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Everyone tends to experience occasional digestive issues such as upset stomach, gas, heartburn, nausea, constipation, or diarrhoea. However, when these issues happen frequently, they can result in major disruptions to your life. Digestive diseases accounted for more than one-third of prevalent disease cases and nearly one-fifth of incident disease cases globally in 2019.1
This blog post discusses ways recommended by gastroenterologists to help your digestive system function properly. Here are some tips to follow for improving your digestion for optimum gut health:
How to Improve the Digestive System?
1) Choose Whole Foods
Whole foods, which are minimally processed, provide essential nutrients and are linked to several health benefits. Highly processed foods, on the other hand, can increase the risk of developing digestive disorders. Thus, consuming a diet based on whole foods and lowering the intake of processed foods is better to achieve optimal digestion.
2) Follow a High-Fibre Diet
Fibre is important for regular bowel movements and protecting against many digestive disorders. Soluble fibre can be found in oats, barley, and legumes, while whole grains, nuts, and seeds are good sources of insoluble fibre. The daily reference intake for fibre is 25 grams for females aged 19 to 50 and 38 grams for males aged 19 to 50. Additionally, prebiotics that feed your beneficial gut bacteria can improve gut barrier function and reduce inflammation. These are found in many fruits, vegetables, and grains.
3) Incorporate Healthy Fats
Fat can help you feel satisfied after a meal and is needed for adequate absorption of certain nutrients, for example, vitamins A, D, E, and K. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in flaxseeds, chia seeds, nuts (especially walnuts), as well as fatty fish, can decrease your risk of developing inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis.
4) Stay Hydrated
Water is essential for breaking down food so your body can absorb the nutrients and soften stool, which helps prevent constipation. Alongside water, include herbal teas and other non-caffeinated beverages such as seltzer water to meet your fluid intake. An alternative way to help meet your fluid intake requirement is to include fruits and vegetables with a high content of water, including cucumber, peppers, broccoli, strawberries, and oranges.
5) Manage Your Stress Levels:
Stress can have a deteriorating impact on your digestive system, as stress hormones tend to directly affect your digestion. During times of stress, blood and energy are diverted away from your digestive system. In addition, your gut and brain are closely connected, meaning that what impacts your brain may also affect your digestion. Thus, engaging in stress management techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga, can improve both your mindset and digestion.
6) Don’t Eat Too Much
It is easy to get carried away and eat too much in a short time if you are not paying attention. This can result in issues such as bloating, gas, and indigestion. Mindful eating involves paying careful attention to all aspects of your food and the process of eating. To eat mindfully, you need to eat slowly, turn off the TV, and select each bite of food consciously.
7) Chew Your Food Thoroughly
Digestion begins in your mouth, where your teeth break down the food into smaller pieces. Chewing longer produces more saliva, which aids in starting the digestive process in your mouth by breaking down some of the carbohydrates and fats in your meal. Hence, slow down, savour your food, and chew it well.
8) Engage in Regular Exercise
Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to improve your digestion. Exercise and gravity enable food to travel through your digestive system. Thus, a post-meal walk can help your body in moving things along.
9) Listen to Your Body’s Signals
Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues to avoid overeating, which can lead to bloating and indigestion. It can take time for hormones released by your tummy in response to food to reach your brain. Thus, it is important to take the time to eat slowly and pay attention to how full you are feeling to prevent common digestive issues.
10) Consider Lifestyle Changes
Certain habits, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and late-night eating, may also be responsible for some common digestive issues. It is better to change these lifestyle factors to improve your digestion and overall health.
Conclusion
Improving your digestion is achievable through simple diet and lifestyle changes. Eating whole foods and a diet rich in fibre, healthy fat, and nutrients is the first step in your journey towards good digestion. Certain practices, for example, mindful eating, reducing stress levels, and regular physical activity, can also bring benefits. Lastly, changing harmful habits, for instance, smoking, drinking alcohol, or late-night eating, can also help relieve digestive issues. If you are experiencing chronic digestive issues, don’t hesitate to consult our expert gastroenterologist at Manipal Hospitals, Bhubaneswar.
FAQ's
The digestive system plays a vital role in breaking down food and liquids into their chemical components, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients are absorbed by the body and used for energy, cell repair, and growth.
The process of digestion begins in the mouth, where food is chewed and mixed with saliva. It then travels down the oesophagus to the stomach. In the stomach, food is combined with digestive enzymes and acids, breaking it down further before being gradually emptied into the small intestine. The small intestine continues breaking down the food, absorbs nutrients, and transfers them into the bloodstream for the body to use. The leftover watery food residue moves into your large intestine (the colon). Here, the large intestine absorbs the majority of the remaining water from the undigested food, turning it into a more solid form. Beneficial bacteria in the colon help break down some of the remaining substances, producing certain vitamins and gases in the process. Finally, the waste material is compacted into stool and stored in the rectum until it is eliminated from the body through a bowel movement.
Some common diseases and conditions that can affect digestive health include:
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Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Causes heartburn, nausea, and difficulty swallowing.
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Coeliac Disease: It results from an immune response to gluten, leading to symptoms such as diarrhoea, fatigue, abdominal bloating, and pain.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the intestines and triggers inflammation of the tissues.
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Characterised by recurrent bouts of constipation or diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating, and gas.
Immediate medical help is needed if your symptoms are severe or if you have a fever, difficulty swallowing, bloody or black vomit or stool, abdominal pain, or unexplained weight loss.
You can schedule an appointment at Manipal Hospitals, Bhubaneswar, by contacting us or visiting our website.
Visit: https://www.manipalhospitals.com/bhubaneswar/specialities/internal-medicine/
Contact no.: 0674 666 6600
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