Lifestyle change and diet can enhance your gut health. If you experience digestive symptoms, like gas, heartburn, upset stomach, and constipation frequently, it might be time to revamp your diet. But you do not have to make drastic changes. Here are simple ways to improve digestion naturally.
Enhancing Gut Health with These Ways to Improve Digestion Naturally
Try Digestive Aid
It can help improve digestion. Ginger, peppermint and chamomile teas are just a few of them. These herbs can reduce inflammation and soothe the digestive system.
Eat a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet includes whole foods. They are minimally processed. Thus, expect them to be high in nutrients.
Avoid processed foods that are linked to digestive disorders. They are high in food additives that can contribute to gut inflammation.
Inflammation is known to impair the barrier function of your intestines. It can increase gut permeability which can contribute to a range of health issues.
Furthermore, processed foods contain harmful trans fats.
You should also eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. And make sure to eat lean protein.
Lean protein must also be a vital part of your diet. It is an excellent source of amino acids that are essential for the growth and maintenance of healthy gut bacteria. These bacteria are known as probiotics that maintain a healthy balance of microorganisms in the gut. They are essential for your digestive function.
It also maintains gut barrier function. This barter is a gut lining between the inside of the body and the eternal environment. It plays a vital role in preventing harmful substances from entering the bloodstream.
Furthermore, lean protein is high in glutamine. It is an amino acid that halves to maintain the integrity of the gut lining and support gut barrier function.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking plenty of water can help improve dilation. Water softens stools. It makes it easier to pass. It also helps move foods through your digestive system.
Water helps in breaking down food and aids in the absorption of nutrients. When food is broken down in the stomach, it forms a liquid that passes through the small intestine.
It maintains the fluid of that liquid allowing it to move easily through the digestive tract and be absorbed more efficiently.
Drinking eight glasses of water every day can help in softening stools and preventing constipation. When your body is dehydrated, your colon absorbs more water from the stools.
As a result, your stool will be harder to pass. As you drink enough water, you can keep the stools soft and prevent constipation.
Water also reduces bloating as it flushes out excess sodium and waste from the body. When your body is dehydrated, it retains more water, resulting in bloating and puffiness.
If you are bored drinking just plain water in the morning, you might want to dry adding salt. You can add a pinch of salt to the water and drink it first thing in the morning.
Salt supports the adrenal system to regulate your hormones, energy levels, and metabolism.
What if you have high blood pressure? You can still have salt water in the morning. It is perfectly safe.
When you wake up, your blood pressure is not high. Having low blood pressure reduces your cortisol and adrenal function. Thus, it is vital to normalize it.
You want your cortisol to be high in the morning to give you the energy that you require for the day. Furthermore, salt contains potassium and magnesium. These are minerals that can help with alkalinity.
Choose Himalayan salt, instead of iodized salt. Colored salt is known to be the most effective.
Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise stimulates the muscles in the intestines, thereby, promoting bowel regularity and preventing constipation. It is particularly true for activities involving repetitive movements, like cycling, jogging, and walking.
Exercise also reduces the risk of digestive problems. It can lower the risk of digestive problems, like ulcers, acid reflux, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Regular exercise is also shown to regulate the production of stomach acid, reduce inflammation in the gut, and improve the overall health of your digestive system.
Furthermore, exercise increases blood flow to every part of your body. And yes, it includes the digestive system. The increased blood flow helps in regulating the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the digestive organs, thereby, promoting digestive function.
Follow Ketogenic Diet
The keto diet is getting popular these days. It can be restrictive as it requires that you cut carbs from your diet.
When you deprive your body of carbs, it is forced to start burning fat. It can benefit your cholesterol levels, brain health, and blood sugar control. How about gut health?
It may aid digestive disorders. A low-carb diet may improve symptoms of IBS. It is a disorder that causes gas, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.
When it comes to your gut health, make sure to only eat keto-friendly foods. Avoid those harmful fats. Instead, choose to eat heart-healthy fats. Avocado is a good example. It is high in fiber. It supplies 10 grams of fiber for every cup.
Coconut oil is also beneficial as it reduces inflammation while boosting the gut microbiome.
Then, choose to eat Kimchi. It is a Korean dish made from vegetables that underwent fermentation.
Butter is also good for your digestion. It contains butyric acid that improves digestive health and reduces intestinal inflammation and IBS symptoms.
As you reduce your carb intake, you are also reducing your simple sugar intake, which can contribute to IBS symptoms. The keto diet helps alleviate these symptoms.
Practice Mindful Eating
It involves paying attention to the food and the sensations of hunger and fullness. It can help improve your digestion by promoting slower, more thorough chewing and allowing your body to properly digest food.
Manage Stress
Stress is an enemy of your body. It impacts digestion. Stress hormones can cause digestive issues, like constipation, bloating, and diarrhea. Thus, it is vital to manage stress with meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercise to improve digestion.
Avoid Overeating
It causes digestive problems, like bloating and discomfort. This is one reason many health experts recommend eating smaller, more frequent meals that can help improve digestion and prevent overheating.
Start Improving Gut Health Now
These ways to improve digestion naturally are proven to improve gut health. Try them if you frequently suffer from constipation and other bowel issues. Let us know if you have tried one of them and share your experience in the comment section below.
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