The How of Eating

We may be eating all the “right” foods while we overlook how we digest these foods.  Our digestive system tends to be neglected as we fixate on the pursuit for health through nutrition. A more positive impact of our food choices can be enhanced if we also pay some well needed attention to our digestion.

Digestion begins when our body is anticipating food. The smell and the sight of food activate salivary glands and prepare the pancreas to release digestive enzymes. The time between sitting down to eat and actually putting the food into our mouths, offers an opportunity to develop a good digestion.

We should allow time for the sight and smell of the food to excite our digestive system; we should bring focus to eating and let go of the busyness we carry.  The digestion is facilitated by the parasympathetic nervous system. This nervous system is activated by relaxation. When we eat our food “on the run” of come to the dinner table stressed the sympathetic nervous system is dominant and energy and blood are shoved away from the digestive system toward the brain and muscles.

 We should relax the body and welcome the food into our bodies. Relaxation also includes attention to your posture. If we eat while slumped over or twisted we can interfere with the simple mechanics of digestion. The digestive organs don’t like to be compressed, so an open not rigid posture facilitates good digestion.  Basically eating in a relaxed state benefits the digestive system.

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