There’s an old saying that goes “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” We often see this adage at play when it comes to determining which system in the body is the highest priority.
If you’re a practitioner who focuses on glucose dysregulation, you likely think blood sugar issues are the logical place to start a healing program for your clients. On the other hand, if your work primarily deals with minerals like magnesium, iron, and iodine, you probably believe that balancing minerals is the right starting point in a healing journey. Or if you’ve worked to help clients improve their water intake with good success, you might make the argument that hydration trumps everything else.
While all of these imbalances are important, none of them are the first priority. Everyone’s highest healing priority of all is proper digestion – absolutely everyone.
Here’s why:
If we aren’t absorbing vitamins, fatty acids, and fiber from the food we eat, we won’t have the essential factors required to support pancreatic function and insulin production, and thus we can’t optimize blood sugar handling. If we can’t access the minerals from our diet, we’re going to have deficiencies, and supplementation isn’t addressing the root of the issue. And while proper hydration is critical, it simply doesn’t override the importance of an optimally functioning digestive system.
When we think about digestion, we need to consider several key aspects, each of which triggers a domino effect further down the digestive pathway.
1) Is food being properly broken down?
The process of converting the food we place in our mouths into microscopically-sized particles, small enough to pass through the tight junctions of the small intestine and be taken up by the lacteals for proper absorption, requires many critical processes. If any of these steps don’t occur optimally, there is a consequence further along in the digestive process. Food that is not optimally broken down, often due to deficiencies of digestive juices and other secretions, results in particles too large to be absorbed. When food isn’t properly absorbed, we can’t benefit from the nutrients in that food, no matter how organic, pastured, or properly prepared it is.
2) Is there a pathogen?
We used to think that intestinal parasites were only an issue in developing countries. Now, with global food distribution, foods grown in developing countries are finding their way onto our plates. What about opportunistic bacteria? When you consider that most people eat a highly-processed Standard American Diet, low in beneficial fiber, and have used multiple rounds of antibiotics, the result is a dysfunctional intestinal terrain – an ideal habitat for opportunistic bacteria to set up housekeeping. And since most Americans are overeating starch and sugar, yeast and candida can also establish a cozy place to live in our imbalanced digestive tracts.
3) What about the microbiome?
We need abundant beneficial flora to keep our colons healthy. A healthy microbiome allows for proper absorption of B vitamins, vitamin K and some minerals. Many of us are missing important strains of beneficial flora (the flowers in our garden), allowing for even more overgrowth of dysbiotic bacteria (the weeds taking over the garden).
If any of these crucial aspects of digestion are dysfunctional, we cannot fully benefit from the nutrients in our food and that leads to downstream issues such as mineral deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, cardiovascular problems, and poor detoxification.
And so: addressing digestion is the #1 healing priority in the body.
Knowing how to address digestive issues is a skill every health practitioner must have in their tool kit. If you don’t start with the gut, actually – if you start anywhere else – you’re never going to help your client truly get well. Again and again we see clients who, by simply optimizing digestion, no longer have menstrual cycle issues or migraines, leg cramps or anemia or – you name it. We’re not saying digestion is the end-all, be-all, but we are saying it’s where we start with everyone.
In health and wholeness,
~ Anne and Margaret
PS – The Institute of Restorative Health can help you uplevel your clinical skills, teaching you how to address digestion thoroughly and once and for all. Mastering the Art & Science of Gastrointestinal Healing is a 12-week course that will teach everything you need to know. Registration opens March 13 and class starts April 13th. Register early to take advantage of early bird pricing (Save $150!) and to secure your spot as this class typically sells out. Get on our list to be notified when registration opens so you don’t miss out!
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FAQ
These frequently asked questions expand on the key clinical concepts in this article and provide additional context for practitioners seeking to understand why digestion serves as the foundation of restorative health.
Why is digestion considered the body’s highest healing priority?
Digestion is considered the body’s highest healing priority because every other body system depends on the ability to properly break down, absorb, and utilize nutrients from food. Without effective digestion, the body cannot consistently access the vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and fiber needed to support normal physiological function. Addressing digestion provides the foundation upon which other healing strategies can build.
Why should practitioners address digestion before other body systems?
Practitioners should begin with digestion because other interventions depend on adequate nutrient absorption to be effective. Blood sugar regulation, mineral balance, hydration, and other therapeutic strategies cannot fully succeed if digestive function is compromised. Optimizing digestion addresses an important root cause rather than only managing downstream effects.
How does impaired digestion affect nutrient absorption?
Impaired digestion reduces the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. When food is not adequately broken down into particles small enough for absorption, valuable nutrients pass through the digestive tract without being effectively utilized. This can occur regardless of the quality of the diet.
What happens when food is not properly broken down during digestion?
When food is not properly broken down, nutrients cannot be efficiently absorbed in the small intestine. The article notes that deficiencies in digestive juices and other secretions can leave food particles too large for proper absorption. As a result, clients may not benefit fully from even nutrient-dense, high-quality foods.
How can digestive dysfunction contribute to nutrient deficiencies?
Digestive dysfunction can contribute to nutrient deficiencies by preventing adequate absorption rather than simply reducing dietary intake. If nutrients are not absorbed efficiently, supplementation alone may not address the underlying issue. Improving digestive function helps address the root cause of poor nutrient utilization.
What role do pathogens play in digestive health?
Pathogens can disrupt normal digestive function by contributing to an unhealthy intestinal environment. The article highlights intestinal parasites, opportunistic bacteria, yeast, and candida as potential contributors to digestive imbalance. Factors such as processed diets, low fiber intake, and repeated antibiotic use may increase susceptibility to these imbalances.
Why is the gut microbiome important for digestion?
A healthy microbiome supports colon health and contributes to the absorption of B vitamins, vitamin K, and some minerals. Beneficial bacteria also help maintain balance within the digestive tract. When beneficial flora are reduced, dysbiotic organisms may become more dominant.
How does an unhealthy microbiome affect overall health?
An unhealthy microbiome may reduce the body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients and allow dysbiotic bacteria to proliferate. The article compares beneficial bacteria to flowers in a garden and dysbiotic bacteria to weeds that take over when healthy flora are diminished. This imbalance can contribute to broader digestive dysfunction.
What health issues can result from poor digestion?
Poor digestion can contribute to a variety of downstream health concerns because nutrient absorption becomes compromised. According to the article, digestive dysfunction may contribute to:
- Mineral deficiencies
- Hormonal imbalances
- Cardiovascular problems
- Poor detoxification
The authors also note that optimizing digestion is frequently associated with improvements in concerns such as menstrual cycle issues, migraines, leg cramps, and anemia.
Can improving digestion influence hormone balance and other body systems?
Yes. The article explains that when digestion improves, the body gains better access to nutrients required for normal physiological function. Because hormones, cardiovascular health, detoxification, and other systems rely on adequate nutrition, digestive health can have wide-reaching effects throughout the body.
Why isn’t supplementation alone enough to correct nutrient deficiencies?
Supplementation may not resolve nutrient deficiencies if digestive function remains impaired. According to the article, poor absorption—not simply inadequate intake—may be the underlying problem. Supporting digestion helps the body utilize nutrients more effectively.
Is digestion the only priority in restorative health?
No. The authors emphasize that digestion is the starting point, not the only consideration. While many body systems ultimately require attention, establishing healthy digestive function creates the foundation for addressing additional clinical priorities more effectively.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anne Fischer Silva’s journey in the field of functional nutrition over the last 23 years began in a functional medicine practice, where she learned the power of objective testing. From there she opened her own business, A New Leaf Nutrition, where she built a wait-list distance practice. Anne has taught nutrition courses in Washington, Hawaii, and California, and hosted a radio show, “Health-Wise”, for 3 years. She helped develop the original curriculum for the Nutritional Therapy Association, was a lead instructor with NTA for 8 years, and she continues to lecture nationally on a variety of health topics. Anne founded the Institute of Restorative Health in 2013 with the sole purpose of training other nutrition professionals how to address complex issues with their clients and achieve the same stellar results she gets in her practice.
The core principles Anne built the Institute of Restorative Health upon are the importance of nutrient-dense foods and balancing biochemistry. From there, she looks for the deeper underlying issues by utilizing a variety of testing techniques and customized healing methods to restore optimal function and health.
Anne received her certification in functional nutrition from Advanced Integrated Medical Institute in Washington, DC in 2000 and she is a Master Restorative Health Practitioner and Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
*In 2022, Anne decided to pursue new and different aspects of holistic wellness and left the Institute of Restorative Health in the hands of her dear friend and business partner, Margaret Floyd Barry.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Margaret Floyd Barry, FNTP MRHP is owner and Executive Director of the Institute of Restorative Health. She’s a functional nutritionist, author, speaker, educator, and real food advocate. Through years of experience working with the most complex client cases, including reversing her own autoimmune condition, Margaret uses a powerful system for restoring health by addressing the root cause of illness.
Today, Margaret teaches fellow practitioners the same proven system she uses to get her clients life-changing results through the Institute of Restorative Health – a two-year comprehensive functional nutrition certification program for qualified health professionals. Margaret also runs Restorative Corporate Wellness, a team of Restorative Health Practitioners facilitating health transformations with corporate clients. She is the author of Eat Naked and its follow-up cookbook The Naked Foods Cookbook. She’s also the host of the Clinician’s Corner podcast, where she interviews some of the world’s top experts in the fields of functional health and nutrition.
