Digestion is an important part of your health. Poor digestion can lead to pain, discomfort, and poor health outcomes. You may have built some bad habits that may be disturbing your digestion such as eating too fast, eating on the go, and eating too late.

Eating Too Fast

Eating too fast can cause you to eat more food than you need. This can cause indigestion and heartburn and can contribute to weight gain. Eating too fast causes you to swallow air. This can increase your chances of bloating and gas following a meal. When eating too fast it is also very likely that you aren’t chewing your food as well as if you were to eat slower. Chewing your food more can help break up the particles and help your digestion. To help you eat slower you should put away any distractions and focus on enjoying your meal.  

Eating on the Go

Eating on the go often leads to less-than-optimal food choices. These are often fast-food choices which are low in fiber and high in fat and calories and can be difficult to digest. When you are on the go your valve to your stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter, has a hard time closing which it normally does to keep contents in the stomach. This can cause bloating and heartburn. Eating on the go causes your body to redirect energy to your muscles rather than digestion. Your body’s optimal state is in a rested state so it can perform digestion optimally.

Eating Too Late

Eating late can disrupt your digestion because you aren’t giving your body enough time to digest the food before lying down. When lying down with food still in your stomach it can get pushed up your esophagus. This can cause acid to irritate the esophagus and cause burning sensations known as acid reflux. Eating too late can also cause indigestion or an upset stomach which can cause stomach pain or nausea. This can impact your sleep quality as well which can also disturb your digestion.

Habits are developed over time, and you may not even realize that some of your habits are bad habits and decrease your health and wellbeing. When it comes to digestion, some bad habits that disturb it are eating too fast, eating on the go, and eating too late. Making simple changes to these habits can greatly improve your digestion and improve your health.  

Check out this article to learn what you can do to have a healthy and happy tummy!