These days poor digestion has become a common problem. Everyone becomes prey to digestive disorders, whether children, mid-age adults, or older adults. This problem may sound simple, but if not treated on time can lead to irreparable ailments like gallstones, hemorrhoids, or Chron’s disease. Hence, it is better to take care of your digestion well in advance to avoid any health-related issues in the future.
There is no single cause of an upset stomach; it can happen for many reasons, including an unhealthy diet, inadequate workout, genetic issues, etc. However, eating habits have the most significant impact on digestion. The increased consumption of fizzy drinks, processed & fatty foods, and tobacco is affecting the digestive tract of people and making them prone to several diseases. Moreover, longer sitting jobs and low physical activity also make digestion poor. The experts of the best hospital for gastroenterology in Mohali and other cities suggest an active lifestyle to prevent digestive problems.
Read on to learn eight proven ways to improve your digestion naturally:
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is a key part of good digestion. You should drink enough water so that your urine is pale yellow or clear and does not have a strong ammonia odor. You should also avoid drinking fruit juice, which can be high in sugar and acidic, as this can cause digestive problems. Instead, you should drink herbal teas.
You can increase your water intake by drinking plenty of H2O throughout the day or even include daily green tea in your diet instead of coffee or caffeinated drinks like soda or energy drinks with caffeine (which can dehydrate you).
Include Plenty Of Fiber In Your Diet
Fiber is another important part of a healthy diet that can help improve your digestion. It makes up the bulk of plant foods like vegetables and fruits, which are a great source of fiber. Fiber also binds with water in your digestive system and helps keep things moving along smoothly.
If you’re trying to improve your digestion, one way to do so would be to eat more fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. If you’re following a low-fat diet or avoiding fat altogether for any reason, make sure you’re including plenty of healthy fats in your diet as well as plenty of vegetables and whole grains — all of which contain fiber on their own!
Learn To Manage Stress
You might not know, but it’s true that stress can disturb your digestive system and lead to several diseases like diarrhea, IBS, and ulcers. The increase in stress hormones can upset your digestion as your internal system diverts all energy and blood from the digestive tract to alleviate anxiety and tension. Not just that, our brain and gut have a connection— if one is not working well, another is automatically affected.
The studies showed that yoga, mindfulness, and acupuncture could help to improve digestive symptoms. So, it would be better to practice these stress management techniques daily for better digestion.
Chew Your Food Thoroughly
We all know that saliva helps to break the food and make it easy to digest. But, you won’t be aware that the more you chew, the more saliva will produce in your mouth, which breaks down the food into tiny pieces and boosts absorption. This will put less stress on your stomach and small intestines, eventually fewer digestive disorders.
When you thoroughly chew food, the digestion process starts in your mouth— solid food properly mixes with saliva and easily passes to the intestine. In addition to this, chewing alleviates stress, ultimately leading to boost digestion.
Determine & Avoid Triggers
Everyone’s body reacts differently to every food—For instance, if somebody has no digestive issues from milk, maybe you have. So, for good gut health, it is indispensable to determine triggers that cause digestive issues such as heartburn and acid reflux. If you feel like some foods affect your digestion, consult a specialist at a top hospital for gastroenterology and get tested. After knowing the list of food that causes the worst stomach problems to you, try to eliminate them completely.
Probiotics Can Help
A Probiotic is a gut-supporting bacteria that is pretty beneficial in improving digestion. It is naturally present in fermented foods like yogurt and pickles but to enhance the digestive process, you can take them in the form of supplements.
The job of probiotic bacteria is to break tough fiber into small pieces that can lead to gas as well as bloating otherwise. Its supplements are available in the form of capsules, powder, and beverages; you can take any as per your choice.
Stay Moving
Physical activity is a must to digest the food we eat. It helps food to reach the digestive tract and prevents constipation and inflammation. Therefore, jogging, running, Zumba, and aerobics should be part of your daily routine.
Break Up With Your Bad Habits
Smoking, late-night eating, overeating, and consumption of alcohol can havoc on your digestive system. You must ditch these bad habits for good digestion.
That was all about improving your digestion and staying healthy. Hope you like the article!