Many of us are looking to support our digestive systems. The majority of my clients come to me for help with bloating, constipation, candida overgrowth, acid reflux, or another gut-related symptom they’re experiencing. Our diet plays a huge role in the root cause of these symptoms and affects the balance of our gut microbiome.
Today I’m sharing 5 key nutrients to support digestion and our natural detoxification systems. Incorporating these foods into your diet is a simple step you can take to nourish your body and ensure your digestion is on track for healthy detoxification and overall health.
5 Nutrients to Support Digestion
Probiotics
Our gut microbiome consists of trillions of microbes, which impact our health in many ways. Probiotics assist in manufacturing some minerals, breaking down toxins to assist in detoxification, enhancing bowel function, regulation of bowel movements, prevention of inflammation, and increasing the production of digestive enzymes.
To ensure you’re consuming probiotics through diet, increase your consumption of fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut, coconut kefir, unsweetened kombucha, and unsweetened yogurt containing live and active cultures. Consider supplementing with a high-quality probiotic to thoroughly replenish the positive bacteria in your microbiome.
Zinc
Zinc is required by our body in order to produce and release digestive enzymes. Enzymes are needed by our body to break down food and absorb nutrients adequately. Increasing your intake of zinc-rich foods ensures you’ll be producing enough enzymes to kick-start your digestion.
Find zinc in most nuts and seeds, as well as legumes and some vegetables. Some of the highest sources of zinc include tahini and sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts,
cashews, pecans, almonds, brazil nuts, lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, cocoa and dark chocolate, oats, beans, kelp, peas, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, and apricots.
Fibre
Fibre helps to bulk and soften the stool, making it easier to pass through our digestive system. This helps our digestive system function properly and eliminate necessary waste. Increasing fibre in our diet ensures our digestive system can function properly and speeds the time it takes our food to be eliminated, reducing the number of toxins being absorbed back into our body.
Find fibre in beans and legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Cruciferous Vegetables
One of the main functions of the liver is to process the nutrients absorbed from our small intestine. The liver also detoxifies our body by breaking down and removing matter. Our bodies are great at naturally detoxifying, but sometimes we may need a little extra support due to the increase in toxins and chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis through our food, environment, beauty care, and medications.
Cruciferous vegetables contain compounds called glucosinolates, which assist the liver in detoxification through upregulating detoxification enzymes. Aim to incorporate one serving of cruciferous vegetables into your diet every day.
Cruciferous vegetables are a family of vegetables consisting of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, bok choy, kale, swiss chard, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, radishes, and turnip.
Lemon Water
Lemons have the ability to stimulate our gastric juices and the production of hydrochloric acid, which is the acid in our stomach responsible for digestion. Drinking lemon juice first thing in the morning or before meals is a simple way to stimulate digestion. Lemons also have astringent properties, which stimulate the liver to assist in detoxification.
Adding lemons into your daily diet is a simple way to give your digestion and liver a boost. Add freshly squeezed lemon to your water, in homemade juices, in salad dressings, and as a garnish with most savory meals.
Try implementing these key nutrients into your diet to support your liver and digestive system.
For simple plant-based recipes that support digestion, try my Chocolate Brownie Overnight Oats, Vegan Sweet Potato Lentil Soup, or Thai Chickpea Coconut Noodle Soup. View all of my nutrient-dense recipes here.
Follow along on Instagram @livesimplyhealthy for more healthy recipes and nutrition tips, or find out more about my personalized nutrition consulting here. Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe!
