Did you know that your digestive system contains 1500 different species of bacteria and that there are over 38 trillion individual bacteria living there at the same time? It sounds incredible, but your digestive microbiome is a very popular place. Therefore, it’s not that surprising when you know how important it is for your general health.
Having gut problems is very common today. In the US alone, it is estimated that 10% to 15% of people suffer from IBS. Good gut health is crucial for our general well-being. Given that around 80% of the immune system is in our GI tract, it is no wonder why health professionals remind us regularly to keep our digestive system on track as a way to prevent serious illness down the road.
For this reason, in the article below, we offer you the 6 best tips for better digestion and keep your gut healthy.
Table of Contents
Eat At Regular Times
The stomach has its food and sleep clock with hormones and nerve signals that adjust to how you usually eat, sleep and move. It’s therefore important not to surprise the stomach with unusually large meals at unusual times. This can be hard to do for people who frequently suffer from diarrhea.
One of the ways to handle this is to try out the BRAT diet. This means eating bananas, rice (white), applesauce, and toast, all foods low in fiber that are gentle on the stomach.
If this doesn’t help, you might want to speak with your doctor or pharmacist and try using products like Lomotil, which helps decrease the frequency of bowel movements, slows down the movement of intestines, and relieves any pain person may be experiencing.
Healthy Nutrition
When the calendar is full of meetings and commitments; it can be difficult to find time to think about conscious eating and properly cooked meals.
However, there are several things you can do to make sure your gut flora is balanced out. First, get enough prebiotic fiber. Prebiotic fibers are dietary fibers that become nutrients for the health-promoting bacteria in the gut and help them thrive. The intestinal-friendly fibers are found in fruits and vegetables such as onions, garlic, artichokes, asparagus, oats, and certain legumes.
Colorful berries, fruits, and vegetables are rich in polyphenols – antioxidants that have an anti-inflammatory effect on a gene-changing level. They also contain insoluble fibers, which, in addition to nourishing the health-promoting bacteria, also contribute to smoother digestion.
Try Meal Replacement Shakes
Avoiding junk food and unhealthy processed foods, as we mentioned before, is key when trying to keep your gut healthy. Nowadays, the time necessary to prepare a healthy meal is one of the obstacles people face to eating a balanced diet. When you’re busy or in a rush, it’s easier to grab some type of fast food, but processed meals can quickly disrupt your dietary habits because such foods are heavy in refined carbohydrates, sugar, and artificial chemicals.
Instead, you might want to consider nutritious meal replacement drinks that can serve as a whole meal and incorporate them somehow into your diet if you lack the time to make a nutritious meal at home. They are rich in components your body needs throughout the day and are a convenient and healthier alternative to processed foods.
Reduce Stress and Eat Slowly
Stress is one of the most common causes of gastrointestinal diseases as well as stomach problems. Reduce what is stressing you, be careful about recovery, sleep properly and surround yourself with things that make you happy and strong. Chew your food carefully, eat in peace, sit down when you eat, be calm when you eat your diet, and do not eat late in the evening.
Maintain a Good pH Value
One of the things you want to do is make sure to have the right pH value in the digestive tract, as many enzymes are pH-dependent and thus only work at the right pH value. Adequate pH value also reduces the risk of poor intestinal flora, inflammatory processes, and more. Base the body with alkaline raw materials, minerals, birch ash, bicarbonate, or potato water. Eat lots of green vegetables such as celery, asparagus, spinach, kale, cucumbers, and barley grass and wheatgrass. Lemon water also bases the body; but it can sting and irritate if you have ulcers in the stomach and intestines.
Exercise Regularly and Drink Water
That daily run or walk is crucial for your gut healthy as well as for your mental well-being. Exercise contributes to a good work pace in the intestines and is also an effective way to improve breathing and reduce the body’s sensitivity to stress.
Drinking water may sound like a simple tip to give, but the fact is that it is one of the most effective. Try to get at least half a gallon of clean tap water every day. With an unbalanced stomach, it is a trick that almost always works.
Final Words
Choosing good food for your gut can make you feel better both physically and mentally. An unbalanced intestinal flora can cause everything from skin problems and difficulty sleeping to stomach problems and impaired resistance to infections.
If you incorporate the above-mentioned tips in your daily life; you can keep your gut healthy and a balanced bacterial flora that will contribute to your overall well-being.
