Nurture your gut and embrace a happy tummy with our soothing herbal solutions. Bid farewell to bloating, indigestion, and discomfort as you restore balance and harmony to your digestive system.
The desire to eat delicious cuisine grows as the festival season approaches. Festivals, as is typically the case, mean more food, but also more fats and carbohydrates, which can be bad for your digestive system. Ever consider the significance of digestive health? The rationale is that roughly 10% of today's healthcare costs are attributable to gastrointestinal illnesses.
A healthy digestive system is necessary for overall well-being. Understanding the digestive system and its significance is crucial for maintaining good digestive health.
Digestive Health
Our digestive tract breaks down the food and beverages we consume. The digestive system is crucial for absorbing nutrients and removing waste. Your health -body, mind, and soul can be balanced by having a healthy digestive system.
Our stomachs can growl and our lips moisten only from the smell, the sight, or the thought of food. Before food even reaches the mouth, the body begins the digestive process. There are three steps in the digestion process: the cephalic phase, the gastric phase, and the intestinal phase. Together, they aid in the breakdown of huge meal portions into progressively smaller ones that can be absorbed and nourish your body's cells and tissues.
The digestive system contains the stomach, large intestine, and small intestine, which play crucial roles in food digestion and in supplying nutrients that are crucial for bodily function. It begins at the mouth, where food enters the body, and finishes at the anus, where wastes are eliminated.
Common digestive disorders
- Constipation
- Flatulence, bloating
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Diverticulitis
- Hemorrhoids
- Colon cancer
- heartburn, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- peptic ulcer
- Gallstones
- Celiac disease
- Diarrhea
The common symptoms of poor digestive health include abdominal pain, fatigue, heartburn, food intolerance, nausea, weight loss or gain, etc.
Poor diet, traveling, hormonal changes, drug side effects, smoking, and other health issues cause stress on the body thereby affecting the digestion process in the body. Here are some suggestions to maintain intestinal health. Any digestive system disorder has a significant negative impact on the body’s ability to function efficiently.
Tips to maintain digestive health
1. Eat a healthy diet
For energy, growth, and cellular repair, the body requires nutrients that are absorbed from meals. Consuming a balanced diet that is high in fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins is essential to maintain good digestive health. A diet rich in fiber facilitates the transit of food through the digestive tract and aids in the removal of all unwanted by-products by simple evacuation. Women must include 25 gms of fiber in their diet and men should consume 38 gms of fiber every day.
Some foods and beverages with digestive health benefits:
Fruits: Strawberries, Pears, Avocado, Apple, Watermelon, Banana, Pineapple
Vegetables: Carrots, Beets, Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Artichoke, mushroom, cabbage, sweet potatoes
Legumes: Green and black beans, Lentils, Brussels sprouts,
Nuts: Walnut, Pistachios, Almond, Chia seeds,
Herbs: Peppermint, ginger, turmeric, Chamomile
Dairy products: Yoghurt, kefir
2. Hydrate Yourself
The benefits of water include better hydration, faster metabolism, and better meal digestion. The digestive system will slow down and become more susceptible to constipation and diarrhea because of dehydration. The movement of food and promoting quicker digestion can be achieved by fiber with fluids. Beverages contain dietary fiber that assists your digestive system function more effectively even if they are liquids.
Water: For men and women, respectively, daily fluid intake recommendations are 3.7 and 2.7 liters. Digestion is improved when water is flavored with lemon, mint, and cinnamon.
Juice: Prune juice, Celery juice, Lemon juice, Beetroot juice
3. Do more exercise
It is essential to indulge in physical activity for at least 30 minutes each day to keep active. Exercise helps bowel motions, colon health, and GI diseases in addition to general health. Regular exercise helps the digestive system function better, removes waste, and maintains overall body weight. Exercise has been shown to improve chronic constipation and lower the risk of colon cancer. Gastrointestinal emptying is improved by exercise, and IBD patients can benefit from modest exercise. It is recommended to work out an hour after eating.
Brisk Walking: 30 to 45 minutes daily
Deep breathing: Massaging action intestine and stomach thereby helpful in bloating and constipation
Yoga: boat pose, child's pose, standing forward bend, downward and upward dog, triangle pose, and bow pose
Other Physical activities: Sit-ups, crunches, cycling, pelvic floor exercise
4. Stress Management
Stress has an impact on every organ and neuron in the digestive system, upsetting the delicate balance of digestion. Bloating, discomfort and constipation can result from a slowed digestion process. The disease is not brought on by stress, although it can make sickness worse.
To maintain composure and manage stressful situations, try meditation and soothing activities like reading, hiking, gardening, etc.
Tips for proper digestion of food
- Always eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Set a consistent eating schedule
- Chew your meal well
- After eating, relax for a while.
- Include fluid intake
- Avoid fast eating
- Consume more fruits and vegetables
- Do not overeat
- Avoid alcohol and smoking
Drinks to boost digestion
- Kombucha: rich in probiotics and improve overall gut and digestive health
- Prune Juice: used as an elixir for constipation
- Ginger Tea: prevent indigestion and heartburn,
- Caraway seeds water: It is one of the oldest methods to get rid of acidity and digestive issues
- Holy Basil extract: It helps to flush out the toxins and cleanses the stomach by easing digestion
- Peppermint extract: Peppermint has an antispasmodic effect, and relieves digestive symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, and farting (flatulence), particularly if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Artichoke extract: ameliorate digestive problems such as indigestion or IBS
Even a healthy person may experience stomach problems due lack of fiber in their diet. For several reasons, many people experience digestive issues like bloating, cramping, gas, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and constipation. Some conditions, such as IBS, GERD, and Crohn's disease, may also raise the likelihood of experiencing more severe digestive problems.
Conclusion
One of the most frequent conditions for which individuals visit doctors and use medications is digestive issues. Exercise and a balanced diet promote digestive health which in turn promotes the overall health of the body. So, gear up! Take the necessary steps and replenish your gut. Have a happy digestive health recovery! Take care.
References:
- Bi L, et al. Exercise and gastrointestinal function and disease: an evidence-based review of risks and benefits. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2003 Sep 1;1(5):345-55.
- Jefferson A. Diet and digestive health. Primary Healthcare. 2005 Feb; 15:27-312.