You should know about your digestive system before we proceed. The digestive system comprises the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, intestines, and anus. Its work is to break down the food you eat and convert the nutrients into energy. The food that you eat has a huge impact on your digestive health.
If you take care of your digestive system, you can live long and healthy. Try incorporating a few things into your lifestyle to get myriad benefits.
Eat More Fiber-rich Food
If you eat a high-fiber diet, it will help you in more ways than one. It comprises whole grains, leafy vegetables, fruits, and pulses. These types of food will travel smoothly through all the channels of your digestive system. The dietary fiber increases the weight of stools, making them pass comfortably through the anus. Moreover, the bulk of digestive fiber is not absorbed by the body. It passes out intact.
Apart from setting your digestive system in order, it will also help prevent and manage certain diseases, like irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, and flatulence. Your cholesterol levels will also reach normal parameters. Additionally, it also helps to control blood glucose. Therefore, your risk of dying of heart ailments is greatly reduced.
Stay Away from Bad Habits
The bad habits we are talking about are smoking and drinking. Smoking can harm the respiratory system and the digestive system as well. It often leads to acid reflux and peptic ulcers. Cigarettes and cigars contain nicotine that deposits itself in the alveoli of the lings. But it also does something more that you don’t know of. It affects the sphincter. Food contents flow backward as a result of a weak sphincter.
You should refrain from taking too much liquor. Most of the liquors consist of sugars that are bad for the body. Moreover, they also cause dehydration. Your vital organs like the liver, pancreas, and kidneys have to work overtime to digest the liquid. This, more often than not, leads to Cirrhosis, Pancreatitis, and Jaundice. It may not be easy to leave this addiction. Once you decide you leave it, you will experience various symptoms.
Alcohol withdrawal treatment is a good option. You might have to stay in rehab if your longing is too much. If you want to keep your digestive system in good health, you must refrain from drinking. It also messes with the neuro-receptors in the brain. Impulsive behavior can also have far-reaching effects on family life. Protect your body from the potential negative effects of liquor by abstaining from it with medical help.
Eat Food with Probiotics and Prebiotics
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that positively affect gut health. They are similar to bacteria and yeast, which are already there in the gut. They can help combat poor digestive health and stress. Moreover, they can enhance the absorption of nutrients into the body. Additionally, your immune system also receives a boost. Low-fat yogurt and kefir are great examples of good probiotics. In addition to the above, prebiotics can also help the digestive system. They act positively by supporting healthy gut bacteria thrive. Bananas, oats, and onions contain prebiotics. An increase in good bacteria helps to make the digestive tract strong and keeps bad pathogens away. Both of these works together to improve GI health.
Stay Hydrated
This is something that everybody will tell you. You may know that the human body is mostly made of water. Water mainly works with the acids in the stomach to break down the food. Moreover, it smoothens out the passage and helps food to pass well. It also softens stools, so you will not have constipation. The common rule is to drink eight glasses of water every day. You need to increase your water intake if you are very active, as water is lost through sweat. Sparkling water, teas, and water-rich fruits like watermelon can help you in your digestive journey, too.
Exercise a Lot
Physical exercise helps to increase the flow of blood to organs. It also affects the muscles that aid in digestion. The muscles mainly massage the food along the digestive tract. The process is Peristalsis. Exercise also helps to ease out constipation.
Moreover, exercises like yoga, deep breathing, and walking have a more positive effect. Sit-ups are a core exercise that also has a direct effect on the stomach muscles. It can also help you to lose belly fat. If you suffer from flatulence, a brisk walk after eating can also aid the wind in passing out easily.
You can follow these tips to improve your digestion. The core idea is to stay away from fatty and oily food that delays the process o digestion. As your digestion improves, your overall health will increase too.
