Fight or Flight vs. Rest & Digest

Feliz Lunes mis amgias!

One of the first things I often discuss with those interested in addressing their physical health, usually in the terms of diet and nutrition is the importance surrounding proper digestion. Another layer into this would be how we address the common causes for disrupted digestion? Well there are many factors that can cause your intestinal tract to wreak havoc on your daily bowel movements including a plethora of gut irritations, unknown allergic reactions, eating to quickly etc etc. BUT the very large elephant in the room, the one that is NOT talked about nearly enough, are the affects STRESS has on our bodies ability to absorb vital essential nutrients and properly digest the foods that we are consuming! Red flag anyone??? Yep. Let’s dive in!

Let us think about this fairly quickly. We set aside all of this time and effort in cleaning up our diet, actively searching out and ingesting “healthier” food options to be “healthy” and yes, you guessed it…

This could mean absolutely NOTHING if your body is not absorbing them… so let us talk about stressors and what, why and how they may affect our bodies digestion.

What Happens When Stress Affects Digestion? **PSA – I am going to get “scientific” for a minute here people, just bear with me!

The bodies nervous system consists of two parts: the central and the peripheral. The central nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord. On the other hand, the peripheral nervous system is divided into three subsystems: the autonomic, somatic and enteric systems. The autonomic nervous system controls many of the body’s unconscious functions. Within the autonomic system, there are the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous systems. When you’re in a state of stress and your cortisol levels rise, your sympathetic nervous system takes over and stops digestion. All of your energy is mobilized to take a fight or flight response.

Stress can also cause inflammation in the stomach and gut, so you might experience gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea and constipation. This is where practicing “mindful eating” techniques, like sitting down, chewing, and avoiding screen time, helps you reduce stress and avoid emotional eating. It also allows your parasympathetic nervous system to take over. Unlike the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system gets your body into “rest and digest” mode.

Your parasympathetic nervous system promotes relaxation and sends signals to the liver, small and large intestines, pancreas, kidneys, and colon. The parasympathetic nervous system also triggers salivation to break down food and contracts muscles so food is able to move from one digestive organ to the next.

What are some ways to help my body feel that I am NOT overtly stressed, and it is safe to properly rest, digest and absorb?? Well, good digestion starts in your mouth. When you take time to enjoy your meal, you can chew your food and truly taste every spice, herb and texture. This promotes better meal satisfaction because your body is able to signal to your brain that you’re full and don’t need to consume more food. Chewing your food also allows your body to fully absorb nutrients and turn carbohydrates and fat into fuel.

Stress, we all have it and we all deal with it in many many different ways. I am not here to tell you that your lifestyle and nutrition goals are screwed if you have stressors in your life but I am here to tell you that your body recognizes and adjusts accordingly! Again, this is why self-care and self-love is so very important in our ability to evolve, thrive and maintain a healthful body for the long haul.

Questions/comments/concerns??? You know where to find me! And remember, breathe. This is a long life we get to live. Let’s make it a good one!

All my love,

Coach B