She has seen several hundred patients and all of them make this mistake.
Bloated, painful, heavy stomach… How many of us suffer from digestive problems? No longer knowing what remedies to take to stop bloating and digest better? No longer knowing in what order to eat food to make it easier after meals? Digestion is a vital process for the body since the body draws everything it needs to function from the food it eats. Some foods are known to contribute to good digestion, such as fruits and vegetables (avoiding eating them raw), while others can weigh heavily on the intestines, such as those that are too fatty or ultra-processed.
Watching your diet is important for good digestion, but there is also a very simple way to digest better and many of us do the opposite, as nutritionist Catherine Jeans reminded us in Newsweek : “It’s one of the biggest problems I see in my hundreds of clients and is a major contributor to symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and other intestinal disorders.” This problem has become more acute with the evolution of Western societies: “We live in a fast-paced world and everything happens very quickly, including eating.” continues the expert. But eating quickly is catastrophic for digestion.
“When we eat quickly, it’s often because we’re doing other things at the same time, often in a state of high stress. If we’re at our desk and we get an email that stresses us out, our body doesn’t prioritize releasing digestive enzymes and other substances needed for proper digestion. It prioritizes the stress response, diverting blood away from your digestive system.” This is why nutrition specialists advise being in a state of rest during meals. This helps the body relax and slow down the intake of food. And vice versa. “When we eat more slowly, we are likely to chew better, and that is the first step to optimal digestion.” recalls the expert. According to her, it could even “reduce food intolerance reactions”.
Eating more slowly or “mindfully” finally contributes to better weight control. Because satiety signals (those that tell the body “you’ve eaten enough, you’re no longer hungry”) need time to be triggered. By eating slowly, the body and brain have time to feel full and therefore satisfied. The quantity ingested is therefore less than if you eat quickly.