Does digestion really start before I eat?

It does. Smelling and handling food signals your stomach, liver and pancreas to start producing enzymes and bile before anything arrives. That's the cephalic phase, and skipping it — eating something you had no part in preparing, at your desk, in a hurry — means your body starts from behind.

Why does eating at my desk make me bloated?

Two reasons. You're not getting the cephalic phase, so enzyme production starts late; and you're eating in a stressed, distracted state, which is the opposite of the one digestion works best in. Chewing less thoroughly compounds both.

How long should I wait before going back for seconds?

Around 20 minutes. That's roughly how long it takes for the signals about fullness to reach you, so anything eaten before then is eaten without that information.

Tips on Digestion | Naturopath Melbourne, Brunswick West

Digestion is a long chain of steps, and it starts before you eat.

Modern life is full of stresses and distractions that interrupt that chain, which is why so many people have some daily digestive discomfort — anything from occasional wind to constant bloating, diarrhoea, fatigue and difficulty passing a bowel motion.

The cephalic phase

The first stage happens while you’re preparing and cooking.

Smelling and handling food sends a message that food is coming. That triggers your stomach, liver and pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes and bile, so that by the time you eat, your stomach is already the right environment to receive it.

If you’re not involved in preparing your food, you skip that. Your body has to work harder and later to produce those enzymes, which slows the whole process down and can leave you bloated and uncomfortable.

That’s the mechanism behind a lot of desk lunches.

Practical changes that help

Chew properly. Eating in a rush doesn’t give your body time. Chewing is what primes everything downstream.

Sit somewhere quiet and breathe before you start. This shifts you into the state your body actually digests in, and it stimulates the secretions needed to break food down.

Don’t lie down straight after a meal.

Wait 20 minutes before seconds. That’s roughly how long fullness takes to register.

Move regularly. Circulation helps move food through the digestive tract.

Try a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar 30 minutes before eating. It helps some people stimulate digestive secretions. It doesn’t suit everyone — if you have reflux, ask first.

When to have it looked at

Persistent symptoms, blood, unexplained weight change or a change in bowel habit that doesn’t settle should be assessed rather than managed with tips.

Digestive health is the main area of practice for Sara Canney here. Where it’s clinically appropriate your naturopath may recommend pathology or functional testing, including microbiome testing, to work out what’s driving the symptoms before anything is prescribed.

Related: bloating, IBS, food intolerance, candida.

How digestion works