5 Steps to Better Nutrient Absorption: Eat Smart, Feel Great!

Want to get more from the food you eat? You’re not alone. Many people focus on what they eat but forget how well their bodies absorb those nutrients. That’s where this guide comes in.

In this article, we’ll walk you through five simple and effective steps to better nutrient absorption, helping you improve digestion, boost energy, and get more value from every bite.

Whether you’re adjusting your diet or just trying to feel better daily, these tips are easy to follow and science-backed. Let’s break it down and help your body make the most of every meal.

Quick Summary: The 5 Steps to Better Nutrient Absorption

You’re not just what you eat—you’re what you absorb. To get more from your food and supplements, support these five digestive steps:

1. Chew like you mean it – Mechanical breakdown starts enzyme release, an important first step in digestion.
2. Restore stomach acid – Essential for protein digestion plus vitamin and mineral absorption.
3. Support pancreatic enzymes – Breaks food into absorbable components.
4. Keep bile flowing – Needed for fat and fat-soluble vitamin uptake.
5. Heal your gut lining – Where absorption happens; protect your villi and microbiome.

Step 1: Chew Like You Mean It

It all starts in the mouth, yet most people rush this first step, chewing just enough to swallow. That’s a mistake.

Why Chewing Is Crucial

Chewing isn’t just mechanical, it kickstarts the entire digestive process. 

Breaking food down increases its surface area, making it easier for enzymes to act. Meanwhile, saliva mixes in amylase (for carbs) and lipase (for fats), beginning chemical digestion before food even reaches your stomach.

Proper chewing also sends signals to the stomach to begin producing acid and enzymes. If you skip this step, you can affect the rest of the digestive process.

Red Flags You’re Not Chewing Enough

• You finish meals in under 10 minutes
• You often feel full but strangely unsatisfied
• You experience reflux or belching shortly after eating
• You eat while distracted—scrolling, working, or driving

Easy Upgrades

• Chew 20–30 times per bite. It will feel weird at first, but it quickly becomes second nature.
• Ditch distractions. No phones, no laptops. Make meals sacred again, even just start with doing this for some of your meals.
• Sip water between meals. Drinking large amounts of liquid during meals can dilute stomach acid and enzymes.

Small changes here create big downstream results. Try these tips for a week and see if you notice a difference.

Step 2: Restore Stomach Acid for Protein & Mineral Absorption

Once food hits the stomach, it meets one of your most powerful digestive tools: hydrochloric acid (HCl).

As people age and experience symptoms like reflux they are told that they have too much stomach acid, but this is not always true – it maybe low stomach acid and the food sits there fermenting and not getting digested and this leads to reflux.

What Stomach Acid Does

• Unfolds proteins, allowing the enzyme pepsin to break them into amino acids
• Releases minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium from food
• Kills pathogens before they can enter the intestines

Without enough acid, digestion slows down, and nutrients stay locked away.

Common Causes of Low Stomach Acid

• Age over 50
• Chronic stress or anxiety
• Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) or antacids
• H. pylori infection
• Vegan/vegetarian diets low in zinc

Signs You May Be Low

• Bloating or heaviness after meals
• Low ferritin or unexplained B-12 deficiency
• Reflux or heartburn (often caused by low, not high, acid!)

Fixes to Try

• Breathe before you eat: 60 seconds of slow diaphragmatic breathing before meals supports vagal tone and acid secretion.
• Try herbal bitters 10–15 min before meals (gentian, artichoke, dandelion).
• Betaine HCl supplements may help—but only if you’ve ruled out ulcers or gastritis.
• Test and treat H. pylori using a stool antigen panel (e.g., GI-MAP or Gut Zoomer).

Stomach acid is the gateway for protein and mineral absorption. If you skip this step, the rest of your digestive system will be affected as you need good stomach acid to stimulate the next steps.

Step 3: Support Pancreatic Enzymes to Digest Fats, Carbs & Proteins

After the stomach, the food continues into your small intestine where the pancreas releases powerful enzymes that break food into absorbable nutrients.

Key Enzymes Include:

• Protease for proteins
• Amylase for carbs
• Lipase for fats

Signs of Low Pancreatic Output

• Bloating or gas 1–3 hours after eating
• Greasy, floating, or hard-to-flush stools
• Unexplained deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.
• Burping or indigestion after high-fat meals

Root Causes

• Low stomach acid
• Chronic inflammation (e.g., pancreatitis, celiac, gallstones)
• SIBO or H. pylori
• Alcohol and drug use
• Extremely low-fat diets

Support Strategies

• Stool elastase test: < 200 µg/g confirms enzyme insufficiency
• Take a broad-spectrum enzyme with protein-rich or fatty meals if you have low elastase levels.
• Address root causes: infections, acid levels, bile flow
• Reduce alcohol to support pancreas health

Your pancreas finishes the breakdown process. But it needs the right pH signal and low inflammation to do its job effectively.

Step 4: Boost Bile Flow for Fat-Soluble Vitamin Absorption

Once fats are broken down, they need to be emulsified to be absorbed—and that’s bile’s job.

Why Bile Matters

• Emulsifies fats so you can absorb omega-3s and vitamins A, D, E, K
• Neutralizes stomach acid entering the small intestine
• Supports detox via elimination of excess cholesterol, hormones, and toxins

Signs Bile Flow Is Sluggish

• Nausea after fatty meals
• Right upper quadrant discomfort
• Pale or clay-colored stools
• Dry skin or poor fat absorption
• Fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies despite supplementation

Common Disruptors

• Gallbladder removal
• Estrogen dominance (HRT, birth control, pregnancy)
• Low Thyroid function
• Cholestatic medications

Supportive Actions

• Bitter herbs like artichoke, dandelion, and gentian 15 minutes pre-meal
• Eat healthy fats to trigger bile release
• Nutrients for bile: taurine, choline, glycine, phosphatidylcholine
• Short-term ox bile or TUDCA under practitioner guidance
• 10-minute post-meal walks help bile flow naturally
• Coffee can help to stimulate bile flow

Bile is like digestive dish soap—no soap, no cleanup. Support this step if you’ve had your gallbladder removed or experience poor fat digestion.

Step 5: Heal Your Gut Lining & Microbiome for Maximum Absorption

Digestion finishes in the small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed through the villi—microscopic, finger-like projections lining the gut.

Threats to the Gut Lining

• Chronic NSAID use
• Alcohol and high-sugar diets
• Gluten sensitivity or celiac
• Mold exposure
• SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
• High cortisol from chronic stress

Signs of a Compromised Gut

• Brain fog, fatigue, food sensitivities
• Skin issues or autoimmune flares
• Low iron, B-12, or fat-soluble vitamins
• Gas, bloating, or inconsistent stools

Functional Testing Options

• GI-MAP / Gut Zoomer: for pathogens, inflammation, enzymes, dysbiosis
• SIBO breath test: hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen-sulfide gases
• Zonulin, calprotectin, sIgA to assess gut barrier integrity – these can be checked with GI Map or Gut Zoomer

Gut Healing Framework

• Remove irritants (excess alcohol, gluten, sugar)
• Soothe with L-glutamine, zinc carnosine, DGL, omega-3s
• Re-seed with targeted probiotics and prebiotics (PHGG, cooked-cooled starches)
• Diversify: aim for 30+ plant foods per week (herbs, nuts, veg, legumes)
• Manage stress: melatonin improves gut lining integrity

When your gut lining is leaky or inflamed, even the best diet can’t be fully absorbed.

Drugs that Affect Nutrient Absorption

Some medications and habits quietly deplete key nutrients, even with a solid diet. Here’s the lightning round of top offenders:

Factor	Nutrients Affected
PPIs / Antacids	↓ Magnesium, B-12, Iron, Calcium
Metformin	↓ B-12, Folate, CoQ10
Birth Control / HRT	↓ B-vitamins, Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium
Statins	↓ CoQ10, Vitamin D
NSAIDs	↑ Gut permeability, ↓ Iron

What to Do:

• Test: micronutrient panels (e.g., Vibrant Micronutrient test)
• Supplement strategically
• Don’t just treat symptoms—support root causes

Food-Based Absorption Hacks

Here are easy, research-backed ways to enhance nutrient absorption at home:

• Pair vitamin C with plant iron: Add lemon to spinach or eat bell peppers with beans
• Add fat to carotenoid-rich veggies: Avocado with salsa, olive oil on carrots
• Don’t take calcium with iron or zinc: Space by at least 2 hours
• Soak or sprout grains and legumes: Reduces mineral-binding phytates
• Cook → cool → reheat starches: Forms resistant starch to nourish gut bacteria
• Time tea or coffee away from iron-rich meals: Tannins can block mineral uptake

Testing & Personalization

If you’re still struggling despite doing “everything right,” it might be time to test, not guess.

Top Functional Tests to Consider:

• Micronutrient Panel: intracellular & serum levels
• GI-MAP / Gut Zoomer: enzyme, microbial, and inflammation data
• Pathology: ferritin, B-12, vitamin D, CBC, liver enzymes, comprehensive metabolic panel

Testing helps pinpoint where in the chain things are breaking down—and what to fix first.

Final Word: Absorb More, Spend Less, Feel Better

You are what you absorb, not just what you eat. Before you chase more pills or powders, optimize the 5 steps of digestion:

1. Chew like you mean it
2. Restore stomach acid
3. Support pancreatic enzymes
4. Keep bile flowing
5. Heal the gut lining

When you fix the earliest broken link, everything downstream improves—nutrient levels, energy, immune strength, and even your mood.

Absorption is the real secret to optimal nutrient levels.