Improved Digestion – How to Improve Your Digestive Health
Improved digestion ensures you receive all of the essential nutrients your body requires while eliminating waste efficiently. Our digestive systems are complex organs with enormous impact on how we feel, function, and remain healthy.
Your digestive tract consists of three stages that work to break down food and absorb essential nutrients into your bloodstream, and understanding how these processes function is key to understanding any symptoms and improving digestive health.
As soon as you swallow, the first phase of digestion begins in the esophagus. Contractions within its muscles help move food to your stomach for chemical digestion; and finally stomach muscles churn and contract to mix food with gastric juices which further break it down.
Peristalsis, or the process of the stomach contracting against its own walls to move food through, is vital for proper digestion. Once in your stomach, food must then undergo further digestion which takes place in your small intestine.
Once in the small intestine, food is broken down further and assimilated by enzymes produced by your liver and pancreas, until eventually traveling through to your bloodstream and being taken up into your cells for absorption.
Not only is proper digestion essential to achieving health, it can also be essential in controlling weight and reaching an effective weight-loss goal. Therefore, selecting foods with high nutrient density but low calories as well as being fat free or sugar free can make an enormous difference when trying to achieve weight loss.
Staying away from highly processed foods, drinking plenty of water and altering your carbohydrate consumption are all effective steps towards improving digestive health.
Eat whole, plant-based carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains that have been minimally processed and are packed full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Select your protein with care as some types, like fatty fish and meat, can lead to stomach distress and other digestive problems; make sure that you are getting sufficient amounts.
Consuming sufficient protein can help strengthen your immune system, protect against cancer and boost metabolism, as well as enhance mood, reduce stress levels and stabilize blood sugar.
Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day to flush away waste, which will aid digestion and reduce constipation.
Adams asserts that exercise and managing stress levels regularly are two effective strategies to lower the chances of digestive disorders.
Avoid Bad Habits: Be it smoking, excessive caffeine consumption or alcohol use, these habits can interfere with your digestive system and lead to serious problems like heartburn and gastric ulcers.
Regular meal and snack eating habits will help ensure even digestion of your food, helping prevent issues like bloating, gas, or diarrhea from appearing suddenly.