause for digestive discomfort.  This causes malabsorption of your fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.  

Summary

In summary it is not only what you eat that matters, it is what you absorb and utilize by your body that creates the energy and well being you desire.

Now that you know the keys to absorbing your nutrients, remember to relax when you eat, chew well and eat smaller portions.