#digestivewellness

Chew your food like your health depends on it 🥗😋 Because, to be honest, it does, to some extent! Digestion doesn’t start in your stomach – it starts in your mouth 👄✨. Every bite you take is the first step towards converting that delicious meal into energy and nutrients your body can actually use.

When you chew properly, your teeth break down food into smaller pieces 🦷➡️🍎, increasing the surface area so that enzymes can work their magic ✨🔬. Saliva isn’t just there to make food slippery – it’s packed with enzymes like amylase that start digesting carbohydrates right away 🥖➡️🍬. It makes the soft, smooth bolus easier to swallow 😌👌 and saves your stomach from having to work too hard.

Chewing slowly isn’t just about digestion – it’s also about absorption 💡🌈. Small, well-chewed pieces mean your gut can absorb vitamins, minerals, and all the good stuff faster and more efficiently 🥦💛. Say goodbye to bloating, gas, and stomach issues 🚫💨 and hello to happy, balanced digestion 😄✨.

Bonus? Biting slowly helps your brain catch up 🧠⏱️. It signals satiety, so you actually feel full before you overeat 🍽️❤️. Less stress on your stomach, more love for your body 💖💪.

So the next time you sit down to eat, put down your phone 📵, take a deep breath 🌬️, and really chew 🥕🍗🍞. Tasting, enjoying, and nourishing your body the right way 🌟. Healthy digestion isn’t just about what you eat — it’s about how you eat 🥰🍽️.

Eat with awareness. Drink enough water. Sleep deeply. Move often.

Your gut remembers what you do every day.

(A science based read)

What you eat is shown through your skin and on body. If your constantly shoving junk down your throat, junk is what will be shown on you. Essentially what you eat is what you are.

Eat bad -> bad skin

Eat good -> good skin

If your constantly breaking out and you feel icky. You need to figure out what is up with your gut health.

Research suggests many skin disorders are linked to an altered or unbalanced gut microbiome.

“When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases.”

“13 Several dermatologic conditions, such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and rosacea are linked with intestinal dysbiosis. 223 Many studies have associated gastrointestinal health with skin homeostasis and allostasis, and there is evidence of a bidirectional interaction between the gut and the skin.”

Diet, drugs and other consumed substances affect skin through gut microbiome:

“Several studies have related the diversity and pathogenicity of the gut microbiome to skin disorders, which can be significantly altered by long-term dietary patterns. 43,105–107 Diet can affect the skin condition both positively and negatively through alteration of the gut microbiome, indicating that there is a relationship between the skin and the gut. 16 Not only diet, but also many synthetic and natural products consumed by humans as drugs can provide direct and indirect evidence on the connection between gut microbiome and skin.”

High and low fat diet:

“In the gut, a diet high in industrial trans-fatty acids increases the number of harmful microbes (such as Desulfovibrionaceae and Proteobacteria) while suppressing populations of advantageous microorganisms (e.g. members of Bacteroidetes, Lachnospiraceae, and Bacteroidales). 121 Refined and hydrogenated oils (e.g., soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola, corn, and vegetable oils) can cause inflammation in the gut, which then manifests on the skin.”

Industrially produced trans fat can be found in margarine, vegetable shortening, Vanaspati ghee, fried foods, and baked goods such as crackers, biscuits and pies. Baked and fried street and restaurant foods often contain industrially produced trans fat.

Prebiotics:

“133,134 Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, inulin, polydextrose, lactulose, sorbitol, and xylitol are a promising group of compounds that modulate the gut microbiome and can also provide skin benefits.”

“The effect of prebiotics on the skin condition is also obvious. For example, a Lactobacillus extract helps to reduce the size of acne lesions as well as inflammation by reducing skin erythema, improving skin barrier function and lowering the microbial counts on skin.”

types of prebiotics include:

Chicory root

Garlic

Onion

Dandelion greens

Apples

Bananas

Jerusalem artichoke

Asparagus

Probiotics:

“Probiotics can prevent gut colonization by pathogens and support anti-inflammatory responses by producing metabolites with anti-inflammatory properties. The most common probiotic microbes currently in use belong to the genera Bacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces, and Streptococcus. 143,144 Several beneficial effects of probiotic consumption have been demonstrated on many dermatological conditions, thus proving the existence of the gut-skin axis.”

Common types of probiotics include:

Lactobacillus: This is a common probiotic found in fermented foods, such as yogurt.

Bifidobacterium: This probiotic is found in some dairy products and helps with the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Saccharomyces boulardii: This is a type of yeast found in many probiotics. You can find these probiotics and more in supplements and select foods.

Yogurt

Buttermilk

Cottage cheese

Miso soup

Sauerkraut

Kefir

Kimchi

Tempeh

Protein:

“The proteins from animal-based food sources may have better effects on gut microbiota compared to plant-based food sources due to the higher protein digestibility of animal proteins and the fact that the digestion of plant proteins may be limited by the presence of antinutritional factors found in plants [67]. Animal proteins have more balanced essential amino acids than plant proteins [68,69] and are thus considered higher quality protein.”

“Dairy and meat protein intake at a recommended level increased the abundance of the genus Lactobacillus and maintained a more balanced composition of gut microbiota compared to soy protein, which is beneficial to the host [25,26,28].”

“Your body makes lots of different peptides, each of which has a different role. Scientists can also make synthetic peptides in the lab. Companies have been adding peptides to skin care products for decades.”

High protein foods:

Salmon

Chicken breast

Tuna

Red split lentils

Tofu

Greek yogurt

Fibre:

“Dietary fibre is comprised of plant-based carbohydrates that cannot be metabolised by digestive enzymes encoded in the human genome, such as amylase. Instead, fibre can only be metabolized by certain species of gut microbiota through anaerobic fermentation, with the main product of this reaction being SCFAs.”

“Dietary fibre is a carbohydrate in plant foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes, which have been dominant in human diets for millions of years. From the Paleolithic era, when the hunter-gatherers mainly ate fruit and wild grains, to the agricultural era, when crops began to be cultivated, the ancients consumed more than 100 g of various digestible and indigestible dietary fibre from plants per day [1,2].”

Fibre rich foods:

Chia seeds

Lentils

Broccoli

Avacado

Carrots

Red kidney beans

Raspberries

Let's talk about the simplest, most overlooked hero of gut health: WATER.

We're all out here buying expensive probiotics and fermented foods (which are great!), but if you're not hydrating, you're basically building a house on a cracked foundation. Here’s why your gut is literally begging you for that H₂O.

1. It’s the Ultimate Transit System 🚂

Think of water as the river that carries the boat (your food) through the digestive canal. Without enough water, things get… stuck. This leads to constipation, which is as uncomfortable as it sounds.

When waste sits in your colon for too long, it can cause bloating, discomfort, and allow harmful bacteria to thrive. Water keeps everything moving smoothly and efficiently from entry to exit. Goodbye, bloat!

2. It Builds Your Mucus Lining (Your Gut’s Bouncer) 🛡️

This is the coolest part. Your gut has a protective mucous layer that acts like a shield. This shield:

Protects the delicate gut lining from abrasive food particles and stomach acid.

Houses a lot of your good gut bacteria, giving them a cozy place to live.

Helps prevent "leaky gut" by keeping the intestinal barrier strong and intact.

And guess what this mucus is mostly made of? You guessed it: WATER. Dehydration = thinner mucus = a weaker defense system.

3. It’s a Master Chef for Digestion 👩🍳

Your stomach uses acidic gastric juices to break down food. Water is a key ingredient in this process. It also helps produce saliva (step one of digestion) and digestive enzymes throughout your system.

Trying to break down a complex meal without enough water is like trying to make soup with just a spoonful of broth. It just won’t work right.

How to Hydrate for a Happy Gut

It’s not just about guzzling gallons. Here’s how to do it right:

Listen to Your Body: Thirst is an early sign of dehydration. Drink before you feel parched.

Pace Yourself: Sip water throughout the day instead of chugging a huge amount at once.

Eat Your Water: Incorporate water-rich foods like cucumber, celery, watermelon, oranges, and strawberries.

Check Your Pee: Aim for a light, pale straw color. Dark yellow? Drink up!

Not a Fan of Plain Water? Infuse it with mint, lemon, berries, or ginger for a flavor boost that also adds extra antioxidants.

Water isn’t passive; it’s an active participant in building a healthy gut environment, aiding digestion, and protecting your lining. So go fill up your glass and give your microbiome the love it deserves.