Digestive problems are annoying and embarrassing. Improving digestion helps you feel much fitter and enjoy overall good health. To do this, it is essential to change your diet and understand the causes of this disorder. It is also possible to make simple changes to your lifestyle.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Eat a Diet That Promotes Digestion
Step 1. Drink lots of water
Hydration is essential for proper digestion, so make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Be aware that alcohol and caffeine can cause dehydration, so consume them in moderation.
- The water should be drunk throughout the day, but for digestion purposes it is particularly useful to drink during meals and immediately after.
Step 2. Consume more fiber, which helps regulate digestion
It is therefore important to eat foods that are naturally high in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble, which play very different roles within digestion.
- Soluble fiber (found in oats, nuts, legumes, and apples) absorbs water, while insoluble fibers (found in celery, whole grains and fruit peel) do not. Increasing the consumption of the first helps to fight ailments such as diarrhea and can enlarge the stool. Increasing the consumption of the latter helps fight ailments such as constipation and hemorrhoids.
- If you plan on adding more fiber to your diet, go step by step. Taking them suddenly can cause digestive disorders such as bloating and flatulence.
- Most whole grains are effective, but you should avoid wheat products if you have gluten intolerance.
- Cabbage is a high-fiber food that is particularly effective for digestion.
- The body cannot easily assimilate all types of fibers. For example, corn contains cellulose, a fiber that is very difficult for the body to process. If you eat corn, be sure to chew it well to help your body assimilate it better.
- If you suffer from flatulence, try temporarily reducing the amount of fiber you eat. Go step by step and consider whether this change has any positive effects. You should then start reintroducing them gradually.
Step 3. Eat lean meats
Lean proteins, such as chicken and fish, are much easier to digest than fatty proteins, such as beef.
Step 4. Avoid hard-to-digest foods as much as possible, especially if you have problems with digestion
Do not eat fried, high-fat and spicy foods.
In case of lactose intolerance, it is also very important to stay away from milk and dairy products
Step 5. Eat small meals
Binge eating can overload your digestive system, so try to have several small meals throughout the day, i.e. 5-6 small meals rather than 3 large ones.
Eating slowly is also effective for improving digestion, as it helps to avoid overeating and encourages you to chew your food better
Step 6. Add herbs to your diet
Consuming small amounts of ginger is thought to be very effective in improving digestion. Bitter herbs, such as beetroot leaf, dandelion, milk thistle, and artichoke, are equally well suited. They can be used to prepare a salad or herbal tea.
Step 7. Replenish the "good" bacteria in the gut
There are bacteria that are good for the digestive system. One of the easiest ways to repopulate the gut flora is to eat foods like yogurt and kefir, which contain live cultures.
Method 2 of 3: Improve Digestion with Medicines
Step 1. Contact your doctor
There are numerous types of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, that can help improve digestion. However, it is important to remember that medicines, including herbal supplements, can interact with each other. Talk to your doctor about all the medications you take.
Step 2. Consider Probiotics
If eating probiotic-rich foods isn't doing you any good, consider over-the-counter ones. These formulations help to repopulate the bacterial flora of the digestive system.
Step 3. Try over-the-counter supplements
Here are a few that can help improve digestion: probiotics, licorice, peppermint oil, chamomile, ginger, glutamine, psyllium, and artichoke.
Enzyme supplements are also available over the counter. They can help combat less troubling digestive disorders, but they haven't been tested the same as drugs. It is also possible that they trigger side effects, although they are generally not serious and the risk is low. Talk to your doctor before trying them
Step 4. Take over-the-counter medications
There are several types to relieve occasional digestive disorders such as heartburn or diarrhea.
If you tend to get flatulence when you eat high-fiber foods, try taking a medicine like Prolife Zero Gas
Step 5. Request a recipe
If any of the organs in your digestive system are malfunctioning, your doctor will likely give you a targeted medication. For example, if your pancreas doesn't produce the enzymes it should, it will prescribe a supplement.
Method 3 of 3: Improve Digestion by Changing Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Keep a food diary
To keep track of what triggers your digestive problems, write down what you eat each day, what medications you take, what activities you do, and what significant events occur. It also marks any digestive disorders you suffer from day in and day out. After some time it is possible to start noticing the repetition of certain patterns.
- Some of the main culprits are milk and dairy products, coffee and carbonated drinks.
- Fruit juices also tend to cause problems. Foods rich in simple sugars are osmotically active and increase the amount of water circulating in the intestine, causing diarrhea. This problem especially affects children.
Step 2. Wash your hands
To avoid introducing "bad" bacteria into your digestive system, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water every time you go to the bathroom and before eating.
Step 3. Avoid contaminated food
Food poisoning can be prevented by carefully cooking meat and eggs, washing fruit and vegetables, storing all foods at the right temperature, checking expiration dates, and avoiding unpasteurized milk, dairy products and ciders.
Step 4. Fight the stress
Tension can cause digestive upset for many people, so try to combat it by indulging in relaxing hobbies.
Yoga and meditation have a relaxing effect on many people. But if you don't care, you can choose other hobbies to help you unwind
Step 5. Exercise
Exercise helps stimulate digestion. Try taking a short walk after eating.
- Physical activity is also important for maintaining a healthy weight, which is essential for enjoying good digestive health.
- Aerobic exercises such as running and dancing are great for relieving constipation.
- Certain yoga poses, especially the twists and forward bends, massage the digestive organs, optimizing the process.
- Before doing intense exercise, take your time to digest, otherwise you risk symptoms such as bloating and cramps.
Step 6. Stop smoking
In addition to carrying numerous risks (which you will have heard of countless times), smoking can cause or aggravate various digestive problems, including heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Crohn's disease, pancreatitis, cholelithiasis, intestinal polyps and peptic ulcers. Smoking also affects the risk of contracting various types of cancers of the digestive system, such as that of the colon and liver.
Immediate improvement can be observed by stopping smoking. Over time this will also decrease the risk of developing chronic digestive disorders
Step 7. See a doctor if you have persistent problems
If the disorder is severe, or if it does not improve by changing your diet or lifestyle, it could be due to a specific disease: you must therefore contact a doctor to diagnose and treat it. You should make an appointment right away if you experience the following symptoms:
- Persistent diarrhea;
- Persistent or severe abdominal pain
- Blood in the stool
- Changes affecting stool color or frequency of bowel movements
- Unintentional weight loss;
- Chest pain.
Advice
- Pay particular attention to foods and activities that trigger digestive disorders in your specific case. The causes vary depending on the person.
- If you have digestive problems, talk to your doctor without embarrassment. His job is to help you. If you don't tell him what symptoms you have, he won't be able to.
