91. Heal and Support Your Gut with Sarah Greenfield

Stress Impact

Stress has a profound impact on digestion, often manifesting through disrupted sleep patterns and poor eating habits. Sarah Greenfield explains that stress can lead to a high cortisol response, which many people mistakenly accept as their normal state. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing and managing stress to maintain digestive health 1. Additionally, stress can decrease enzyme production, leading to bloating and other digestive issues 2.

Digestion starts before we even are chewing. Digestion starts when we smell something. When we think about food, we're producing enzymes.

--- Sarah Greenfield

Understanding these connections can help individuals take proactive steps to improve their gut health.

   

Managing Stress

Managing stress is crucial for gut health, and Sarah Greenfield offers practical strategies to achieve this. She suggests incorporating moderate exercise like walking or yoga to help shift the body from a stressed state to a more relaxed one 3. For those who struggle to manage stress, she recommends digestive enzymes and adaptogens to support adrenal health 2.

If you are super stressed out, digestive enzymes, broad spectrum enzymes are a great one to incorporate just to take that bloating edge off.

--- Sarah Greenfield

These tools can be part of a broader strategy to maintain a healthy digestive system.