Wisdom for Caring Well—Body, Mind, and Spirit

Most gut healing protocols start with supplements. But foundational digestive wellness starts with something far simpler — how you eat, not just what you eat. Before we look at advanced testing or protocols, we start with the basics: chewing, stomach acid, hydration, and the environment you eat in.

 

These principles make up the “front end” of digestion, and they’re often the reason people struggle with bloating, fullness, reflux, constipation, or nutrient deficiencies.

 

Let’s explore the often-overlooked essentials that create a truly healthy gut.

 

1. Chew Your Food Until It’s Liquid

 

Chewing is the first step of digestion — and most people rush right past it.

When you chew thoroughly:

  • You increase the surface area of your food
  • Enzymes can work properly
  • Your stomach acid can break food down more effectively
  • You slow down enough to activate the relaxation response

 

Ideal rule:
Chew until your food becomes liquid.

 

This simple habit improves digestion more than many supplements.

 

 

2. Stress While Eating Shuts Down Digestion

 

Your body cannot digest well in a fight-or-flight state.

Eating in the car, while arguing, while rushing, or while watching stressful content all:

  • Decrease digestive enzyme release
  • Reduce stomach acid
  • Impair motility
  • Increase bloating and discomfort
  •  

A calm state activates the rest-and-digest system, improving nutrient absorption and comfort.

 

Try this:
Before eating, pause, take one slow breath, and look at your food. This small moment increases enzyme secretion and reduces stress hormones.

 

 

3. Stomach Acid: Why You Need It (Not Suppress It)

 

Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) is far more common than high stomach acid — despite what reflux commercials imply.

 

Low acid leads to:

  • Poor protein digestion
  • Nutrient deficiencies (especially B12, iron, magnesium)
  • Increased risk of infection
  • Dysbiosis
  • Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)

 

Many people with reflux are treated with acid-blocking medications. But reduced acid often causes more digestive dysfunction, not less.

 

If your acid is too low:

  • Enzymes don’t activate properly
  • Bacteria can grow where they shouldn’t
  • Food sits too long, causing fermentation and reflux

 

This is why Functional Medicine focuses on restoring the right pH — not suppressing acid indefinitely.

 

4. Hydration: One of the Most Powerful Gut Medicines

 

Chronic dehydration is one of the most common causes of constipation — and one of the easiest to fix.

Inadequate water:

  • Slows motility
  • Increases toxin exposure in the colon
  • Allows estrogen to be reabsorbed (raising breast cancer risks)
  • Increases bloating and discomfort
  •  

Aim for steady hydration throughout the day. Your gut depends on it.

 

5. The Standard American Diet and “Sick Gut Syndrome”

 

Highly processed foods — white flour, sugar, additives, trans fats — feed the wrong bacteria.

 

This leads to:

  • Dysbiosis
  • Inflammation
  • Increased intestinal permeability
  • Sluggish digestion
  • Immune activation

 

Healthy gut function starts with whole, unprocessed foods.

 

 

Your Simple Daily Gut-Happiness Checklist

 

✔ Chew your food thoroughly
✔ Eat without screens or stress
✔ Support natural stomach acid
✔ Hydrate consistently
✔ Choose whole foods over processed foods

 

Small habits create big shifts. These basics are powerful enough to transform digestive health.

 

Next in this series, Blog #3 explores one of the most important Functional Medicine concepts: leaky gut — what it is, what causes it, and why it influences everything from immunity to mood.