Here’s How I Fixed My Digestion Without the Gimmicks
It wasn’t Tums, fiber bars, or probiotic soda that solved it. It was enzymes, biohacks, and building a real relationship with my food.
We’ve all been there.
You wake up insanely late for work. You can’t get fired. Shit.
You’re grabbing your stuff to leave when it hits you.
Your superfood smoothie.
Now you’re stuck watching in agony as the blender slowly pulverizes coconut cream, cocoa powder, AG1 greens, and some overpriced camu camu vitamin c blend you saw on Instagram.
Finally at work you rush to your desk—coworkers and your boss nearby.
You toss out a quick “Traffic!” and everyone nods and goes back to talking about the weather.
But wait—your stomach.
After drinking the smoothie you feel bloated, uncomfortable, and slightly nauseous.
But it was a superfood smoothie! How could this be?
Now you’re anxious. You can’t burp. You feel heavy. Still kind of hungry, too.
So you reach for the usual suspects: Tums, Pepto, random gut sodas, overhyped probiotics, and the infamous Diet Coke (thanks, Grandma).
Big mistake. Now it feels like you are a human dumpster.
This, my friends, is indigestion.
Even healthy foods can leave us feeling like we haven’t digested properly.
Indigestion pulls up unannounced and seriously messes with our vibe:
During work, when you come back from lunch tired and bloated.
Out with friends, when the processed food and drinks hit different.
At the club, when you ate beforehand to "soak up" the alcohol, but now feel heavy and awkward on the dance floor.
But here’s the truth: it doesn’t have to be like this.
🗭 What You’ll Learn in This Article
What’s REALLY killing your digestion
The best foods for top tier digestive health
The top supplements to restore gut health and have amazing bowel movements
Top secret Biohacks for next-level poops
By the end of this article you’ll have the tools to feel great after every meal, have easy no problem bowel movements and a pain free guilt free relationship with food and your tummy.
Let’s dive in my people⚡️⚡️
A Quick Digestion 101
Digestion is how your body turns food into fuel and raw materials to build you.
It starts before you even eat and relies on enzymes, stomach acid (HCL), and healthy gut bacteria to work right.
When digestion is working properly you feel light, satisfied, and energized.
That superood smoothie? Instead of feeling bloated and uncomfy you feel energized, and your stomach feels like a warm blanket of love.
Check out this diagram. All of the components of the digestive process.
Why Is Everyone Struggling With Digestion Now?
It’s no surprise, even with that new healthy diet, or that cool supplement we found on TikTok, we still are having digestive issues.
Here’s why
1. Enzyme production drops as we age.
Digestive enzymes which are crucial for breaking down food into nutrients our bodies can use are being depleted. Some research shows we lose up to 13% of enzyme capacity every decade.
That means by 50, you’re working with half the firepower you had in your twenties.
2. Our food is weaker. Farming practices stripped the soil.
Less microbial life in the ground = fewer enzymes and nutrients in your food.
Even if you're eating kale and carrots, they’re showing up to the digestion party half-naked.
3. Our lifestyle blocks digestion.
Most of us are stuck in fight-or-flight all day—aka “sympathetic mode.” And digestion only works in parasympathetic mode—when you’re calm, breathing, and safe.
We eat too fast.
We eat while stressed.
We sip cold brew while sprinting through emails, and wonder why our stomachs hurt.
What Happens When Digestion Breaks Down?
1. Undigested food causes inflammation.
Proteins that aren’t fully broken down can ferment and irritate your gut lining.
That leads to gas, bloating, and inflammation.And chronic, low-grade gut inflammation doesn’t just stay in your belly—it affects your brain, your mood, your immune system.
2. Inflammation weakens your gut barrier.
That constant irritation starts to damage the intestinal wall, leading to what’s called “leaky gut.”
Now stuff that should stay in your digestive tract leaks into your bloodstream.Your immune system freaks out. It starts attacking things it shouldn’t.
3. Nutrient absorption tanks.
If your digestion is off, you could be eating the best food in the world and still not absorbing it.
That means low energy, brain fog, weak immunity, poor recovery—even if your diet looks perfect.
4. Long-term risks build.
Chronic indigestion and gut dysfunction don’t just feel bad in the short term.Over time, they’re linked to IBS, IBD, and even colorectal cancer.
→ The American Cancer Society confirms that long-standing inflammation in the gut is a known risk factor for colon cancer.
Common “Fixes” That Make It Worse
1. Tums & Antacids:
What people think: “I have too much acid. Tums lowers it = problem solved.
In most cases of indigestion, the problem isn’t too much stomach acid—it’s too little.
Tums neutralizes acid further, which makes it harder to break down food, especially protein.
2. Pepto & Gas-X: Suppress symptoms, but don’t solve the problem.
3. Water with meals: Drinking a lot of water during meals dilutes stomach acid, making digestion less effective
4. Cold smoothies: Cold, raw, or fiber-dense blends can shock the digestive system, especially in the morning. And if you’re stressed or rushing, your gut is even less ready to process them.
5. Eating distracted: Screens = stress. Stress = poor digestion.
6. Fiber bars/powders: If you don’t have enough stomach acid or enzyme activity, dumping fiber into the system just makes things worse. It ferments and bloats you.
7. Random probiotics: Not all probiotics work for everyone. Some strains can make things worse if your gut is inflamed or imbalanced.
→ Blindly adding bugs to a broken system = chaos.
From Problem to Progress
Now that we know what’s going wrong as to why even healthy foods are causing us digestive issues as well as why most generic remedies don’t solve our nagging gut issues, let’s shift gears.
You don’t need to live in a cycle of bloating, antacids, and frustration.
There’s a better way—and it starts with simple changes that actually support digestion from the ground up.
WE GOT THIS EVERYONE WE CAN ALL HEAL❤️
Step 1: Eat Foods That Actually Help You Digest
Start with enzyme-rich foods.
Pineapple (bromelain) and papaya (papain) both contain natural protein-digesting enzymes.
Avocados have lipase to help break down fats.
Raw honey has multiple active enzymes. It’s a superfood!!!
Miso, raw dairy, and fermented foods like kefir or kimchi also contain enzymes plus probiotics.
To boost HCL (stomach acid)—which most people don’t have enough of:
Sip lemon water or apple cider vinegar before meals.
Use ginger (fresh or tea)—it stimulates acid, bile, and motility.
Add mineral-rich sea salt to your meals to give your body the building blocks for acid production.
To heal your gut lining:
Bone broth = liquid gold. It’s full of collagen, gelatin, and amino acids that seal and soothe.
Cooked cabbage (or juice) and sauerkraut supports the stomach lining.
Zinc-rich foods like pumpkin seeds, oysters, or grass-fed beef rebuild gut tissue.
Prebiotics like garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, and green bananas feed the good bacteria.
❌ Skip these if you want better digestion:
Ice-cold smoothies first thing in the morning
Too much fiber too fast
Heavy dinners right before bed
Step 2: Take Digestive-Boosting Supplements
Even with great food, your gut needs support. But not all supplements are equal.
P.S. BiOptimizers is one of my favorite supplement companies and a proud sponsor of this newsletter—for good reason.
Try them out today and use code KOOLHEALTH10 for a discount.
These are the ones I actually use and recommend:
MassZymes: High-potency enzymes to help break down food fast. It even has vitamin D3 to support gut repair long-term.
HCL Breakthrough: Most people think they have too much stomach acid, but really they’re running low.
HCL Breakthrough adds plant-based betaine HCl to bring your stomach pH back to acidic, where digestion works best. It also has enzymes for extra support.
Gluten Guardian: High-potency enzymes specifically designed for grain and gluten.
Magnesium Breakthrough: Constipated? Tight? Not sleeping? Magnesium helps all of it.
This formula gives you seven different forms of highly absorbable magnesium—including citrate (for digestion) and glycinate (for calm).
It helps your nervous system downshift, which is key because digestion only happens when you’re in a parasympathetic state.
Probiotic Breakthrough: Most probiotics on the market are weak, dead, or make you gassy.
P3-OM is different—it’s a proteolytic probiotic, meaning it breaks down protein and actually fights off bad bacteria.
Micro Biome Breakthrough: Biome Breakthrough combines IgY Max™, collagen, prebiotics, and probiotics in a chocolate or vanilla powder that tastes like a milkshake.
It’s great on an empty stomach in the morning, and it’s one of the only things I’ve found that helps with leaky gut symptoms.
Avoid: Generic supplements with weak doses, cheap fillers, and fake marketing.
Step 3: Biohack Your Poops
Try one. See If you like. Or stack them all like a biohacker Pokemon.
1. Walk After You Eat 🚶
A 5–10 minute walk after meals speeds up digestion, balances blood sugar, and prevents that post-meal slump.
2. Breathe Before You Eat 🧘♂️
Take 5 deep, slow breaths before your first bite. This switches your body into rest-and-digest mode, where digestion actually works. Try this breathing video.
3. Use a Squatty Potty 🪑
Modern toilets kink your colon. A stool under your feet puts your body in the right position for easier, faster, more complete poops.
4. Ground Yourself 🌍
Walk barefoot outside—on grass, sand, or dirt. This calms your nervous system, reduces inflammation, and supports digestion through vagal nerve tone.
5. Try Temperature Therapy 🛀
Cold plunges stimulate blood flow and digestion. Hot baths or saunas help you relax and move food along. Don’t do any of these immediately after eating. Wait 2 hours.
6. Don’t Scroll While You Eat 📵
If you're eating while stressed, working, or on TikTok—digestion slows down. Put the phone away. Be present. Chew.
7. Shake It Out 🌀
Stand, bounce gently through your heels, let your arms dangle. Shake for 2–5 minutes. It grounds your energy and supports gut motility.
8. Massage Your Belly 🤲
Use small, clockwise circles starting on the lower right side of your belly (where your colon begins). Move up, across, and down. Great for bloat and constipation.
9. Do Digestive Yoga 🧘
Try:
Supine twist
Seated twist
Child’s pose
Happy baby
Cat-cow
Wind-relieving pose (yes, it does what it says)
5–10 minutes after meals or before bed = gut magic.
10. Hang from a Bar 🪢
Hanging stretches your spine, hips, and core—and stimulates digestion through fascial release. Aim for 30–60 seconds a few times a day.
11. Foam Roll Your Psoas 🧽
Your psoas wraps around your gut. When it’s tight, digestion slows. Foam rolling your hips and pelvis can release physical and emotional tension that’s blocking your flow. This tool works wonders.
Final Word: It’s Easier Than You Think
I know it’s hard everyone.
Gut issues are the most difficult and the most present because they are so obvious. We know our stomachs hurt.
But it does not have to be like this. Now we have the tools.
It’s about reconnecting—with your food, your body, and your state of mind.
Start small:
🍽️ Chew longer.
🚶 Walk after meals.
💊 Try enzymes with dinner.
🧘 Breathe before your first bite.
Stress, shame, guilt—they all affect how you process food. So instead of obsessing over clean eating, try building a relationship with your food.
Say thank you. Bless it.
Imagine it going exactly where it needs to go—your muscles, your brain, your energy.
This is how we return to strong, joyful, easy digestion.
So go enjoy your next meal—really enjoy it.
And know that every bite has the power to become you.
💌 What’s Next?
If this helped you, send it to someone who:
Eats clean but still feels bloated or heavy after meals
Pops Tums like they’re breath mints
Gets foggy or tired after lunch
Just wants to poop like a legend
Is ready to stop stressing over food and actually enjoy it
👉 Want more tools? I’ve got you.
DM me for:
✅ A printable daily digestion tracker
✅ A supplement cheat sheet
✅ 1-on-1 coaching to optimize your energy, brain, and gut
Let’s help your body work better—so you can feel better, think clearer, and live fuller.
Now go digest like a boss.
Love you.
I’m grateful to my partners who create amazing health & wellness products.
Struggling with digestive issues despite already doing a lot of these things and including these kinds of things into my diet. For the supplements you listed, which one would you recommend I try first? Right now I currently take ARMA colustrum first thing in the morning, and I appreciate the list you gave out, but I don't want to just buy all of them (partially because I don't want to break the bank) but also because I don't know which to start with, what do you recommend?
This is full of great reminders, thank you