What kind of foods you should eat to improve the digestive system?
Overview
The health of a person is usually based on his/her digestive tract.In fact the digestive system plays a role in absorbing the nutrients and eliminating the waste products. The digestive tract has a vital role in your health, as it is the one that is responsible for absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste.
What Is the Digestive System? How Does It Work & Affect Health?
Unfortunately, several people suffer from digestive problems like bloating, cramping, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea and, constipation for numerous reasons. But some conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, heartburn, diverticulitis and Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can make you more prone to go green around the gills and create havoc in your digestive tracts.
Even if you are healthy, deficiency of fiber and pro-biotics in diet can create digestive troubles. We all have experience the symptoms like gas, heartburn, upset stomach, nausea, constipation and diarrhea during our lifetime. If these symptoms keep appearing quite frequently, it means something is wrong with your digestive system and they can bring in major disruptions to your daily life. But if you alter your style & diet, these can be reduced.
Diet and Lifestyle
Changes in lifestyle and diet have a positive effect on your belly.
- The typical Western diet is high in refined carbohydrates, food additives and saturated fats have been seen to enhance the digestive disorders. Foods that have glucose, salt and other chemicals enhance the inflammation in the gut area and the result is a leaky gut.
- Trans-fats can be found in several foods and are popular in harming the heart in particular, but these also cause ulcerative colitis, a disease connected with the bowel system.
- Furthermore the foods like ice creams and low calorie drinks contain artificial sugar in them and are ready to cause digestive problems. These create digestive problems and uplift the number of gut bacteria and they play a role in creating ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
- But if you have to get the good digestion you should have a balanced and healthy diet which keeps you in an enthusiastic way. Such a diet consists of foods like;
Key Steps for Your Digestive Health
1. Yogurt:
- Milk is often fermented by lactic acid that produces healthy bacteria and is called yogurt. It is rich in good bacteria known as pro-biotics, helping to ease the digestive system, thus keeping your gut in a jolly mood.
- They are already present in the digestive tracts naturally, but by consuming drinks like yogurt, you elevate their number, so the digestion becomes easy.
- Pro-biotics help to resolve digestive issues like constipation, bloating and diarrhea.
- They also elevate the digestion of lactose and milk sugar. Better be alert next time you buy yogurt from the market, look for ‘live and active cultures’ on the label of its package.
Quantity of Fiber:
- By now it is a well known fact that fiber is beneficial in digestion. Soluble fiber soaks in water and adds bulk to your stools. Insoluble fiber plays the role of a massive toothbrush that keeps the food moving in the right direction.
- Soluble fiber can be found in bran, legumes, oats, nuts and seeds and insoluble fiber is found in whole grains, veggies and wheat bran.
- A diet rich in fiber content reduces risks of digestive disorders including reflux, hemorrhoids, ulcers, diverticulitis and irregular bowel syndrome (IBS).Pro-biotics are another kind of fiber that keep your gut bacteria intact and thus reduce the chances of stomach inflammation These can be traced to many fresh fruits, veggies and grains.
Apples:
- ‘An apple a day, keeps the doctor away’ this line holds true in such cases, because apple holds lots of pectin, a soluble fiber.
- Pectin bypasses food to be digested present in the small intestine and then these food particles are broken by the good bacteria in your colon.
- It enhances the volume of stool and is mostly used to eradicate constipation and diarrhea. It also reduces the risk of acquiring intestinal infections and colon inflammation.
Fennel:
- Fennel, the plant with long green stalks and a pale bulb is just used to enhance the flavor of your dishes, without knowing its benefits.
- It contains lots of fiber that prevents constipation and promotes the regular movements in your digestive tract.
- It also has anti-spasmodic property , which relaxes the stiff muscles of your digestive tract. This process saves your body from getting bloated, flatulence and cramps
Kefir:
- Kefir is a no stranger to the dairy products and is made by mixing kefir grains with milk. These grains benefit after mixing yeast and bacteria with milk and these have digestive benefits.
- As pro-biotics in yogurt, kefir’s cultures help in the digestion of lactose, reducing the negative effects, which are allied with lactose intolerance like bloating, gas and cramping.
- Many studies were carried out to know it’s effects and it was found to ease digestion by enhancing the good bacteria and reducing the bad bacteria.
- Kefir’s consumption also reduces the inflammation from your gut area, thus easing the digestion in a proper manner.
Papaya:
- This fruit has a pleasant taste, lots of juice and also has a digestive enzyme, called papain. It breaks down the protein fibers, thus helping the digestion to get better. It should be included in your daily diet as it is helpful in the digestive process.
- Papain also eases the symptoms created by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) like bloating, diarrhea and constipation. Mostly it is consumed as a main enzyme that aids digestion.
Other Fruits and Vegetables
- All the above mentioned foods are not the only ones that can help in eliminating the digestive disorders but there are others that can help like whole grains, tempeh or fermented soy beans, beetroot, ginger, kimchi made from fermented cabbage, dark green fresh veggies, Sauerkraut is made from shredded cabbage, which is fermented with lactic acid, Peppermint or menthe, etc.
What to Remember Most from This Article
- Digestive troubles can be challenging, but the above mentioned foods may be helpful in easing these uncomfortable symptoms. Research supports to enhance pro-biotics in your diet, which can be better for digestive health.
- Before proceeding it will be much better if you consult your doctor on how to minimize these digestive problems. He/she can guide you in a better way and remember, all these veggies & fruits should be organic otherwise you might not be able to reap in the maximum benefits.
