Improving Your Digestive Health
Hi all, hope everyone is doing great. My previous post explored the topic of gut health and why it is important to maintain. You can read the original post by clicking here.
Today, I want to focus on the ways in which you can improve your gut health, and not all of it involves a strict, healthy diet. Read on to find out more!
Hydration and Fibre is Key
Perhaps this should be a general rule to follow for basic health, but hydration is very important when it comes to your digestive system. If you don’t have enough water, your digestive system will be slowed down tremendously. It will be much harder to pass stool simply because there is not enough water to make it a smooth process. Be sure to drink plenty of water all day, especially after you exercise or do any strenuous activities. Your urine should be clear whenever you go to the bathroom; this is an indication of having enough water in your system.
You should drink plenty of water everyday (pic from telegraph.co.uk) |
Fibre is another important aspect of having a healthy gut. Much like water, not having enough fibre will result in stool being hard to pass. It softens it up which makes it much easier for it to pass through your body. It also slows down the process of digestion, ensuring that your blood sugar levels remain at a healthy and balanced level because the glucose retrieved from broken down food will enter your system at a slower rate. There are plenty of foods rich in fibre out there, and these may even work better than supplements.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Research has shown that even small gains in weight may be linked to gastroesophageal refluex disease, or GERD for short. This is when the oesophagus and stomach do not close fully, allowing stomach acid back into the oesophagus. Even if you lose a few kilos, it reduces the pressure in your abdominal area, and may even reduce other discomforts.
A healthy weight can do wonders for your gut health (pic from secretsofhealthyeating.com) |
You can always work out or plan out a detailed exercise regime to achieve this, and more. Exercise helps your digestive system speed up the process and may even help you strengthen the walls of your colon considerably! It also increases blood flow to all organs in your body, helping them function more efficiently while also stimulating muscles in your gastrointestinal tract. You should try to get some exercise for an hour at least 3 times a week. Better yet, aim for daily exercise of 20-30 minutes but be sure to actually work out instead of cutting corners to eat up more time!
Take Your Time When Eating
Your body needs some time to process before it is full. Try slowing down your chewing and swallowing; bite and chew your food more to aid your digestive system break it down more efficiently. Have you ever noticed at a buffet when you don’t eat for a period of time, you don’t get hungry anymore? This is your body realising that it is full, and too often this is ignored. As a result, we may eat more than we need to and make it harder for your body to digest the food, as well as experiencing unwanted weight gain.
If you tend to eat fast, you also risk overeating and making it harder for your body to digest food (pic from myhealthtips.in) |
Hopefully these tips will help you slowly restore your gut health to where it needs to be. Till next time, stay healthy!