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Our body can have unlimited complications when our digestive system is disrupted. The digestive system is arguably the most important in the human body because it’s responsible for breaking down the food we eat into essential nutrients the body needs. It’s also responsible for differentiating the useful and useless substances that go into the body.
But now and then, the digestive system might encounter some problems. It becomes our responsibility to ensure that these problems do not last. Be it through lifestyle/diet changes or the use of supplements like a top green powder for digestion, maintaining a sound digestive system1 is paramount for the proper functioning of the body.
This article will look at seven proven and effective ways to improve the body’s digestive system.
Proven Ways To Improve The Digestive System
Without digestion, the body cannot operate perfectly. Here are seven ways you can improve your body’s digestive system.
1. Eat More Vegetables and Fruits
A famous saying goes; an apple a day keeps the doctor away. It signifies the importance of fruits and natural foods in our bodies. For starters, they provide the body with fibers, which aid digestion by preventing constipation2.
Also, research has shown that high consumption of processed foods 3has numerous side effects, especially on your digestive system. Refined foods usually contain chemicals, salt, and glucose, and all these have been linked to cases of gut inflammation – a condition that can lead to several digestive complications like diarrhea and loss of appetite.
Eating foods with high fiber content, such as fruits and vegetables, can help prevent these health complications, and as a bonus, they enable you to maintain a healthy weight.
2. Healthy Fats
In addition to fiber consumption, adding healthy fats to your diet can do your digestive system a lot good. Healthy fats are responsible for the feeling of satisfaction you get after eating and aid in the body’s absorption of nutrients.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of healthy fat. It’s found in eggs, sardines, and tuna. This acid also helps in the prevention of inflammatory bowel diseases4 like Crohn’s disease5 and ulcerative colitis.6
3. Drink Water, A lot!
Dehydration has been stated as one of the leading causes of indigestion. According to several scientific studies, the importance of water in the digestion process cannot be overemphasized. When food is taken, water helps the body break it down, allowing it to absorb the required nutrients.
Water also helps in softening our stool to prevent cases of constipation. Every part of your body needs water to survive, and your digestive system is no different. Lack of water can also lead to digestive-related complications like gastritis, acid reflux, and ulcers because the body needs water to produce the acids needed for digestion.
4. Stress Management
It has been proven that the brain and the digestive system are connected. If you are not in the right state of mind, there is a high chance that your digestive system will face problems.
When the brain is under stress, the body activates the fight-or-flight response and diverts all its energy to combat this stress, making digestion very difficult.
Once in a while, you are advised to engage in calm and relaxing activities that’ll help ease your body. Activities like yoga, acupuncture, breathing exercises, meditation, and cognitive-behavioral therapy have proven to be helpful in this regard.
5. Change Your Eating Habits
There are times when you are late or in a hurry to meet your appointments, so you end up rushing your meal. These minor occurrences can be very harmful to your body’s digestive system in the long run.
Lots of research has been done on the relationship between eating habits and digestion, and it turns out they are quite related. Poor eating habits like food-rushing can lead to gastritis, indigestion, and bloating. When eating, it’s better to turn off your TV or phone and focus solely on your meal. Eat slowly and ensure that you properly chew your food.
Chewing off food is the first step in a successful digestion process. The saliva the mouth produces helps in breaking down the nutrients of the food. The more you chew, the more saliva the body produces. Also, the stomach needs saliva because it acts as a fluid that ensures the safe and smooth passage of food through your intestines.
According to 2015 research conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, it was discovered that chewing is an effective stress-coping mechanism. Less stress equals fewer digestive problems.
6. Exercise Regularly
Some studies have discovered that regular body movement, especially after a meal, can help the digestive system. Exercises help food move through your body efficiently. Taking a light walk after every meal can help your body digest food faster. It also prevents constipation and indigestion.
Also, regular exercise can help maintain a healthy weight which plays a role in the body’s digestive system. Exercising for 30 minutes daily and taking walks after a meal is advisable
7. Avoid Alcohol and Smoking
Bad Habits like alcohol and smoking are generally not good for the body. In addition to their adverse effects on your liver and lungs, they can also affect your body’s digestive system.
Alcohol increases the production of acid. These acids absorb the water necessary for digestion and can also lead to ulcers, acid reflux, and heartburn.
Excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to several inflammatory bowel diseases and gut bacteria and might cause the gastrointestinal tract to bleed.
The dangers of smoking are deadly and vast, from gastrointestinal cancer to ulcers and indigestion.
The Bottom Line
You must take responsibility if you want to have an effective digestive system. Discarding harmful habits and embracing new and healthy ones can play a significant role.
Eating well is also essential – you should go for foods with high fiber and healthy fats. Finally, it will help if you try to exercise daily to improve your digestive system and overall body weight.
- Wang, Ying, et al. “The digestive system.” In Utero Pediatrics: Research & Practice. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2023. 139-171. ↩︎
- Gélinas, Pierre. “Preventing constipation: a review of the laxative potential of food ingredients.” International journal of food science & technology 48.3 (2013): 445-467. ↩︎
- Pagliai, G., et al. “Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” British Journal of Nutrition 125.3 (2021): 308-318. ↩︎
- Rosa, Reddavide, et al. “The role of diet in the prevention and treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.” Acta Bio Medica: Atenei Parmensis 89.Suppl 9 (2018): 60. ↩︎
- Baumgart, Daniel C., and William J. Sandborn. “Crohn’s disease.” The Lancet 380.9853 (2012): 1590-1605. ↩︎
- Colitis-Pathophysiology, Ulcerative. “Inflammatory bowel disease part I: ulcerative colitis-pathophysiology and conventional and alternative treatment options.” Altern Med Rev 8.3 (2003): 247-83. ↩︎
Last Updated on by ayeshayusuf