Nourishing the Mind and Body: Understanding the Cephalic Phase of Digestion and How to Optimize It

One of the most important insights I've learned about food and digestive health is that we're not only what we eat, but what our bodies can do with what we eat. To elaborate: We are what our digestive systems can break down, absorb, and utilize.

This powerful mindset shift helped me to understand that I can eat all the nutrient-packed foods available to me, but if my digestive system is in a state of stress or dysfunction, my health is going to reflect this. image digestive system important to health

The ultimate destination of the food you eat is the cells in your body. Your digestive system is responsible for transforming that food into teeny-tiny components that are able to make their way into your bloodstream, and then into your cells. If the food you're eating is overwhelmingly non-nutritive or your digestive system is impaired, it's going to be challenging for your cells to get the fuel they need to grow, reproduce, repair, and respond.

Digestion is one of the most essential jobs of our bodies — and we each hold great power in supporting the health of this system, from top to bottom!

Today I want to introduce you to the cephalic phase of digestion and its crucial role in preparing the body to effectively digest and absorb the nutrients in the food you eat.

You might think that digestion begins with your first bite of food, but it actually starts in the brain. This is called the cephalic phase of digestion. The sight, sound, smell, and even thought of food triggers your brain to send signals to the digestive system, essentially letting it know it’s time to start its engines. This connection between the brain and gut is referred to as the “gut-brain axis” and it's a fundamental aspect of how our bodies make use of the food we eat.

A quick side note: You may be hearing a lot about the vagus nerve these days. This is the nerve through which these signals from the brain are transmitted to the digestive system. We'll talk more about this nerve in future posts! But, it’s important to note that the vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the rest and digest portion you've likely heard about.

When we think about healing the gut, we often think about eliminating inflammatory triggers and adding in key nutrients or bone broth and collagen. Yet this cephalic phase of digestion, the one that happens before you put a single bite of food in your mouth, holds potential for gut healing, too!

Think about what happens when you've had soup simmering in the slow-cooker all day. You come home from errands or work and the smell of warm spices and rich broth has filled every room of your house. You probably instantly start to salivate.

The saliva being released in your mouth holds enzymes – and these enzymes help break down the food you're getting ready to eat. In addition, saliva also activates the release of hydrochloric acid in your stomach, as well as pancreatic juices. All of these activities help your body break down food as efficiently and effectively as possible!

So as you can see, these moments BEFORE eating hold potential for supporting optimal digestion.

Here’s a summary of what’s happening inside your body when you activate the cephalic phase of digestion:

• Release of digestive enzymes in saliva to help break down the food you eat
• Release of hydrochloric acid in the stomach to help the body break down proteins and eradicate potentially harmful bacteria
• Activation of the hormone gastrin, which stimulates the movement of food through the digestive system
• Release of pancreatic secretions

Okay, enough brain talk.

What are some actionable steps you can take to support the cephalic phase of digestion?

• Spend time preparing your own food to engage with the sights, sounds and smells of the food you're cooking.
• Before you eat, take a moment to express gratitude for your meal to create a positive emotional connection with food.
• Practice mindful eating by taking a moment to appreciate something about the food in front of you: the smell, the warmth, the color, the texture. Take care to slow down and savor your bites, remembering that when the food interacts with saliva, it's being introduced to enzymes that support optimal breakdown of nutrients.
• Minimize distractions while you eat to enhance the gut-brain connection.
• Create a calm, relaxing environment to activate that parasympathetic nervous system – the rest and digest portion that promotes effective digestion.
• Manage stress prior to sitting down to a meal to keep the rest-and-digest nervous system activated.
• Establish consistent meal times to help your body learn to anticipate food intake.

In conclusion, supporting the cephalic phase of digestion is a powerful way to promote overall digestive health. It plays a crucial role in preparing your body for effective digestion and nutrient absorption, working to ensure that the food you eat is fueling your body on a cellular level.

Which of the above action items will you bring into your daily routine? Share with me in the comments.