Prioritizing the gut might seem like a new wellness trend, but there are plenty of reasons why your gut is essential to your overall health. According to Erica Zellner, MS, CNS, LDN, and Senior Health Coach at Parsley Health, the gut is “chiefly responsible for taking in nutrients from our ingested food, sending them out through the rest of our body, through our bloodstream, and it’s responsible for keeping our body running. It’s the main place that we’re taking in energy, nutrients, enzymes, vitamins, minerals—everything our body needs.”

What Is Digestion?

The gut is where our digestive system is housed, and it happens to be where 70% of our immune system lives too. Most foreign invaders enter through the mouth, which is why our immune system plays a big role in gut health by making sure what’s sent through the bloodstream is helpful, not harmful, to our bodies. The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract—also known as the GI tract—which includes the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. The Cleveland Clinic describes the digestive system as a “sophisticated machine” and the digestion process as our means to absorb the food we eat and transform it into energy and nutrients.

Tips for Better Digestion

To keep your digestion running smoothly, here are a few tips.

Stay hydrated. Adequate hydration helps to normalize gut motility and gastric emptying, which means that if you’re well-hydrated, stool transit time is increased and may help improve constipation.
Chew your food: Slowing down your meals and chewing thoroughly (which is around 15-30 chews per bite) helps your digestive system function better.
Minimize stress. If you’re a master of multitasking, try to focus on one thing at a time. This especially goes for meal times—bring a sense of mindfulness to this ritual to help stress from impeding your body’s ability to start digesting.

Top Digestion Brands

Meet the brands who make it easy to prioritize gut health.

Garden of Life

Certified B Corp Garden of Life makes innovative and holistic supplements to address an array of wellness needs. From probiotics to protein powders, every formula uses non-GMO, real-food ingredients.

Once Daily Women’s Probiotic

Formulated by Dr. Perlmutter with women’s health in mind, this capsule blends 16 probiotic strains and a powerful 50 billion CFU to support digestive and immune system health.

Country Life

Country Life has been supporting people to reach their wellness goals since 1971. This brand believes you know your body best, and offers gluten-free and Certified USDA Organic supplements for the whole family.

Activated Charcoal Capsules

Often used as a digestive aid due to absorption qualities, activated charcoal may help minimize gas after a meal. Thrive Market member Heidi from Ohio says she keeps a bottle on hand for stomach aches, and her family loves them.

New Chapter

New Chapter—a Certified B Corp—is committed to high-quality, organic, and non-GMO ingredients. Its responsibly sourced supplements are free from artificial fillers, colors, and synthetic binders.

Fermented Zinc Complex

New Chapter’s zinc complex is formulated with cultured probiotics from a variety of real-food sources like fermented organic soy, fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and kefir.

Gut Health Tips from Thrive Market

For even more tips for better digestion, our blog is a rich resource for all things gut health.

How Gut Health Impacts the Body

Learn five ways your gut health impacts your entire system, including body fat, inflammation, and mental health.

Gut Health and the Keto Diet

Following a keto lifestyle? Discover ways to keep gut health front and center and improve digestion while maintaining a low-carb diet.

Can Sodas Be Gut-Friendly?

There are lots of fun ways to enjoy probiotics these days, including nostalgic sodas made with good-for-you ingredients.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.