Best Food to Help Digestion: What to Eat for a Happy, Healthy Gut

If you’ve ever struggled with bloating, sluggish digestion, or an upset stomach after meals, you’re not alone. Surveys show that up to 40% of Americans¹ report disruptions to their daily lives due to gut and digestive-related issues.

The fact is, you’re not just what you eat—you’re what you can digest, absorb, and use.

The good news? Simple, daily practices, like consuming balanced meals with probiotics and fiber, can help optimize your digestive system, improve nutrient absorption, and support gut health.

Below, you'll find the steps you can take to get your digestion on back track, broken into five practical categories to make it easy for you to take action.

How to Improve Digestion Naturally 

Do you regularly rush through meals, snack on packaged and sugary foods, and rely on coffee to “keep you regular”?

If so, it's not surprising that you're dealing with digestive issues, considering that all of these habits can mess with your gut microbiome and lead to poor nutrient absorption. Here's what to do instead:

1. First Prepare Your Body for Digestion

Digestion starts long before you take your first bite. That's because your body needs to produce adequate digestive enzymes and stomach acid to help break down your meals and utilize the nutrients that they provide. 

Have you ever felt your stomach rumble when you've thought about what you were in the mood to eat? That's an example of how your mind prepares your body for digestion.

• Try apple cider vinegar (ACV): Taking 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water about 15 minutes before a meal can naturally prime your stomach acid and digestive enzymes and support a healthy microbiome². This simple step supports the breakdown of macronutrients, meaning it can help your body absorb important minerals. Some also find that ACV helps control their appetite and makes it easier to eat less.

• Engage your senses during food prep: The simple act of washing, chopping, and cooking food stimulates your brain to send signals to your digestive organs³. This helps increase the production of digestive enzymes and gastric acid, both essential for breaking down food. If you don’t have time to cook, take a moment to really smell and look at your food before eating.

• Chew your food thoroughly: Your stomach doesn’t have teeth, so your mouth has to do the work! Aim to chew each bite until it’s soft, almost liquid. Chewing thoroughly and taking your time when eating allows enzymes to work more efficiently and eases the burden on your stomach.

2. Choose Foods to Help Digestion

You're probably already aware that what you eat, as well as when you eat, both matter in term of digestive health. When you choose foods that are as natural and as minimally processed as possible, it's easier for your body to digest them. These types of foods also nourish your gut bacteria and provide essential nutrients, setting yourself up for success.

• Emphasize foods for good gut bacteria: Your gut thrives on fiber-rich and fermented foods, which help to support the growth of beneficial microbes⁴ in the gut. Add more of these foods to help digestion to your diet:
  • Probiotic-rich options like sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, and kimchi help promote good bacteria.
  • Prebiotic foods like garlic, onions, bananas, and asparagus help feed beneficial gut bacteria.

• Incorporate digestive enzyme-rich foods: Natural sources of digestive enzymes include pineapple (which contains bromelain), papaya (which provides papain), and fermented foods (also called probiotic foods). These enzymes help break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, all of which are essential macronutrients.

• Take probiotics for digestion: If you struggle with bloating, irregularity, or poor nutrient absorption, a quality probiotic can work wonders. Women’s probiotics, in particular, support a balanced microbiome and can enhance digestion while also promoting vaginal and immune health. Studies⁵ show that many people with IBS can benefit from probiotics, especially those of the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains.

• Eat more fiber: Aim to eat at least 30 grams of fiber daily, which supports a healthy gut environment, fills you up, and prevents constipation. If you find that too much fiber leads to bloating and pains, start with a smaller amount, drink more water, and consider trying different high-fiber foods. You can learn more about the best fibers to support your gut here.

• Consider a lower FODMAP diet: Some fiber-rich foods, called high FODMAP foods, can be hard to digest for certain people⁶ due to their specific chemical composition. Examples include certain fruits and vegetables like apples, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts, dairy products, and wheat and rye products. If you have IBS or signs of SIBO (like lots of bloating), your doctor might recommend trying a diet low in FODMAPS⁷.

• Balance your meals: Include protein, healthy fats, and fiber in every meal, which is a winning combination when it comes to filling you up and providing a variety of nutrients. For example, whole foods like leafy greens, lean meats, eggs, fish, avocados, and seeds can help keep digestion smooth and steady.

3. Practice Mindful Eating

Your nervous system plays a key role in digestion—meaning that if you eat in a stressed or rushed state, you'll struggle to digest your meal well due to your body prioritizing “fight or flight” over “rest and digest.”

• Create a calm eating environment: When you're eating, simply eat! Sit down, breathe, and relax before meals. Avoid eating while distracted, standing, driving, or scrolling through your phone. Your body needs to feel safe and calm for digestion to work properly.

• Stick to a regular eating schedule: Like many other bodily processes, digestion works on daily cycle, meaning predictability benefits your ability to digest meals. If possible, try eating around the same times everyday rather than skipping meals, getting overly hungry, and eating erratically. 

• Slow down and savor: Eating too quickly can overwhelm your digestive system. Take smaller bites, chew thoroughly, and set your fork down between bites to give your body time to process. Give yourself about 20 minutes to enjoy a meal, which also allows the time you need to feel full and sense when you should stop eating⁸. Instead of eating until you're stuffed, try stopping when you're just satiated, which is useful for managing heartburn, too.

• Limit beverages during meals: Drinking too much liquid while eating can dilute stomach acid and digestive enzymes. If you’re thirsty, sip a small amount of water, but save larger drinks for between meals.

4. Focus on Holistic Health 

Your daily habits—including how you move your body, sleep, and plan your days—can impact digestion in big ways. Small, consistent changes such as exercising regularly and prioritizing sleep can keep things moving smoothly.

• Move your body regularly: Does walking improve digestion? Yes! A gentle 10- to 20-minute walk after meals can stimulate your digestive system and reduce bloating. Walking, and exercise in general, encourages food to move efficiently through your gastrointestinal tract and can also reduce inflammation⁹, thereby supporting gut health. Yoga, swimming, and other types of exercise can be helpful for the same reasons, too.

• Use caffeine wisely: Does coffee improve digestion? For some, yes. Coffee can stimulate the muscles in your colon and encourage bowel movements, meaning it's one way to manage constipation. However, too much caffeine can irritate your gut, so keep it in moderation. Ideally, you shouldn't need to rely on caffeine or coffee alone to go to the bathroom.

• Get enough sleep and rest: Poor sleep and chronic stress can slow digestion and disrupt gut health. Sleep is essential for hormonal balance as well as detoxification and restoration. Recent research even suggests¹⁰ that certain gut bacteria produce beneficial compounds based on circadian rhythms that are dictated by cycles of sleeping and eating behaviors.  Aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night, and incorporate stress-reducing practices like meditation, deep breathing, or gentle yoga into your daily and weekly routine to give your extra TLC.

5. Consider Gut-Supporting Supplements

Sometimes, your body needs a little extra help to keep digestion and gut health on track. For many people, supplements such as those below can support your digestive function naturally:

• Probiotic supplements: If fermented foods aren’t your thing (and even if they are), high-quality probiotic supplements can help to balance and restore your gut flora, reducing issues like bloating, aiding in elimination, and improving overall digestion¹¹ in the process. Consider taking my Women's Probiotic, which features a powerful blend of probiotics (specifically those that are SIBO-friendly to minimize bloating), prebiotics, and antioxidants for overall gut support.

• Digestive enzymes: Digestive enzymes vs. probiotics, what's the difference? While probiotics help balance gut bacteria, digestive enzymes directly break down food molecules¹² like proteins, fats, and carbs. If you often feel heavy or uncomfortable after meals, digestive enzymes can help your body process food more efficiently. Remember, you can take these enzymes in supplements or consume more digestive enzymes naturally by eating a variety of fruits and veggies.

• Vitamins to help digestion: Nutrients like vitamin B12, magnesium, and zinc play essential roles in producing stomach acid and enzymes, as well as aiding in elimination and nutrient absorption. A well-rounded diet or a multivitamin (like this Women's Twice Daily formula) can help fill nutritional gaps. You can also increase your intake of these key nutrients with the help of supplements like Magnesium Plus (which features a gentle and absorbable form of magnesium that is easy on the stomach) and B Active Plus.

Final Thoughts on Practices to Improve Digestion

Improving digestion naturally doesn’t have to be complicated. By making small, intentional changes like preparing your body for meals, eating gut-supportive foods, managing stress, and adding supplements like probiotics and magnesium when needed, you’ll set yourself up for better digestion and overall wellness.

If you struggle with persistent digestive issues such as constipation or bloating, it’s always a good idea to work with a healthcare provider to rule out any underlying conditions and find a plan tailored to your needs. Your digestive system does so much for you—let’s give it the care and support it deserves.

References

1. https://gastro.org/press-releases/new-survey-finds-forty-percent-of-americans-daily-lives-are-disrupted-by-digestive-troubles/ ↩︎
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10792460/ ↩︎
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7231022/ ↩︎
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10773664/ ↩︎
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31480656/ ↩︎
6. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2017/05/keeping-your-gut-check ↩︎
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33585949/ ↩︎
8. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2017/05/keeping-your-gut-check ↩︎
9. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/supporting-your-digestive-system-three-ways-to-improve-gut-health/ ↩︎
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35032622/ ↩︎
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36514580/ ↩︎
12. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works ↩︎