Healthy living always sums up to one thing that is, having a Balanced Diet. This adds up to have a healthy gut that dwells a healthy mind, boosts up metabolism, promotes good health, helps body organs to function efficiently, avails weight loss, and whatnot. The lifestyle you live in and the foods that you eat affect your digestive health to a considerable extend.
The food that you eat gets assimilated by your digestive system. This is performed by breaking them into the vital nutrients which are the requirements of your body to function effectively. The choice of foods that you consume plays an important role to maintain the health of your digestive system. This in turn keeps things running smoothly. If you neglect your digestive health then you may face problems, if not now but sooner in the future. So, we may conclude that whatever lifestyle we live in, doesn’t matter it still has a direct impact on our digestive well being.
Consequently, taking steps to improve your digestive health will assist your digestive system to function more productively. This will in return help to upgrade your overall health and personal fitness. When you often stuff your gut with high-calorie edibles or junk foods, then it becomes difficult for your digestive system to absorb those nutrients properly. Thereafter, you may have suffered from many gut infections and illnesses at some of the other points in your life. This is the time when your digestive health calls for exertion. Remember that good health starts with a healthy gut. Thus, it has become a primary concern on how to keep your digestive health all right.
Also read Everything You Need To Know About Hemp Oil
Confused About Where To Start Or What To Do?
This article will instruct you with the top 10 useful habits that you must adopt or incorporate into your daily life. These tips will not only help to boost up your digestive health but will also give you a better sense of living a much healthier lifestyle.
1. Switch To A High-fiber Diet
A high-fiber diet helps the food to keep a smooth motion through the digestive tract. Hence, the possibility of getting constipated gets reduced. Moreover, including a prominent amount of fiber in your diet helps to cure as well as prevent several digestive disorders. These are hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulosis, heartburn, gas, bloating, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), etc are some of the commons. You must include both soluble and insoluble fiber in your plate. Soluble fiber draws out extra water content to prevent runny stools whereas the later (insoluble fiber) helps to add immensity to stools. Good sources of insoluble fiber (roughage) include whole grains, vegetables, beans, nuts, etc, and those of soluble fiber add legumes, oats, barley, citrus fruits, apples, and many more.
A high-fiber diet also helps you maintain a standard and healthy weight. But anything in extra always welcome problems, therefore too much of fiber may be disturbing for your digestive health. Hence, you should know the potential risks and appropriate amounts of taking fiber and balance it accordingly. See what your body needs and feed it respectively. Although a high-fiber diet is always recommended, so make sure you must stick to it.
Also read VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS
2. Restrict Foods That Comprise High-Fat Content
Cut down from high-calorie foods, that contain fatty acids which ultimately tends to slow down the digestion process. This increases the risk of constipation. Although, it is recommended to add some fat in your diet. So, put together some good fats along with high-fiber on your plate which will help to ease up the digestion process. Along with this, you must close off the sugar content in your diet. Artificial sweeteners tend to scale up bad bacteria which causes several digestive issues. Instead, you should include a diet with healthy fatty acids like omega-3 which are mainly found in chia seeds, walnuts, spinach, flax seeds, soybeans, and many others.
3. Assimilate probiotics and prebiotics into your diet
Probiotics compete for space with bad bacteria. They promote the release of natural antibodies in the digestive tract and can even attack unhealthy bacteria directly in some cases such as IBS. The former (Probiotics) are the bacteria that add to the population of good bacteria in the digestive system. Whereas, the later (Prebiotics) are functionalized plant fiber that acts as food for the good bacteria. In short, these two pairs if taken in a sufficient amount daily will boost up your digestive health for a prolonged period of time. Foods that accommodate probiotics are wheat bran, banana, garlic and those of prebiotics include yogurt, kefir, sour cream, probiotic milk, etc. Besides, probiotics can add to better nutrient absorption, can help break down lactose, and thus help in strengthening your immune system. So, regular consumption of yogurt acts as an ultimate immune system booster and can even prevent cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, infections, etc.
Also Read Dehydrated foods- Health benefits
4. Set Up Your Eating Chart
Consuming your meals and snacks on a routine basis helps to keep your digestive system in tip-top shape and function more productively. Thereafter, you should try to take your breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner around the same time every day. Irregular eating habits are the worst you can do to your gut as well as to your digestive structure. You should follow a proper schedule for having your meals and keep your digestive system healthy. Hence, start having your meals at regular intervals throughout the day and you will soon notice the difference.
5. Chew slowly
The process of digestion commences right inside the mouth when you start chewing your food. In fact, 50% of digestion should be finished while the food is being chewed inside your mouth. But, often we tend to forget this fact and pays no attention to the function that your teeth play in grinding the food. Smaller bits of food initiates smoother movement in the digestive tract. Moreover, chewing accommodates more saliva in the mouth, which in turn releases essential digestive enzymes that further promotes good digestion. This may help to avoid some common concerns like indigestion, bloating, etc.
Also read Sprouts: Health Benefits, Easy Preparation, And Potential Risks
6. Stay hydrated
Water is very much essential for digestion as well as for your body. It is recommended to have at least 2.5 to 3 liters of water every day. Incorporate more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet such as cucumber, watermelon, citrus fruits, tomatoes, etc. Not only they are bundled with vital nutritious properties but are also high in water content. Hence, adding plenty of water to your diet will help in digestion by dissolving fats and insoluble fiber. This allows food to pass through your intestines more easily.
7. Exercise regularly
Make this a priority in your daily lifestyle if you want to strengthen your digestive system. Indulge in a regular exercise of at least 15 – 30 mins every day. Doing regular exercise helps keep foods moving through the digestive tract smoothly and thus prevents constipation. Exercise helps you to maintain a healthy weight, activates your body parts as well as your internal organs, and therefore helps to boost up your digestive health.
Also Read 5 Ways You’re Drinking Milk In The Wrong Way And The Methods To Fix It
8. Skip the bad habits
Smoking, drinking alcohol in excessive amounts, extreme intake of caffeine, along with some other bad habits interfere with the functioning of your digestive system, making it weak and unhealthy. Not only this, but it leads to various other health issues like cancer, stomach ulcers, heartburn, etc. Alcohol interferes with acid secretion and nutrient absorption, so you need to take care not to drink too much. Smoking can have a serious negative impact on your digestive system as it weakens the valves at the end of the esophagus. It also increases the risk of gastrointestinal cancers. Hence, this is a mandatory step that you should consider to make your body as well as your digestive health secure.
9. Lose Weight
Being obese, or even a few pounds overweight can cause several digestive issues; for instance, the valve between the stomach and the esophagus sometimes won’t close completely. This allows stomach acid back into the esophagus. Thus, you should try to maintain a healthy weight to aid a good digestion process. Therefore, incorporate a particular diet in your daily lifestyle which will not only improve your digestive system but also promote a healthy weight loss.
Also read Yoga for Mental Health- Because pampering yourself is important!
10. Manage Stress
Stress management is of utmost importance for a robust gut and effective digestion. Feelings of stress and anxiety can create chaos with your digestive system because your brain and digestive system are interlinked with each other. Try stress releasing exercises, getting more sleep, and relaxation techniques. You can also adopt healthy enactments like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing practices to shun the stress. Although, you need to practice them regularly.
Consequently, it can be concluded that digestion can be improved by having a well-balanced diet, scheduling your eating times, skipping bad habits, and exercising regularly. Firstly, you must commit to your body before you commence to adopt all of these habits. A healthy body with a healthy mind, calls a healthy gut. Eat more of natural produces and avoid the ‘odds and ends’. Do not over-stuff your tummy. Keep yourself and your digestive system healthy by embracing these 10 useful habits. Be positive and ignore the negative thoughts and emotions. This will add on to a healthy gut along with a healthy body.