4 Morning Habits Dietitians Swear By—and They Have Nothing to Do With Food

Practice Meditation Daily

Your gut and nervous system do not work in silos, says Samantha Peterson, RD, registered dietitian. They are interconnected, affecting each other. For this reason, you need to support your nervous system to “move it from a ‘fight or flight’ or sympathetic nervous state toward a more parasympathetic nervous state,” Peterson adds. Your parasympathetic nervous system (often known as the “rest and digest” state) assists your body to calm down after stress. 

Meditation can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, says Elizabeth Harris, RDN, registered dietitian. When “rest and digest” mode kicks in, it supports your gut motility (aka, the muscular contractions that move food through your digestive tract), your digestion and absorption of food, and the gut microbe’s diversity.

To meditate, Harris gets herself into a comfortable posture, belly soft and spine straight. She focuses on feeling her breath moving in and out of her body. As she notices thoughts coming and going, she visualizes her thoughts as clouds passing by in the sky: they can be there, but all you do is notice them and let them pass on through. Similarly, Peterson starts her morning with music-led meditation for three to five minutes. “I will literally tell myself, ‘I give myself permission to just be and not need to think,’” she says. If you’re new to meditating, however, Peterson recommends starting with just one to three minutes.

Get Moving

Movement helps stimulate contraction of intestinal muscles, pushing food through your digestive system efficiently, Harris says—this supports regular bowel movements and reduces bloating. Besides that, movement improves your mood, reduces cortisol levels, and lowers stress, which, as mentioned above, impacts your gut health, Agha-Khan says.

“Studies have shown that people who are more active have more diverse gut microbiomes,” Agha-Khan says. “A diverse gut microbiome leads to a number of health benefits, like better immune function, less inflammation, metabolic control, glucose control, and insulin sensitivity.” Whether it’s going for a walk, cycling, strength training, or gentle stretching, Harris, Agha-Khan, and Peterson make it a point to move in the morning. “It doesn’t have to be very intense,” Agha-Khan adds. The main purpose is to get into a nice, relaxed state.

Bask in Sunlight

Agha-Khan ensures she heads outside to get “10 to 20 minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning,” she says. Peterson does the same, taking her morning walks outdoors. Your body needs to be exposed to the sun so that its internal clock, your circadian rhythm, is tuned correctly. The circadian rhythm tells your body to be awake and active during the day time, and to wind down and be ready to sleep at night. It uses sunlight as a cue to keep it ‘in time’ and on track. If you have time, try taking a brief color walk, observing the flowers, trees, and other details in your neighborhood.

Your skin also synthesizes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, and adequate vitamin D is linked to a healthier gut microbiome, Agha-Khan says. On top of that, vitamin D better supports your immune system and mood.

Reach for Water Before Other Drinks

When it comes to your gut health, water is needed to keep the lining of your digestive tract moist for multiple reasons—to protect it from damage, produce digestive secretions like bile, and create an optimal environment for certain enzymes to do their job, Agha-Khan explains. “There have been studies showing a relation between those who drink more water and more diverse gut microbiomes,” she says. You may also experience sluggish digestion if you’re not hydrated enough.

Agha-Khan always drinks water to rehydrate her body in the morning, before she brews her first cup of coffee.