Digestion Issues? These Four Habits Could be the Culprit

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e: <i>hara hachi bu</i>. It translates as a reminder to only eat until one feels 80% full.</p><p id="5b87">Digestion takes energy. When we eat beyond our capacity, we put unnecessary strain on our visceral system. There is an important difference between feeling full and no longer being hungry. Try listening to your body’s cues when you eat — turning off distracting screens during meal times is a great place to start.</p><p id="7902">❊ <b>Eating before bed</b></p><p id="e0f8"><i>When</i> we eat can be just as important as <i>what</i> we eat. As work days grow longer, it’s increasingly common to skip breakfast (or even lunch) and compensate with heavy meals later in the day. These patterns, although normalized, are disruptive to our natural circadian rhythms.</p><p id="07cc">Eating late at night is not only known to cause indigestion; it <a href="https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/advise-me/how-late-night-eating-could-sabotage-your-health#:~:text=The%20bottom%20line,reach%20out%20to%20Banner%20Health.">interrupts sleep</a>, too. Try eating your largest meal at lunchtime, and aim to eat your last (and preferably smallest) meal of the day around two hours before sleeping.</p><p id="27f3">❊ <b>Eating between meals</b></p><p id="cbff">Our tendency to graze is a modern phenomenon. With less emphasis on organized mealtimes in many households, it’s easy to snack throughout the day. Snacking, however, puts a similar stress on our bodies to overeating. Over time, it has the potential to weaken our <a href="https://readmedium.com/agni-and-ayurveda-8ee96ae6264e">digestive fire</a>.</p><p id="e2da">Give your body time to rest between meals by choosing snacks mindfully or refraining from snacking entirely. When possible, be attentive in distinguishing between physical and emotional hunger during the day — eating out o

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f stress or boredom, as many of us know from experience, creates digestive discomfort.</p><p id="d9d7">❊ <b>Eating too quickly</b></p><p id="8b19">Eating quickly and overeating often go hand-in-hand. Practice mindful eating by consuming food slowly and without distraction. Savor the colors, smells, and flavors of your meal. Chew slowly, finishing and swallowing each mouthful of food before taking the next, to give your digestive enzymes time to do their work properly.</p><p id="791e"><i>Learn more:</i></p><div id="0042" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/agni-and-ayurveda-8ee96ae6264e"> <div> <div> <h2>Agni and Ayurveda</h2> <div><h3>Agni, a Sanskrit word meaning fire, is the absolute epicenter of longevity and health in Ayurveda. Within the human…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*10ez6VeED9JA1rFv0dPinw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="dd53" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/understanding-sattvic-flavors-in-ayurveda-108008374fbb"> <div> <div> <h2>Understanding Sattvic Foods in Ayurveda</h2> <div><h3>Food holds a profound significance in the human experience. Our relationship to what we eat transcends basic nutrition…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Pf6p4tAulxlfTpa5v2EgMQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Digestive Issues? These Four Habits Could Be the Culprit

If you struggle with digestive discomfort on a regular basis, you are in good company — a recent survey from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) found that 40% of Americans suffer from gastrointestinal issues that disrupt daily life. Despite these disruptions, many patients (1 in 3, according to the survey) are hesitant to discuss their symptoms with a healthcare provider.

Conversations around digestive health have marginally improved in past years. With all the speed and intensity of modern life, however, health-related issues like digestion are too often pushed to one side.

Today, our relationship with food is dramatically different from that of our ancestors. We eat faster, cook less, and have access to a wider variety of foods when compared to generations before us. Amidst all of these changes, disordered or unhealthy eating habits are widely normalized. If you suffer from gastrointestinal discomfort, it’s worth examining how the following tendencies might be affecting your digestive health.

❊ Overeating

In Okinawa, Japan — a place known for the exceptional health and longevity of its local population — it is traditional to begin each meal with a phrase: hara hachi bu. It translates as a reminder to only eat until one feels 80% full.

Digestion takes energy. When we eat beyond our capacity, we put unnecessary strain on our visceral system. There is an important difference between feeling full and no longer being hungry. Try listening to your body’s cues when you eat — turning off distracting screens during meal times is a great place to start.

❊ Eating before bed

When we eat can be just as important as what we eat. As work days grow longer, it’s increasingly common to skip breakfast (or even lunch) and compensate with heavy meals later in the day. These patterns, although normalized, are disruptive to our natural circadian rhythms.

Eating late at night is not only known to cause indigestion; it interrupts sleep, too. Try eating your largest meal at lunchtime, and aim to eat your last (and preferably smallest) meal of the day around two hours before sleeping.

❊ Eating between meals

Our tendency to graze is a modern phenomenon. With less emphasis on organized mealtimes in many households, it’s easy to snack throughout the day. Snacking, however, puts a similar stress on our bodies to overeating. Over time, it has the potential to weaken our digestive fire.

Give your body time to rest between meals by choosing snacks mindfully or refraining from snacking entirely. When possible, be attentive in distinguishing between physical and emotional hunger during the day — eating out of stress or boredom, as many of us know from experience, creates digestive discomfort.

❊ Eating too quickly

Eating quickly and overeating often go hand-in-hand. Practice mindful eating by consuming food slowly and without distraction. Savor the colors, smells, and flavors of your meal. Chew slowly, finishing and swallowing each mouthful of food before taking the next, to give your digestive enzymes time to do their work properly.

Learn more: