How to eat in order to properly digest your food

 Here are some steps to take in order to properly digest your food:

1. REST AND DIGEST: Our society is always on the go.  When people are eating they are most likely on their tablet or computer or they are doing some type of work or driving. When people are not focusing on what they are eating they are not properly digesting their food because they are in a sympathetic state. In order for food to be properly digested they need to be in a parasympathetic state.  When people are eating in a sympathetic state they are stressed and end up not producing enough stomach acid which helps with digestion.  
2. CHEW YOUR FOOD: When people are in a stressed out state they tend to not chew their food all the way through.  Before they are finished chewing they swallow their food partially chewed and are already stuffing the next bite of food into their mouth. When this happens there is not enough saliva produced to aid in digestion. Try to put your fork down between each bite and chew for your food 30x before swallowing. 
3. DIGESTION STARTS IN YOUR BRAIN: When you see, smell, and hear food being made
   
   that triggers the brain to start producing saliva.  Within the saliva is a complex mixture of electrolytes, hormones, and enzymes.  There is an enzyme in your mouth called salivary amylase that breaks down carbohydrates.  If this enzyme is not secreted, the breakdown of carbohydrates does not begin.  Further down the digestive tract in the small intestine, the enzyme pancreatic amylase cannot complete the breakdown of starch leaving undigested starch to enter the colon leading to potential disease. 
4. LOW STOMACH ACID:  The normal pH of the stomach is between 1.5-3.0.  Factors such as stress, excess refined carbohydrate consumption, nutrient deficiencies, allergies, and excess alcohol consumption all inhibit hydrochloric acid production.  When you have low stomach acid food does not get broken down completely.  These partially undigested food particles cause a reflux, or backwards flow into the esophagus.  Digestion is supposed to go North to South and when food comes back into the esophagus it burns because there is some acid in the food that is coming back up. The esophagus was not made to handle acid.