Diet and lifestyle modifications can have a favorable effect on your gut health. Here are 10 evidence-based ways on how to improve your digestion naturally.
Eat Real Food
The standard Western diet — high in refined carbs, saturated fat, and food additives — has increased the risk of developing digestive disorders.
Trans fats are located in many processed foods. They’re well-known for their adverse effects on heart health but have also been associated with an inflated chance of developing ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease.
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Get Plenty of Fiber
It’s standard wisdom that fiber is helpful for adequate digestion.
Soluble fiber absorbs water and helps add bulk to your stool. Insoluble fiber acts like a huge toothbrush, supporting your digestive tract by keeping everything moving along.
Add Healthy Fats to Your Diet
Adequate digestion may require consuming enough fat. Fat helps you feel satisfied after a meal and is often required for sound nutrient absorption.
Further, studies have demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your chance of developing inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis.
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Foods high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseeds, chia seeds, nuts (particularly walnuts), and fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
Stay Hydrated
Low fluid intake is a common cause of constipation.
Experts recommend drinking 50–66 ounces (1.5–2 liters) of non-caffeinated fluids per day to stop constipation. Nevertheless, you may need more if you live in a warm climate or exercise strenuously.
In addition to water, you can also satisfy your fluid intake with herbal teas and other non-caffeinated beverages such as seltzer water.
Manage Your Stress
Stress can wreak havoc on your digestive system.
It has been associated with stomach ulcers, diarrhea, constipation, and IBS.
Eat Mindfully
It’s easy to overeat when you are eating too fast and not paying attention. This can lead to bloating, gas and indigestion.
Mindful eating is the approach of paying attention to all parts of your food and the method of eating.
Studies have indicated that mindfulness may relieve digestive symptoms in individuals with ulcerative colitis and IBS.
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Chew Your Food
Digestion begins in your mouth. Your teeth break down the food into smaller pieces so that the enzymes in your digestive tract are better able to break it down.
Inadequate chewing has been connected to decreased nutrient absorption.
When you exhaustively chew your food, your stomach has to do less work to turn the solid food into the liquid mixture entering your small intestine.
Get Moving
Regular exercise is one of the best ways to enhance your digestion.
Exercise and gravity help food travel through your digestive system. Thus, taking a walk after a meal may aid your body in moving things along.
One study in healthy individuals revealed that moderate exercise, such as cycling and jogging, improved gut transit time by nearly 30 percent
Slow Down and Listen to Your Body
When you’re not paying attention to your hunger and fullness cues, it’s easy to overindulge and experience gas, bloating, and indigestion.
It’s a generally held belief that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to realize that your stomach is full.
While there’s not a lot of hard science to back up this assertion, it does take time for hormones released by your stomach in response to food to reach your brain.
Ditch Bad Habits
You know that poor habits such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and eating late at night aren’t amazing for your overall health.
They may also be liable for some common digestive problems.
Conclusion
Straightforward diet and lifestyle changes may improve digestion if you encounter infrequent, recurring, or chronic digestive symptoms.
Eating a whole-food diet high in fiber, healthy fat, and nutrients is the first step toward good digestion.
Techniques such as mindful eating, stress reduction, and exercise can also be helpful.
Ultimately, ditching harmful habits that may impact your digestion — such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and late-night eating — may help.
