Optimizing Digestion: The Importance of Food Order
Optimizing Digestion: The Importance of Food Order
Have you ever noticed feeling bloated or uncomfortable after a meal? While the type of food you eat certainly plays a role, your food order will optimize digestion, maximize nutrient absorption and overall health.
How to Start Your Meal
Starting your meal with lighter foods such as salads and veggies can help to activate your digestive system and prepare it for the heavier foods to come.
My mentor Ben Fuchs points out three compelling reasons to start with salads and vegetables.
- Vegetables provide filling fiber that suppresses appetite and aids calorie reduction.
- Vegetable’s enzymes stimulate bile, hydrochloric acid and other digestive juices.
- Avoid sweet processed foods as they may reduce the appeal of subtle plant flavors
Vegetables are easier for your body to break down and require less energy to digest. By beginning with lighter options, you are allowing your body to gradually ramp up its digestive processes and avoid overwhelming your system.
Food Order Can Help with Blood Sugar
As you progress through your meal, it’s important to continue to consider the order in which you eat. For example, eating fiber and proteins before carbohydrates can aid in blood sugar regulation. Fiber from whole foods of fruits, vegetables and nuts, slows down sugar absorption. Protein has a small effect on blood glucose levels. It breaks down glucose slower so blood sugar does not spike. I highly recommend low carb plans in the first place to reduce this blood sugar problem. Also protein as well as vegetables make you feel full, yet protein is more complex and slows down digestion overall.
Role of Healthy Fats In Digestion
When it come to healthy fats, it is important to consume them. They will be more filling and have the same effect of fiber where they will make you feel satisfied and not over eat. Like proteins, they do take more time to digest. Consume fats with and after vegetables. Healthy fats such as avocados and nuts have fiber in them and are easier to digest. Of course, salmon has healthy fats incorporated in it. Grass fed butter is a healthy fat and is needed like other healthy fats to process nutrients. For example, butter has butyrate. According to Total Wellness Dupage, “Butyrate is actually produced by intestinal bacteria when they metabolize cellulose and other prebiotic fibers. Thus making fiber beneficial to health.“
Some Things to Consider
Here are some things to consider. If you have oily stools, problems with digesting certain proteins or other foods, it is really important to do a food log. It will help you identify your problem. You may want do a food elimination first, if you cannot point out the problem. This process will catch the problem foods that you have. I do have food logs available for my clients.
Also you simply may need digestive enzymes. They help people break down their foods easier for digestion. If you don’t have a gallbladder there are special enzymes that I can forward you to as well.
For proper digestion, you need a healthy gut. I can see if this is an issue. I do have a variety of Digestive Health products and I can guide you to what you need.
Need more Assistance with Food Order & Food Logs?
I can certainly help you with this food order process and even give you more tips on what to eat when. You are welcome to email me or set up a free private consultation to discuss your needs.