How to Improve Digestion: 10 Gut and Liver Habits

Fiber does more for your digestion than almost anything else, and most of us simply don't get enough of it. Adults should get 22 to 34 grams of fiber a day depending on age and sex (2), and most of us land well short.

There are two kinds, and you want both. Soluble fiber comes from foods like oats, beans and fruit, while insoluble fiber (whole grains, vegetable skins) adds bulk and keeps everything moving. Your gut bacteria also ferment fiber into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which your colon cells use for fuel.

• Oats
• Beans and lentils
• Berries (frozen works just as well)
• Pears and apples, skin on
• Broccoli
• Chia or flax seeds in your morning smoothie

One fair warning, though: some people get more gas when they suddenly eat a lot more fiber, and high-fat foods can add to bloating as well (3). So go gradually. Want more plant ideas? Our plant-based push post has four easy methods.

The simplest digestion upgrade is a plate built from foods that still look like they did when they were grown. Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, eggs, fish and lean meat come with their fiber, water and nutrients attached. Ultra-processed snacks usually arrive with the fiber stripped out and plenty of added sugar and salt stirred in.

The easiest way to make this happen is to cook a few more meals yourself, since you know exactly what went into the pan. We wrote about how cooking at home can transform your health, and it has a few simple recipes if you need somewhere to start.

Fat isn't the enemy of good digestion, but the kind and the amount both matter. Bile, the digestive juice your liver makes, is what breaks fat down so your body can absorb it, along with some vitamins that only dissolve in fat. Skip fat entirely and you shortchange that whole process.

Opting for olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and fatty fish such as salmon gives our bodies fats that are easier to work with. These fats sit more comfortably for most people than a heavy, greasy meal, and they carry those fat-soluble vitamins along with them. Fried food and oversized portions of anything rich are the ones that tend to linger.

This is also the habit with the most direct liver connection. A moderate amount of healthy fat at each meal gives bile the job it was designed for, and it's far easier on the whole system than one enormous, greasy dinner at 10 p.m.

Another piece that's easy to overlook is hydration. It sounds simple, but water does a lot of the work here! It softens food, helps fiber do its job, and keeps everything moving. A glass of still water with each meal is the habit. Herbal teas like ginger, peppermint or chamomile count too, and they're nice after a big dinner.

Go easy on the fizzy stuff and the caffeine. Carbonated drinks add extra gas to the mix, and coffee on an empty stomach is a rough start for some people. Caffeine can bring on heartburn too, so one or two cups a day is plenty. You don't have to give them up! Just don't let them replace your water.

And yes, we have to mention our own bottle! The Plug Drink is a small bottle of 13 Korean botanicals with electrolytes, 15 calories, no added sugar and no caffeine. It's a light, herbal way to hydrate in the evening, alongside your water rather than instead of it.

Digestion starts in your mouth, not your stomach. Chewing breaks food into smaller pieces and mixes it with saliva, which begins breaking things down before you've even swallowed. Rush a meal and you skip that step, and you swallow air along the way, which comes back as belching and that too-full feeling.

Mindful eating sounds fancy, but it's really just paying attention. Here's the version we actually use:

1. Put your fork down between bites and take one breath before the next.
2. Chew until the mouthful is fully soft before you swallow. No counting required.
3. Keep a simple food diary for two weeks: what you ate, when, and how you felt afterward.

That diary is the real secret. Patterns you'd never catch in the moment (the afternoon latte, the late pizza) become obvious on paper. The usual suspects people spot are dairy for those who are lactose sensitive, very spicy or acidic dishes, greasy fried food, and simply eating too much at once.

Our guts are home to trillions of bacteria, and feeding the helpful ones is a real kindness to digestion. Fermented foods like kimchi (a Korean staple and a favorite around here), yogurt with live cultures, sauerkraut and kefir bring their own friendly microbes to the party. Prebiotic foods such as garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas and beans give those microbes something to eat.

We went deep on this in Think Balance: The Key to Building a Healthier Gut. The goal is variety, not one superfood. A spoonful of kimchi with dinner and a banana at breakfast is already a good week.

What about probiotic supplements? Much remains to be learned about whether probiotics are helpful and safe for various conditions, and supplements aren't held to the same approval standards as drugs (4). Research is ongoing, so food first is our honest advice. And since antibiotics can throw your gut bacteria off balance for a while, take them only when they're prescribed and exactly as directed.

If you've ever searched for a way to get things moving after a heavy meal, the least glamorous answer is the right one: go for a walk. Exercise helps move food through your gut, and a gentle stroll after dinner is one of the oldest digestion habits in the world for a reason.

For adults, the target is at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week (that's 30 minutes, 5 days a week) plus 2 days of muscle strengthening (5). Regular movement also supports a healthy weight and metabolism, which your liver appreciates too. To get more from each session, our post on exercising effectively covers fuel, hydration, timing and recovery.

Ever lost your appetite before a big presentation, or felt your stomach knot up mid-argument? That's the gut-brain axis at work. Your brain and your digestive system talk to each other constantly, and stress changes how quickly (or slowly) things move and how sensitive your gut feels. It's why a rushed lunch at your desk rarely sits well.

You can't remove stress from your life, but you can give your body regular signals that it's safe to digest. A few that work for us:

• Five slow breaths before the first bite
• Lunch away from your desk, ideally outside
• Ten minutes of stretching or yoga in the evening
• Tomorrow's to-do list written down before bed so it stops circling

Your gut keeps a schedule, and it works best when you keep one too. Adults need 7 or more hours of sleep a night (6), and short nights tend to show up the next day as cravings, a heavier stomach and a lot less patience for every habit on this list.

Meal timing matters as much as the hours. Lying down soon after a big meal can worsen reflux, so aim to finish eating 2 to 3 hours before bed. A small evening ritual makes that boundary easier to hold, and our own FAQ suggests having The Plug Drink at night, which fits neatly once the kitchen is closed.

Alcohol and tobacco are hardest on your digestive tract and your liver at the same time. Your liver processes most of the alcohol you drink, so every drink adds to its workload on top of everything else it does, bile included.

If you drink, the guidance is 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 or less for women (7), and fewer is always fine. Smoking is hard on the whole digestive tract from your mouth on down, so if quitting has been on your list for a while, your gut is one more reason. We're not here to lecture. Of all ten habits, though, this is the one with the biggest payoff for your liver.