It's happening before you even take a bite....

Imagine yourself walking down the street on a beautiful sunny day.  You turn the corner and smell the most amazing aroma of sugar and cinnamon coming from a street vendor selling nuts at the end of the block.  Your mouth starts to water, maybe you have a flashback to your childhood eating candies nuts with your beloved Grandma...you are salivating and now your mind is fixated on enjoying those amazing candied nuts.

Has this happened to you?

This is all part of that digestive process...yes, even though you have not even taken a bite of food yet.  

Digestion starts before you take your first bite.  When you smell food cooking, it starts a whole digestion cascade in your body but it all starts in the brain. Smelling the candied nuts triggers your mouth to start salivating. That saliva is full of enzymes that will begin to break down your food when it hits your stomach.  Salivation also activates HCL ( hydrochloric acid) in your stomach to prepare for food to enter your mouth.  The combo of the enzymes in your saliva and the acid in your stomach is key to breaking down your food. 

This step...known as the Cephalic Phase of digestion...cephalic meaning “head”....is the foundation for proper digestion.  If this is not working properly, your digestion will not start off on the right track and this will lead to many gut problems such as indigestion, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea.  

This is the foundation to gut healing...you have to prime your body for eating. 

Here are a few tips to help you optimize your gut healing by starting with before you take you first bite of food:

1. Cook your own meals at home.  Touching the food, dicing, chopping, releasing the aromas as you saute, bake or grill a meal...it’s so important to smell and touch your food prior to that first bite. You want to start salivating as you cook to activate those enzymes and acids.
2. Bless you food and practice gratitude before your first bite.  Taking a few seconds to practice gratitude sets your mind and body in a positive place and helps to calm your nervous system for eating.  And it will activate those digestive enzymes for digestion. 
3. Sip on lemon water prior to that first bite.  Lemon will help to boost your stomach acid and improve your digestion once the food reaches your stomach.  It also activates the saliva production in your mouth and those gastric enzymes.  

The key to healing your gut and stopping the cycle of bloat, gas, indigestion, diarrhea and constipation is to slow down and enjoy the process of preparing food and eating food. We are such a grab and go society with convenience foods, drive throughs and hurried eating.  

If you struggle with bloat, gas, stomach pains, belching, constipation or diarrhea...its a sign that you are not digesting your food well.  Take a step back and prime your body for breaking down your food with these tips. 

If you like these tips, be sure to check me out on Instagram @shannon_yundt.