Undigested Food: Why It Happens & What To Do

Transcript:

KARA: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. We are right in the thick of the holiday season. Like many people, you may be indulging in special holiday only foods, and in turn, you may be experiencing digestive issues more than usual. Does that sound familiar? Maybe you're experiencing heartburn. You find yourself needing to take antacid medicines more regularly.

Maybe you're noticing your bowel movements are becoming irregular. Or you might just feel bloated after you eat, find yourself needing to wear stretch pants after a meal. I know, for Thanksgiving, I typically do that anyway. But these are all common symptoms people experience during the indulgences of the holiday season.

That's why it might come as no surprise, one of our most frequently asked questions on the website is, what are symptoms of not digesting food properly? You know, it's on the top of people's minds because they're often experiencing these really uncomfortable digestive symptoms. So that's what we're here to talk about today;

Signs and symptoms of undigested food, and of course, what you can do about it. So before we go any further, I'm going to introduce myself and my cohost. My name is Kara Carper. I'm a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist. And I'm really excited to be here with my cohost today, Brandy Buro. Brandy is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. So thanks so much for being here today.

BRANDY: Thank you, Kara. I'm really excited to be here. It's been so long since we've had the opportunity to do a show together. And this is one of my favorite topics, digestion. I'm excited to dive in. And this is actually something that we talk about with all of our clients.

Usually it's a topic that comes up within the first 10 to 15 minutes of meeting a client for the first time because it is so important. And a lot of the time they'll come in, they'll have questions like, I'm working so hard to eat healthy, but how do I know that it's really paying off? How do I know that I'm really getting all the benefit, all the nutrients from the food?

And as the saying goes, you are what you eat. And there's a lot of truth to that saying, but as dietitians, we think of it a little differently. More importantly, we think you are what you digest and absorb. So, you can be putting your best foot forward, eating a real food balanced diet, but if your digestive system is compromised, you will not be able to absorb all of those nutrients. And then you might wonder why you don't feel your best, even though you're putting in the work.

You're putting in that effort to eat healthy. And Kara already mentioned some common symptoms of digestion complaints, but let's go over some more symptoms of what not digesting your food properly might look like because there's a lot of different ways this will show up for you.

Common symptoms of poor digestion

KARA: Right. So I'll just start with some common symptoms of poor digestion. That just means your digestive system is not functioning as well as it could be or should be. So, one of the signs and symptoms, it's early satiety. So, that just means, you know, let's just say you're eating a meal, and very quickly upon eating that meal, you start feeling really full. Maybe you feel kind of bloated and full, like, immediately.

Or maybe when you're done eating, you feel like you want to take a nap, just like really unnaturally fatigued.

BRANDY: Right. And, possibly right after a meal that's really high in protein, like a protein rich meal, that's when I often see that with clients. Another sign would be really painful bloating a few minutes after eating a meal. Maybe you had a big salad, again, really healthy meal, but the way you feel doesn't really motivate you to keep eating that salad. Or heartburn or reflux could also be a sign.

KARA: Yeah, for sure. And then gas, either flatulence or maybe you're belching and you just kind of have a lot of excessive air after eating. And let's talk about, I mean, no topic is off limits with us at Nutritional Weight & Wellness, right, Brandy?

BRANDY: That's right.

KARA: We'll talk about the stool for a moment, but when you're having a bowel movement, it is important to know what your stool looks like because if it floats or it looks greasy or oily, that is not normal either. It's a sign of poor digestion.

BRANDY: Right. You can learn so much about what's going on in your digestive system by observing your stool and observing that regularly. If you see that there are food particles in your stool, that is a sign that you're not breaking things down enough higher up in the digestive system. That's a pretty big indicator you're not digesting food properly.

KARA: Yeah, that's a really important one. Another one is, let's just say you recently had some blood work or some labs done and you know, your doctor, your nurse came back and said, you have some nutrient deficiencies. Some more common ones would be like a low iron, which could be a low hemoglobin, but more importantly, a low ferritin.

BRANDY: Right.

KARA: Which often ferritin is our iron stores and that. Can show up low before hemoglobin or regular iron is low. Maybe your doctor or nurse said you have low B12, vitamin B12. Even though you may be eating foods containing B12, like meat.

BRANDY: That's right. And of course we know that all of these symptoms, many of them are painful and uncomfortable, and we want to avoid that if we can. Nobody wants to feel gassy or bloated or have that reflux every day. But these can be more than just uncomfortable. They can really start to cause more serious health problems.

And there are a few red flags to watch for. Significant weight loss, malnutrition, like some of those nutrient deficiencies that you just mentioned or if you have persistent fatigue or weakness or chronic diarrhea or constipation. And if these symptoms get worse, despite making some adjustments to your diet and lifestyle, these are all signs that something is really wrong with your digestion.

That's when you really want to come in and get some support, meet with one of our dieticians or nutritionists, or see your doctor to make sure that there isn't something more serious going on.

KARA: Yeah, I mean, I think that's so important, Brandy, just to not let it go. You know, really address that if it's something you're struggling with.

BRANDY: And I think some people will just kind of live with them for so long until something really traumatic happens. Let's talk about some solutions because we can turn this around. You know, your gut can heal and the most effective strategy will be determined by the root cause.

Reasons why digestion could be suffering (#1: gallbladder removal or under-functioning gallbladder)

So let's go over some reasons why your digestion could be suffering. Perhaps you had your gallbladder removed. Your gallbladder plays a really big role in your digestion, especially when it comes to digesting fats. This is why when someone gets their gallbladder removed, they are often told to eat a low fat diet.

So if your gallbladder is under functioning or has been surgically removed, a common symptom might be urgent diarrhea, or you might start seeing loose stool or greasy stool and seeing oil floating after a bowel movement. So this, again, taking a peek after you use the bathroom, see what's going on with your stool to get some clues.

KARA: Yeah. So those gallbladder issues can be really debilitating for some people. And, you know, again, what's usually recommended if somebody has, an under functioning gallbladder or perhaps they've had their gallbladder removed, they may be given the advice to not eat any fat or very low fat, but we know as nutritionists and dietitians that natural healthy fats are really a key component to a diet.

They really help to anchor our blood sugars. And so we feel satisfied after a meal and our blood sugars aren't dipping and we're not having cravings and energy dips and things like that. So we don't want you skimping on dietary fats.

BRANDY: Yeah, we want to keep those in. So many benefits to those fats.

KARA: Yeah, so like Brandy said, we really want to get to the root cause and not just continue on with a no fat diet. So, the first thing that I would suggest is to take a digestive enzyme. We do have a really good one here. It's by the brand Nutrikey and it's called Key Digestive Enzymes. You know, these digestive enzymes are really the catalyst to help break down your food.

And so a supplement such as this is going to help break down protein, fat, and carbohydrates. There's also a special component. There's some ox bile, and that very specifically helps digest fats if your gallbladder is unable to do so. And so someone dealing with gallbladder issues, who starts taking these key digestive enzymes, it can be really a game changer for them.

Maybe they're just not running to the bathroom after a meal anymore. And they're not afraid about what they're about to eat is going to send them into the bathroom. So it really can make a big difference in quality of life.

BRANDY: Absolutely. And I think a good point to make with enzymes, especially Key Digestive Enzymes, is that everybody's a little different. Someone might need just one capsule with a meal. Some people might need two or three with a meal.

My suggestion is, you know, start slow. And kind of increase until you feel relief from those symptoms, but definitely take it very close to your meal because those digestive enzymes are working on the food that you eat. So if you just take two capsules right away in the morning when you get up, you're not really going to experience the benefit of relieving some of those symptoms related to digesting food.

KARA: I think that's great, Brandy, that you mentioned that, and I'm even thinking personally as we get older, we tend to produce fewer enzymes, and actually we'll talk more about this, but we produce less hydrochloric acid or stomach acid.

BRANDY: Yes.

KARA: So sometimes supplementing with these as we get older can be very helpful, and I'm one of those, kind of getting mid age, just an example, for Thanksgiving, I knew I was going to be having a fairly heavy meal, heavier than normal.

BRANDY: Yep.

KARA: So I had my enzymes and my hydrochloric acid supplements right there at the dinner table. I personally like to eat a little bit of food and then take the Key Enzymes and some hydrochloric acid for those higher protein meals. And then finish eating. So I know that's kind of a, it's not the most convenient, but it really, you don't feel the supplement sitting in your stomach if you kind of have it in the middle of a meal.

BRANDY: Yeah. And I think with a lot of supplements, sometimes it's difficult to remember to take, but just sitting down and actually eating a meal can be your cue. Like, oh, it's time to take my supplement. Sometimes I'll even suggest to clients to keep that supplement, like, next to where they keep their dinner plates or where they keep their silverware as a visual reminder to actually take it with their meal.

KARA: I love that. I'm a visual person as well.

BRANDY: Yeah. Well, I'm glad you brought that up that as you age, your body produces fewer of those digestive enzymes naturally. So it's totally normal. Even if you've been following a healthy diet and lifestyle, it's possible that as you age, all of a sudden, you're not able to eat the same things you used to, or at least eat them without these pesky symptoms.

Another reason for poor digestion: low stomach acid

So sometimes that could be a factor of aging, but of course, diet and lifestyle over the years does make a difference. So I just want to mention another reason for poor digestion is low stomach acid, which yes, it can decline as we age. But another reason for that could be overuse of antacid medications.

So either over the counter antacids or prescription, like maybe taking Tums throughout the day, or a stronger medication like Omeprazole, which you can actually get over the counter but sometimes you'll have a prescription from your doctor.

And we've actually done several podcasts about acid reflux over the years. So if this is something that you're struggling with, I highly encourage you to go and listen to a more in depth episode all about this topic, even better if you make an appointment with one of our dietitians here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness.

Schedule Nutrition Counseling

But just to summarize, if you are taking an acid blocking medication, you are suppressing the production of acid in the stomach, and that is going to prevent you from breaking down and digesting the food you eat. So, I want to talk more about acid reflux and the reasons why you can develop this symptom, but we need to take a quick break. So, when we come back, we will pick up where we left off, discussing the root cause for not digesting your food properly and the symptoms that come along with it. We'll be right back.

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KARA: Welcome back. You're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition podcast. I'm Kara Carper, Licensed Nutritionist here with Brandy Buro, Licensed and Registered Dietitian. And today we're talking about the signs and symptoms of undigested food and what you can do about it if you have these signs and symptoms. So before break, Brandy had started talking about what it looks like when we don't produce enough stomach acid.

And this can happen just from getting older because we produce fewer digestive enzymes and less hydrochloric acid in the stomach. But another important thing that she brought up was if you've taken an acid blocker, either short term, but a lot of people are taking these long term.

Maybe it's Tums. Maybe it's omeprazole, which is Prilosec. Those are just some brands. Prevacid is another one. If you're blocking that stomach acid, you may be temporarily taking away that reflux or GERD, but that's not good in the long run, because we really need stomach acid. It has a lot of critical, important roles.

And so, if we don't have stomach's going to be unable to break down food. Undigested food might sit too long in the stomach, and that in turn can cause more reflux. Right? So it's kind of a vicious cycle.

Heartburn can be a sign of LOW stomach acid

BRANDY: Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that heartburn is very often a sign of low stomach acid.

KARA: Yes, I think that's really new information, but important to know. Another thing without enough stomach acid, that undigested food can enter into the intestines, wreaking havoc, causing other symptoms like excessive gas, bloating. On top of that, more benefits of having enough stomach acid is that that will help us to absorb certain nutrients from our foods like vitamin B12.

So, again, we mentioned this already, but if you've been told by your doctor that you're low in certain nutrients, such as vitamin B12, but you know that you have foods in your diet that contain B12, it could be low stomach acid is creating this issue. Now, if this sounds like you, don't worry. There are definitely ways to naturally increase that stomach acid without causing reflux.

I do want to say it's a slow and steady process, especially if you've been on an acid blocker for a long time. We don't recommend that you stop taking your antacids cold turkey. There's something called rebound reflux that could happen.

BRANDY: Right, and that's basically where you stop taking that medication and the reflux comes back with a vengeance probably worse than it was before you started taking the medication. So that's not the way to do it. And actually, this is something I work with my clients very closely, to wean off an acid blocking medication. It's a very slow process.

Steps to heal acid reflux (#1: remove common food culprits)

One of the first things that we do, though, is to remove the common food culprits that could be causing the reflux in the first place, those trigger foods.

Add in therapeutic supplements to heal the intestinal tract

And then we add in some of those therapeutic supplements to heal the gut. One I love to start with is a probiotic called acidophilus. Acidophilus is a bacteria that loves acidic environments and it loves to hang out in the stomach. So I will have somebody who is weaning off their antacids to take acidophilus two to three times a day to help repopulate the stomach with that good beneficial bacteria.

There's also a powder form. It's called Dophilus Powder. So one option is you can add that powder into a water bottle and just sip on it throughout the day. That's a pretty easy way to do it. One other thing I like to use is digestive bitters. Or, another thing you probably already have at home is apple cider vinegar, maybe one to three teaspoons mixed in water with a meal.

And that's going to help increase your body's own stomach acid production to help you get that acid level back in a healthy range. But you do have to start slow and small with these steps while you're in that healing process.

KARA: Yeah, so that good bacteria, acidophilus, can be a game changer for heartburn, or someone that's really working to wean off of the acid blockers. And then I like that you said digestive bitters or apple cider vinegar mixed in water because those are very gentle approaches to naturally increase that hydrochloric acid that we want in the stomach.

If you're healed and perhaps you've been off of your acid blocker for a while, it is okay to gradually start adding in a hydrochloric acid supplement. And that is usually listed as HCL, betaine hydrochloric acid.

BRANDY: Yeah, you can find that as a standalone supplement at Nutrikey.net. It's also part of the Key Digestive Enzyme formula.

Avoid eating in a stressed or distracted state

KARA: So you eat in a stressed or a distracted state? Maybe you wolf down a meal while you're in your car going from activity to activity for your kids. Or maybe you're eating at your desk while you're scrolling through your phone or checking emails or maybe even on a call.

You know, this is not a relaxing environment. Maybe you are at home and you're standing at the kitchen counter kind of trying to just cram it all in in five minutes instead of sitting down and relaxing at a table. We really do understand with busy schedules that sometimes it's necessary to kind of eat quickly and you don't always have the luxury of eating a slow, relaxed, sit down meal.

But it's important to know, ideally our body really needs rest in order to digest. Maybe you've heard that, rest and digest. Our ancestors were not able to digest food if they were running away from a predator. Of course, all of the energy is used to get out of danger and survive and be quick and efficient.

But our body doesn't know the difference between running away from a predator, or just simply eating while you're in your car and kind of stressed out. Digestion really takes a back seat if you're in fight or flight mode. So if you're unable to change that busy schedule, which is understandable, you can incorporate some smaller changes.

Try putting your phone down. Don't eat in front of your computer. I know that's kind of a hard one. It's especially hard for teenagers. But, if you're scrolling on your phone or trying to respond to emails, you're in a distracted state, you know, and you're not going to digest your food as well.

BRANDY: Completely. I am so glad that, you know, you brought this topic up, you know, it's not all just about the food we eat and the supplements we take, that mindfulness plays a really important role and it's often overlooked. And I just want to mention that there are so many cultures that make it a common practice to pray or take a moment to express gratitude before a meal.

And there's actually a biological benefit to that. Just taking a moment to pause to think about the food that you are about to eat sends a signal to your brain that it is time to eat. It's getting your body in that rest and digest state. And it is a good idea to at least take a deep breath before you sit down for a meal.

It takes only a few seconds, but your mental state makes a big difference when it comes to how you digest a meal. So next time you eat, just try it. Take a moment to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Pause just a moment. Take a deep breath and see if it helps you calm your mind. And help your body get into that rest and digest mode before you even take your first bite. I think so often we go throughout our day, we don't even realize how overwhelmed we are and how stressed out we are.

KARA: I'm sure that you can relate to feeling lousy after scarfing down a meal when you're kind of in a stressed out state, whether that's in your car or while you're working. But on the flip side, you could probably also think of times when you felt very relaxed and you were sitting down at a table and how good you felt after eating in that type of environment.

The importance of chewing food thoroughly

BRANDY: Yeah. I think some of our favorite memories are around the dinner table with the people we care about enjoying a delicious meal. I also just want to add that the importance of slowing down is going to help you chew your food thoroughly. Chewing is part of the digestion process. It helps you break down your food to relieve some of the work that your stomach has to do.

Digestion actually begins in the mouth before you even take your first bite. Just thinking about food, just smelling food, it's going to release saliva in your mouth that has enzymes that help break down your food. Thinking about food starts the digestion process, taking that moment to pause before you start eating and really take the time to chew your food thoroughly. It's a simple concept, but it makes a really big difference.

Inflammatory foods that can lead to uncomfortable digestive symptoms

KARA: Yeah, that's great. Great advice, Brandy. So far, we've talked about common reasons that you may not be digesting your food properly. We've talked about some signs and symptoms of what it feels like to have undigested food. But we haven't really addressed the actual food.

Is the food that you're eating responsible for this inflammatory path that happens in your digestive tract that can create these uncomfortable symptoms? What do we mean by inflammatory foods? Well, that's going to vary from person to person. But you may notice when you eat particular foods, you get symptoms of heartburn or gas or bloating.

So you try to avoid those foods, but we always want to get back to what is the root cause. Some of the more common reasons that people either see a registered dietitian or a licensed nutritionist, or maybe they see a gastroenterologist is because they're struggling with gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea. Perhaps you've been to a gastroenterologist or primary care doctor and they said, well, you have IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Did you know that IBS is an umbrella term? It basically means that the cause is unknown for your symptoms.

BRANDY: Right, it kind of means like, I don't know why you feel the way you feel. We couldn't figure it out.

KARA: Yeah, it's not a real definitive diagnosis, so our job as nutritionists and dietitians is to figure out what's causing the damage to your gut. So first we need to look at what are some common food culprits, and then once the integrity of your gut improves, you won't be dealing with those symptoms. And a lot of people are able to add back in these foods that used to create the acid reflux, gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea.

BRANDY: I've seen it all the time. And it's so fun to help somebody through that transition.

KARA: Yeah, what a relief for your clients as well.

BRANDY: Definitely. Well, I'll just give you an example. You know, for a lot of people, they find acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus will trigger some acid reflux. But once we work on repairing the gut, you can actually reintroduce those foods back in without any problem. I think oftentimes the gut damaging culprit is what those acidic foods are paired with.

Gluten & grains can cause damage in the gut

What are those tomatoes on? Is it pasta? Is it pizza? I'm usually looking at gluten as the culprit. Gluten and grains are often behind what's causing the damage. These are foods you may not be able to reintroduce because they are part of that long term root cause of why the damage occurred in the first place.

They are often the underlying factors to damaging the gut, but the acidic foods are just causing the symptoms in that moment. Think of gluten causing little micro tears in the digestive system, in the gut lining. Every time you eat, that gluten can cause a little tear. And what's tricky about gluten is that you don't even know it's causing damage over time.

You might not even feel the damage it's causing in your stomach. But one day, all of a sudden, you can't eat tomatoes, or you can't eat oranges or coffee without getting heartburn or indigestion. Once the damage is there, they are foods that might trigger the symptoms.

For example, let's say you get a cut on your finger. Then you get your hands into some lemon juice and that juice gets on the cut. Now that's going to sting. I think it's pretty easy to picture that, but did the lime juice cause the cut? No, but until that cut is healed, you are going to avoid that citrus juice.

But once that cut is healed, that citrus juice just doesn't affect it anymore. So it is the same concept with gluten causing damage in the intestinal tract. Once you remove the damaging foods, your stomach can heal. And then over time, you can handle some of those acidic foods again, like tomatoes and citrus, maybe coffee without having those reflux symptoms.

KARA: I like what you were saying when you started talking about these trigger foods for a lot of people for especially acid reflux or heartburn. We hear this all the time. Like, oh, it's the red sauce. It's the spicy foods. And I think what Brandy was trying to get across is that it's probably not just the spicy sauce; it's what it's on.

Like, it's usually with pasta or pizza, which contain glutinous grains, and those are often much more inflammatory. And creating issues in the gut. It is a surprising reaction when we talk about gluten being a common cause of reflux or really any digestive issues.

Because as Brandy mentioned, it doesn't happen overnight. It can take years and years to create this damage in the intestinal tract. So it's kind of difficult to make that correlation between gluten and the gut issues. Gluten can damage those delicate microvilli, which are little finger like projections, kind of sticking out all over the lower intestinal tract.

That's really where the absorption of food takes place. 90 percent of what you eat needs to be absorbed by those microvilli in the intestinal tract. The intestines are covered in microvilli, and they take in particles of the food, break it down and absorb all these different nutrients. So guess what can damage the microvilli for many people?

It's gluten, that protein that's found in wheat, most commonly wheat, but barley and rye as well. That's just one of the many reasons why if you're having digestive and absorption issues, we do recommend doing a trial and removing gluten. You need to give your intestines time to heal. At minimum, you know, four weeks I would say for a trial.

You need to be really strict and completely be eliminating gluten, which we have a lot of other podcasts addressing this that can support you in that goal.

BRANDY: Right. Yeah, it takes time. And even just a little bit of gluten can cause damage, so during that trial, if you're going to put the effort in, you may as well do your best to really be 100 percent gluten free. And we can help you with that. We can help you put together a meal plan that works for you.

Medical conditions affecting the lower intestinal tract affect digestion & absorption

And on the same topic, of course, there are some medical conditions affecting the lower intestinal tract that will cause food to not be digested and absorbed properly. So now we're moving from the stomach and the small intestine, we're going further down the digestive tract, more into the large intestine.

So I'm specifically talking about Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis. So These are medical conditions that you would need a diagnosis from a doctor to know if you have this. If you're not yet working with a dietician, I would highly recommend that you make an appointment with one of our dietitians or nutritionists, because this is a really serious medical condition.

You need to focus on healing. You need a nutrient rich diet and a supplement protocol to help heal the intestines, because if they're damaged to this point, they’re not able to absorb nutrients completely. Some symptoms that you want to watch out for are chronic or severe diarrhea and vomiting, and with that might come high fatigue or weakness or unplanned weight loss.

KARA: Yeah, they can really be so serious: the Crohn's, the ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis. My husband recently had a diverticulitis attack. You know, he was in a lot of pain for several weeks, but it was intermittent. And so it would come and go and he kept thinking it was something else because it would subside for several days and then it would come back with a vengeance. So another sign of a diverticulitis attack can be that abdominal pain.

BRANDY: Really painful.

Focus on soft & easy to digest foods

KARA: So important to really get that addressed by a medical professional. So if you're struggling with undigested food and some of the symptoms and signs we've been talking about in our podcast, it's really important to focus on soft and easy to digest foods. A lot of soups and stews or soft cooked meats made in a slow cooker or an instant pot are going to be perfect for this scenario.

Blended protein shakes typically go down pretty easily and are gentle on the digestive tract. Bone broth is wonderful. You know, you're going to get that gelatin and the collagen and all those wonderful nutrients that are going to help with the lining of the intestinal tract and that can really heal the gut.

Scrambled eggs: maybe sauté those with some soft cooked vegetables, maybe some steamed spinach, and a cooked sweet potato. Those are all examples of foods that are going to be very easy to digest, even if you have compromised digestion.

BRANDY: Definitely, I love all those ideas, and I would recommend the same thing to my clients dealing with these. If you're having trouble digesting foods, I just recommend avoiding a lot of raw vegetables and really high fiber plants like nuts, seeds, and beans. Not that these foods are inherently bad foods.

Normally, I would say, you know, eat all the vegetables, eat all the fiber, but in the case where you're having trouble with digestion, you may just want to kind of minimize the raw vegetables, especially, or maybe like really high fiber legumes and beans, because they could trigger symptoms right now. We still want you to eat your vegetables.

We just want to make sure they're cooked well, because that's going to help break down the fiber before it hits your digestive system. And it's just going to make your digestive system work less, which is what we want. And even though we're recommending those slow cooker meals, I would try to avoid corn and beans, like say you were to make a chili or something in the crock pot, because these foods are not easy to digest even if they're well cooked. Oftentimes they just pass right through the digestive tract without any digestion at all. And I'm sure some of you have seen proof of this.

KARA: I was just thinking that that is kind of a common one when we were talking about the importance of looking at your stool. I think we've all seen corn and beans.

BRANDY: Yep.

KARA: And that is why because they really can just pass right through.

BRANDY: So instead, I might recommend making a beanless chili. Sometimes I just call it like a beef and vegetable stew, and just have some ground beef and a variety of vegetables cooked in some broth, maybe a little bit of sweet potato or rice.

There's a recipe on the website weightandwellness.com called hamburger soup. That is very good. Or the chicken wild rice soup might work pretty well for you.

KARA: I'm getting hungry, especially in Minnesota with all this cold weather, those sound delicious.

BRANDY: Yes.

Review of key takeaways

KARA: So let's review today's key takeaways from our discussion. Undigested food is a symptom of poor digestion, but it can be improved through simple changes. We want to address the function of all of your digestive organs and overall intestinal health as well as lifestyle factors such as mindfulness while eating, digestive symptoms, such as acid reflux, gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea may be common, but it does not mean that it's normal.

Digesting and absorbing the nutrients from your food, it's really a key part of your overall health. If this is left unaddressed, it can really lead to some serious health consequences down the road. Imagine, you're eating healthy foods, but you're not digesting and absorbing those important nutrients.

So if it's something that you are concerned about, don't wait. Make an appointment with a licensed and registered dietitian who can walk you through a path to healing.

Schedule Nutrition Counseling

And you can always call our front desk and they can talk to you more about this 651-699-3438. We have a lot of information on our website as well, weightandwellness.com.

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BRANDY: And as always, we want to thank you for listening today. Our goal here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness is to help each and every person experience better health through real food nutrition. It is a simple, but powerful message. Eating real food is life changing. Thank you so much for listening and have a great day.