Our digestive system breaks nutrients into small parts for your body to absorb and use for energy, growth, and cell repair. Our body systems function efficiently thanks to the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Our body needs nutrients from food and drink to function and stay healthy. So why is digestion so important? Because none of the things mentioned before will happen without digestion.
This article will discover five easy tips to keep your digestion system happy!
Let’s get started!
1. Chew your food
Digestion starts in the mouth; chewing food is the first step to achieving optimal digestion.
This may sound obvious to you because we all chew when we put food into our mouths, right? But very often, we only chew once or twice we swallow, and fast enough, we take another bite, and the body may not produce enough of the enzymes needed to break down the food thoroughly.
Chewing food in your mouth helps:
Break down larger particles of food into smaller particles. When food is not broken down properly, it can cause bacterial overgrowth in the colon, which leads to indigestion, bloating and constipation.
Triggers of hydrochloric acid production help food move through the digestive tract.
It helps relax the stomach by releasing saliva, which contains digestive enzymes released when chewing to assist digestion.
Eating slowly contributes to a lower risk of obesity.
Prolonged chewing reduces meal intake, but snacking two hours later can also be reduced.
2. Reduce stress
Stress will shut down digestion because blood and energy divert from your digestive system under stress. This can be an emotional or real-life threat, like a lion or a hurricane; your body doesn’t know the difference. Its job is to keep you alive. When the stress response is triggered too often, the body has a more challenging time recovering. This impedes the flow of digestion and can cause stomach upset. It can also contribute to developing irritable bowel syndrome and/or ulcers. The digestive system cannot function properly with too much stress or stimulation.
Eating mindfully, smelling the food, and enjoying each bite, instead of doing a million tasks simultaneously while chewing your lunch at the office, is the best for your overall health. Avoid eating while standing, on the run or working on your computer; it is crucial for healthy digestion.
Chill and sit down to eat!
3. Add fibre
Soluble fibre (oat bran, legumes, nuts and seeds) stimulates the bowels to hold on to water, bulking up the stool. Insoluble fibre (vegetables, whole grains and wheat bran) moves through your gastrointestinal tract, helping push material and increase stool bulk.
You need to drink enough water to help the fibre absorb water and move through the digestive system. It’s important to consume both types of fibre since they help your digestive system in different ways, and you should aim for 25g of fibre if you are a woman and 38g if you are a for men.
Look at the link below to check the chart of high-fibre foods. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/high-fiber-foods/art-20050948
Eating fibre helps:
Keep food moving through your digestive tract, making you less likely to get constipated. But don’t go too crazy because too much fibre can cause bloating or even diarrhoea.
Colonic lubrication and transit.
High-fibre foods may have other heart-health benefits, such as reducing blood pressure and inflammation.
A healthy diet that includes insoluble fibre may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
4. Drink enough water
Our intestines use water to push the digested waste through the system and convert it into an easily eliminated form. Therefore, staying hydrated throughout the day is essential so your body can adequately transport nutrients through your digestive tract!
Limit liquids at mealtime to avoid diluting the gastric juices. Instead, drink 30 minutes before or after you eat, which increases your digestion. About 15.5 cups (3.7 litres) of fluids for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 litres) of fluids daily for women.
These recommendations cover fluids from water, other beverages and food. About 20 per cent of daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from drinks. Be aware that exercise, pregnancy and overall health will influence water needs!
Not drinking enough will:
Lead to constipation and the build-up of toxins in the body, which can result in kidney problems.
If you don’t have enough liquids in your body, you won’t produce enough saliva. That can result in many bacteria growing in your mouth, causing bad breath.
5. Eat real food
None of the tips mentioned before will help you mainly eat junk foods, refined sugars, and carbs. Eating organic, locally grown, and seasonal foods will be ideal; this is not always possible. It is expensive and, many times, not easy to access. The key is to do your best to reduce the junk and eat natural, live and wholesome foods made by nature!
Not all food must be organic, and “The Clean 15 & Dirty Dozen List of Foods” is an excellent guide for buying organic you can find the link to the EWG’s 2020 list this link – https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php check out their app!
Eating junk food will:
Slow down the digestion process making the stomach bloated. Fast foods are also high in fat, sugar and salt, causing water retention and making you feel puffy or bloated. Because they stress the digestive tract, making it harder to break down these foods. When food remains in your digestive tract for a long time, it affects nutrient absorption and leads to many nutrient deficiencies.
Bottom line:
Digestion is the process by which food and drink are broken down into their smallest parts so that the body can use them to build and nourish cells and provide energy. Our overall health is compromised when our digestive system is not working correctly. All these processes happen thanks to our digestive system, from our mood to our strength. So keeping healthy digestion is vital for a healthy life.
Healthy digestion=heathy body!
I hope this article was helpful! Do you have any questions? Did i forget something, or would you like to add something? Let’s connect on social media.
References:
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/should-we-really-chew-each-mouthful-food-32-times/
https://www.theactivetimes.com/fitness/15-ways-dehydration-making-you-sick
