The digestive process begins even before the food enters the mouth. When we go for our meals, our brain releases signals to the gastrointestinal tract to get ready for digestion by producing digestive enzymes and thus begins the digestive process. The food taken in, is first broken down by the mouth and moved ahead to the esophagus and then to the stomach to be further processed. The partially digested and broken down food then goes to the small intestine and moves ahead to the large intestine, finally to be removed as waste. All through the gut, the food is broken down, processed and digested. The nutrients from the food are absorbed by the body during digestion. Therefore, maintaining a healthy gut is really important for good health.
How to Keep the Gut Healthy
If suffering from any problem in the gut, it is important to remove the cause to prevent the situation from exacerbating, and then the repair the problem for a healthy gut. There are few simple ways in which gut health can be maintained to improve digestion:
Chew Your Food Properly. Chewing the food properly helps break it down into smaller pieces, reducing the stress to the gut in metabolizing the food. Other than giving relief to the stomach and rest of the GI tract, chewing your food properly also reduces the risk of gas and bloating. Chewing your food properly also helps in better nutrient absorption along with giving you a better gut to improve digestion and health.
Avoid Processed Food. For a better gut and healthy digestion, avoid processed food. High processed food, refined carbs, saturated fats, and food additives put you at risk of digestive disorders. Trans-fats found in processed food increases the risk of ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Eating a diet low in artificial fats and sweeteners protects the body against digestive disorders and maintains the health of your gut.
Fiber-Rich Diet. Fiber is important for better digestion and better gut health. Soluble fibers add bulk to the stool by absorbing water and the insoluble fiber keeps the bowel moving. High fiber diet also reduces the risk of reflux, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis and ulcers. Foods rich in fiber include oats, legumes, whole grains, wheat bran, nuts and seeds. You need to include these foods in your daily diet in order to build a better gut to improve digestion and health.
Prebiotics & Probiotics Rich Food. Probiotics are the healthy gut bacteria, which are found in the fermented food such as yogurt, pickles, kemchi, kefir, and in some supplements. Prebiotics are the fiber, which feeds the healthy gut bacteria. Prebiotics is found in fruits, vegetables, and grains. Both prebiotic and probiotic foods keeps the gut healthy and also improves the digestive process.
Foods That Heal Your Gut. There are certain foods, such as ginger, chamomile, and aloe, mint and fermented vegetables, which bear gut healing properties. These foods naturally support the gut hormones and flora and improve digestion and health by building a better gut.
Eat Digestive Enzyme-Rich Food. Digestive enzymes play a role of catalyst for digestion and helps in breaking down the food molecules into more easily absorbable particles. Foods containing digestive enzymes are sprouts, soaked nuts, mango, pineapple and kiwi. Incorporate these foods rich in digestive enzymes in your daily diet to build a better gut and to improve digestion and health.
Hydrate. Dehydration leads to slow digestion, bloating, and constipation. Water is important to keep the intestines moving smoothly. Water is also required by the intestine to form stool and move the waste out of the body. It is important to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily for a better gut along with improving digestion and health.
Ditch that Caffeine. Caffeine intake increases the heart rate, boosts the energy; thereby decreasing the blood flow to the intestine. All this happens due to an increase in the production of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. Caffeine also increases acidity and gastric secretions, which irritates the intestine lining and upsets the stomach. Excess caffeine intake can also lead to ulcers and gastritis. If you are in a habit of taking caffeine, it should be replaced with some low caffeine options. For example, if you are a coffee drinker, you can substitute it with green tea, herbal tea or ginger tea for better gut health.
A healthy gut is important for overall health. GI disorders bring in various other health issues. It is therefore important to pay attention to the body. To make the most of the food eaten, it is important to keep the gut in shape.
Build a Better Gut to Improve Digestion and Health.
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