“Did you know digestion starts before you’ve started eating? When you think about food, look at food or smell delicious cooking, this helps secrete digestive enzymes from the stomach, which kickstart the digestive process. If we’re distracted when we eat or don’t pay attention to our food at mealtimes, we risk missing this crucial stage of digestion and bloating and indigestion is likely. Meanwhile, the vagus nerve – which runs from your brain to your stomach – tells the stomach to produce acid and churn food. If we’re stressed, the vagus nerve impairs digestion, resulting in gut symptoms. Activating the vagus nerve can improve the speed of digestion – try humming, singing or deep breathing. If you struggle with constipation, have a couple of kiwis and chia seeds for breakfast. The fibre in a kiwi has incredible water-holding capacities, while the fibre in chia seeds absorbs fluid and helps to create bulky, soft stools.”
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