The Impact of Stress on Digestion

photo by cottonbro

The Earth is still, and silent. In chinese medicine the gut is governed by the Earth element. With the right environment, a calm and present mind, the gut happily transforms our food into nutrients to nourish every cell in the body, and expels what is wasteful or harmful. It separates fluid into clear and turbid, distributes fluid around the body. The earth generates blood, energy, clarity of thought, and is our emotional center. 

Health is simple. The longest lived societies live simple lives, they enjoy community, a moderate diet, physical activity, a close relationship to nature. They don’t chow down the latest superfoods, or have a bio-hacked daily routine. If you told them how many hours of REM sleep you get a night, I imagine they’d look at you funny. And they should. Our bodies thrive on simplicity. The earth, our foundations should be basic. Complexity is the realm of thought and the mind. There’s space for that too, in moderation. 

The world is becoming more and more complex. Social media, technology, fast food, processed food, refined sugar, fast-paced lifestyle. Every day it seems as though there’s a new breakthrough, a new diet, a new guru to follow. It’s information overload, and no wonder we’re overwhelmed trying to keep up. Nature moves slow, but if you’ve ever been in the stormwind you know it can move when it needs to. 

That’s why chinese medicine offers such simple wisdom for our health. It’s grounded in thousands of years of experiential knowledge. And one thing it’s been saying for so long is that how we live, how we think, how we relate to our emotions, our environment, directly impacts on our health. The body is simple-if you’re out of balance, it’ll tell you. If your gut can’t digest what you’re eating then it’ll tell you: bloating, indigestion, bowel changes, abdominal pain, low energy, a lack of clarity, busy mind, anxiety, depression, inflammation, insomnia are all signs that the functional health of your gut is poor. The longer the state of dysfunction persists the more serious the signs will be. 

Stress is the biggest cause of gut disruption that I see in the clinic. With thousands of clients there’s a similar pattern that unfolds. A period of stress-it can be unresolved emotions like fear, anger, grief arising from work disharmony. Maybe your boss is a bit of an asshole and you have to wear it for longer than you should. There’s other stresses too-refined flours and sugar, too much caffeine and alcohol. A lack of exercise and mindfulness.

To choose simplicity is to rebel against the complexity around us. To sit and become mindful, to slow down and pay attention is an act of courage. 

To rebuild gut health is simple. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Laying the foundations of health is like building a garden-it takes time to get the earth, the soil right. Health is simply the flowering of the garden’s effort, and you my friend are the gardener.

It doesn’t matter how healthy the food you eat is if you can’t digest it. If you’re chronically stressed, you need to engage in practices that help you regulate your nervous system. That’s one foundation. Next, how you eat. Slow down, make meals sacred. Take time to cook your food, and your body will love you for it. Eat seasonal, ideally local and organic vegetables, fruit, and sustainably sourced meat and eggs. Keep it simple. Warm, well-cooked foods. When you introduce food to a baby-it’s basic as it gets. Mashed pumpkin, sweet potato. Why? Because a developing or healing gut needs food that’s easy to digest. Be brave, be basic. Soups, bone broths, and throw your smoothies with ice and superfoods out the window. Toss your salads in the compost, or even better roast some veggies. 

Trust me, it’s simple. But don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself.

Are you struggling with poor digestion? Are you feeling overwhelmed, stressed or noticing your mood swinging like a pendulum day to day? Do you want to understand the cause of your body’s dysfunction from a holistic perspective?

I’ve worked with thousands of clients looking to improve their gut health, to find a calm and centered way of living, and to enjoy their food once again, and I’d love to support you on your own journey to better health. 

Peter