Those who suffer from digestive and autoimmune problems like celiac disease or Crohn’s disease may find it particularly challenging to learn to trust their gut. Even if you don’t have IBS, you probably still deal with occasional tummy aches, burps, and constipation accidents.
Understanding the indicators of a healthy gut and developing strategies to strengthen your digestive system are crucial steps in achieving optimal health. A healthy microbiome may help you live longer, reduce your chances of acquiring chronic diseases, and improve your mood and mental health.
Regular exercise, less stress, and a diet rich in microbiome-supporting foods are just a few ways to boost your gut health. Knowing the warning signals of a compromised digestive system is a natural way to track your development. The ability to recognize gut health indicators is useful, too. A gastroenterologist has identified three positive indicators that treatment is working.
Here are three indicators that your stomach is doing OK, although you may not realize it:
Your Morning Routine Includes A Regular BM
Whether you begin your day with meditation or a mug of hot lemon (or lime) water to replenish your fluids, your morning routine is unique.
Mark Pimentel, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and gastrointestinal at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, thinks that bowel movements are something everyone should experience at some point. In an ideal scenario, he adds, you should “get up in the morning and have one.
People frequently don’t know what ‘normal’ is when it comes to bowel motions,” he says. It’s of the utmost importance. The stomach is physiologically set up such that the moment you open your eyes in the morning, the colon awakens, contracts, and moves all of yesterday’s waste into an excretory posture. This is a diurnal pattern since it follows the 24-hour cycle.
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You Get The Gurgles
Dr. Pimentel says it’s a frequent misunderstanding that the sound of your stomach rumbling always means you’re hungry. However, he adds that it’s also a sign of a healthy gut shifting into “dishwasher mode.”
Dr. Pimentel says that the migrating motor complex produces the gurgling sound. A cleansing wave will pass through if you go 90 minutes without eating. Don’t feel bad about it when you hear it. It’s a lovely sight to see.”
Dr. Pimentel claims that the human digestive system has two separate computer programs—one for feeding and one for cleansing. “Like a dishwasher, you need time to clean up after yourself. Eating continuously throughout the day deprives the digestive system of the time it needs to “clean up” in preparation for the following meal.
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You Feel Energized & Clear-Headed
It turns out that not requiring a snooze (or a coffee pick-me-up) in the afternoon can be an indication that your digestive system is functioning normally.
Dr. Pimentel claims there is no complicated science behind this. Digestion is a very energy-intensive process, whether or not we realize it. If you’re having trouble digesting your food or are constantly digesting, your body’s resources are being diverted from your brain and lungs to your stomach. If you’re having an easy time digesting your food, that’s because your body has more energy to devote to other functions.