Tips to Maintain a Healthy Digestive System

Do you know that it is important to have a healthy digestive system? A healthy gut comes from what you eat. If you are constantly having constipation, diarrhea, or feeling nausea and bloated, here are some tips that you should follow to improve your digestion.

1. Add Fiber into Your Diet


Fiber is very important in our daily diet as it helps to maintain our bowel movement. Your body does not absorb fiber unlike other food components such as fats, carbohydrates, or proteins. Fiber generally passes through your stomach, small intestine and colon for it to be removed from your body (1)

High fiber foods include:

- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole grains
- Beans

When consuming fiber foods, start slowly and gradually increase the amount of water intake. Water will help the fiber to dissolve well, preventing you from having cramps or gas.

2. Keep Moving


Exercising can help to keep your body healthy and have smoother digestion (1). There are a few exercises that can aid in the digestion process including:

Walking – brisk walking is the simplest exercise that helps with your digestion. You don’t need to walk for hours, just thirty to forty minutes can help your muscles to contract well

Cycling – those who want to lose belly fat may choose to go for a bike ride. It also helps to smooth the digestion process.

3. Introduce Good Bacteria into Your Diet


If you don’t already know, our gut consists of good and bad bacteria. A balanced environment for them is essential for smooth digestion.

Probiotics are known as “good” bacteria found in our gut. They can also be found in fermented products and some yogurts. Probiotics help with digestion and increase the immunity level in our body.

You may also consume probiotic supplements if you want to improve your digestion.

4. Manage Stress


Stress affects the health of your body. When you feel stress, it affects your whole body including the digestive system (1). As a result, it will lead to muscles cramp, causing it not being able to contract normally.

If you are unable to solve your problems, try to relax so that you can find a solution to it. You may also talk to a counselor or take stress management classes.

Always remember to keep your stress under control for better digestion.

5. Take Supplements


If you have tried the above solutions but are still facing digestion problems, consider taking supplements to improve the condition.

Supplements contain digestive enzymes which help to speed the digestion process, alleviate constipation and gas as well as reduce the time of food sitting undigested in the stomach. The digestive enzyme is very helpful especially for those who have trouble digesting food (1).

References:
1. Lankarani, K. B. (2016). Diet and the Gut. Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases, 8(3), 161–165. https://doi.org/10.15171/mejdd.2016.28