Digest better, without the miracle tea

Chewing, the first digestive act. Chewing grinds, mixes with saliva and warns stomach, liver and pancreas that a meal is coming. Swallowing fast means asking the gut to do alone what the mouth was meant to start. Most postprandial bloating disappears when chewing time is tripled.

The vagus nerve, silent conductor. The Vagus nerve drives digestive motility, gastric secretions and the return to calm. Eating standing, walking, in front of a stressful screen mutes it. A few minutes of slow breathing before a meal often reactivates it, free and immediate.

The microbiota, rich or starved. A diverse Gut microbiota ferments fibre into Short-chain fatty acids, which feed colon cells and reinforce the barrier. A starved microbiota, ultra-processed diet or repeated antibiotics, produces mostly gas and inflammation. Diversity is built by diversity, 30 different plant foods per week, not by an enriched yoghurt.

Gut mucus, the often-forgotten barrier. Gut mucus separates our cells from bacteria and prevents bacterial fragments from leaking into the blood. When fibre is missing, some bacteria graze on it, the barrier thins, Intestinal permeability rises, and silent inflammation sets in.

Motility between meals. Between two meals, the Migrating motor complex sweeps the small intestine to prevent colon bacteria from stagnating there. Constant snacking blocks it from triggering: one of the discreet causes of SIBO and chronic bloating. Leaving 4 to 5 hours between meals, without drama, often changes things.