The topic of digestion has gained a lot of traction in health circles over the years, and it’s incredible how far science has come in understanding this foundational system. Yet, despite this progress, I regularly hear from women – especially those navigating menopause – who are still grappling with daily symptoms related to poor digestion. In this article I will explore why robust digestive health is profoundly important for your overall well-being, especially heading into menopause and I’ll offer practical ways to enhance it, helping you feel significantly more energetic!
Reasons why your digestion may be off:
- Poor sleep - affects your nervous system including immunity and digestion
- Hormone fluctuations - common through menopause
- Not eating enough whole fibre - can result in hard, dry stool
- Alcohol/stimulants - can cause irritation of the stomach lining
- Sedentary/lack of exercise - can reduce peristalsis/movement of the intestines
- Eating too quickly/going back to work - can cause bloating and distension
- Slow peristalsis of Intestines - can create abdominal pain/constipation
- Medication - can cause diarrhea or constipation
- Stress - can cause diarrhea and/or constipation
- Processed foods/poor quality - can affect peristalsis and the health of colon
- Compromised digestive system - poor gut health, food allergies/intolerance
CHALLENGE – is there something on the list that you can improve on? Such as reduce stress, avoid processed foods, get better sleep.
Digestion begins from the time you start eating to the end, when your body clears the waste through a bowel movement (hopefully). It is super important for your growth and health and when it’s optimal you’ll feel energetic and strong. But your digestion can be influenced by many things over your life including aging, hormone fluctuations, poor eating habits/choices and stress.
5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR DIGESTION AND FEEL MORE ENERGETIC TOO – see the list below!
why is good digestion important through menopause?
Let’s start with the basics: digestion is simply the process by which our body breaks down the food we eat. As a fundamental dictionary definition puts it, it’s “the process by which food is broken down into simpler forms in the body by mechanical and enzymatic means.”
Effective digestion begins even before you even swallow your food. It requires thorough chewing, which mechanically breaks up food into smaller, manageable pieces for your stomach to handle. These pieces then enter a rich environment of acids and enzymes for further breakdown, before moving along your intestines for nutrient absorption and, ultimately, waste elimination.
But the influence of your digestive system extends far beyond food processing:
- Immune System Foundation: Your digestive system is directly intertwined with your immune health. A compromised digestion can potentially diminish your body’s immune response.
- Nutrient Absorption Powerhouse: Your small intestine is a vital hub, meticulously extracting and absorbing essential vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients from your food. This crucial absorption can be compromised if you are dealing with conditions such as SIBO(Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), IBS(Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Crohn’s disease, or Ulcers.
- Brain-Gut Axis & Mood Regulation: your digestive system also plays a role in producing important neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. These chemicals are responsible for regulating your mood, cognitive function, and promoting quality sleep – all areas that can frequently be impacted by hormonal shifts during menopause.
- Hydration & Waste Management: Your large intestine is responsible for absorbing water from your food for body’s use. If bowel transit time is slow, stool may become hard to pass. If your bowels move too quickly, your body may not adequately absorb valuable fluids and nutrients along the way.
Digestion and Menopause
It is very common for women to experience digestive issues through menopause, largely due to significant hormonal shifts and changes. Specifically, the reduction of estrogen and progesterone during menopause can notably slow down, or even impede, the movement of food through your bowels. This slowed gut motility can have a considerable impact, potentially affecting how effectively you absorb the crucial nutrients needed to support your bone density, cognitive function, and breast health – areas already under unique physiological demands during this life stage.
If your digestion moves slowly (constipation), you are likely familiar with the discomfort of abdominal distension, bloating, headaches, fatigue, or dry, difficult-to-pass stool. In traditional Chinese medicine, slow digestion can make you feel sluggish and may be related to a weak digestive fire, emotional imbalances or weak spleen/stomach qi.
Conversely, if your bowels move too quickly (diarrhea), your body won’t have sufficient time to absorb critical nutrients from your food, potentially leading to symptoms such as tiredness, weakness, nausea, or general abdominal discomfort. In traditional Chinese medicine, loose stool (fast elimination) may also be the result of weak qi or excessive stress.
Here are 5 ways to improve your digestive health and help you feel more energetic!
5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR DIGESTION AND FEEL MORE ENERGETIC TOO
Look under each box to find out more!
keep hydrated through the day
Eat fibre from whole food sources
keep moving/ exercise regularly
stress management
REST & DIGEST
how do you know if your digestion is poor?
Your body is literally a structure complete with it’s own internal plumbing, but sometimes that plumbing moves too slow, too fast or just gets clogged up. This not only impacts the digestive system but all of the other systems that depend on the vitamins, minerals provided by the breakdown of your food.
If you are someone that has been diagnosed with IBS, Crohn’s, or Celiac disease good digestion may already be a daily struggle.
If you have not been diagnosed with a digestive disorder, but you experience any of the following, you may have poor digestion:
- Gas
- Bloating
- Abdominal distention
- Abdominal pain after eating
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
A QUICK COMMENT ABOUT GLUTEN…
Gluten is a protein found in baked goods (wheat/white flour), dressings, marinades and pasta (wheat) and is not always easy for everyone to digest. Some people have an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten and do better avoiding it as much as possible. A very small percentage of people can’t digest gluten at all (Celiac), but this is often diagnosed during childhood. Gluten can cause bloating or abdominal discomfort after eating, so if you’re not sure if it’s the gluten or something else seek the help from a health practitioner to do some testing.
If you want to see how your body feels gluten free, give it a try for at least 6 weeks…BUT PLEASE DO NOT begin eating gluten free processed foods. Focus on clean eating, meals with lots of veggies, whole grains (that are naturally gluten free), beans, legumes, whole fruit and good quality animal product (if you’re not a vegetarian/vegan).
Please reach out if you need some support with your health and nutrition needs!
🤗 Cindy
Taking Proactive Steps: Empowering Your Digestive Well-being
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