Maintaining the optimum performance of your natural disposal system not only makes you feel better but also helps prevent disease. With more than 20 feet of small intestines and an additional 4 feet in the large intestinal tract, this complex system operates best when you feed it the proper nutrition to keep it running smoothly. Indeed, what we eat and how we eat influences digestive wellness. Although some people struggle with digestive issues due to genetics, food allergies, and/or disease, nutrition provides the foundation for a healthy gut.
Check out these four tips for maintaining a healthy digestive system.
1. Increase Your Fiber Intake
Dietary fiber is also known as roughage or bulk and is commonly found in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. Eating a diet rich in fiber ingredients provides a plethora of benefits to your digestive system. Fiber is classified as either soluble or insoluble meaning that it does not dissolve in water. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and helps lower cholesterol. Take a look at the differences in foods.
- Soluble Fiber – Found in oats, apples, beans, citrus fruits, carrots, and peas.
- Insoluble Fiber – Found in wheat bran, nuts, cauliflower, green beans, and potatoes.
Studies suggest that adding fiber to your daily diet can increase your life expectancy and keep you feeling your best. Consider these ways that fiber helps the human body.
- Aids in maintaining a healthy bowel – Adding fiber to your diet helps fight constipation and also lowers your risk of developing hemorrhoids.
- Helps maintain lower cholesterol levels. Fiber found in soluble sources such as beans, oats, and flaxseed may help lower blood cholesterol levels. Further research suggests that high-fiber foods also may provide additional heart health benefits, lower blood pressure, and reduce inflammation.
- Helps improve blood sugar levels in diabetes patients – Soluble fiber has been shown to improve blood sugar levels in diabetic patients by slowing the absorption of sugar.
- Healthy weight and weight loss benefits – Foods rich in fibers tend to be more filling and have fewer calories helping you stay satisfied longer and thus helping you maintain a healthy weight or achieve your weight loss goals.
2. Get Plenty of Exercise
Exercise greatly impacts how our digestive system operates by increasing blood flow to the muscles in the digestive tract. The process known as peristalsis moves food along the digestive route and exercise enhances this function helping it to work more effectively. Studies also indicate that exercise affects the balance of gut flora in the digestive tract which protects our immune system.
For the best digestive benefits from exercise, try taking a light walk after small meals and wait up to an hour after a heavy meal. Avoid cardio exercise such as aerobics or running after eating and opt for less strenuous workouts that slowly crank up the digestive system.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
The benefits of hydrating your body cannot be understated. Drinking water on an empty stomach flushes your bowels and removes toxins from your body. If that wasn’t the best reason ever, consider that drinking water on an empty stomach can increase your metabolism by up to 25%! Keeping your body hydrated allows your digestive system to break down food and absorb nutrients efficiently. Consuming plenty of water also helps push wastes through your digestive tract thereby fighting constipation. Adding water to your meal instead of sugary drinks will help your gut and lead to a healthier you.
4. Make Healthy Food Choices
You can start feeling better today by making better food choices. Experience the difference between fatigue and high energy when you choose fruits and vegetables for your side dishes rather than sweets loaded with sugar. Since 70% of your immune system is linked to the digestive tract, you’ll want to make sure you’re choosing foods that help your gut fight infection and disease. Add fiber to your diet by eating peas or beans. Perhaps a bowl of oats topped with fresh fruit would be tasty and healthy for breakfast.
Reap the Benefits of Good Food Choices
Consider the aforementioned tips for maintaining a healthy digestive system and start your day with better food choices. Remember that fiber ingredients play a huge role in digestive health, as well as, exercise and drinking plenty of water. When you adopt a healthier diet, your body will respond in kind and you’ll feel like a champion!
