7 tips to keep your digestive system healthy

We eat to live and live to eat! One of the greatest pleasures we humans have is to enjoy scrumptious delicacies. There is an assortment of food available worldwide. We are lucky that we can try out diverse recipes cooked in unique ways. But with eating comes discipline and understanding of correct food to eat that suits our digestive system. Foods that we consume must not only taste good but also nourish our body and help the vital organs function efficiently.
The best is to eat right food at the right time and in right quantity by following these simple tips–

1- Chart a meal timetable –

No matter where you are and what you are doing; eat your food at a predetermined time. Eating food daily at the same time helps the body react positively towards food and allows proper digestion. Skipping meals and eating after long hours will cause indigestion, nausea, acidity and boating. Eating meals every two hours will help your stomach function properly.

2- Drinking enough water-

It’s important to keep our body hydrated at all times. It releases toxins from the body and prevents constipation. Having minimum 8 glasses of water in a day is highly recommended to solve gastrointestinal problems

3- Eating less fatty food-

Foods high in fat slows down the digestion process in our body leading to constipation and accumulation of more fat. Although eating the right amount of fat is important, it needs to be paired with high fiber foods to make it easier to digest.

4- Eating probiotics-

We already have healthy bacteria that are present in our gut. Probiotics are nothing but microorganisms that are friendly bacteria, the same as in our body. It helps to keep our body healthy by improving digestion and reducing stress. If consumed on a daily basis it fights the bad bacteria, improves digestion, prevents us from getting sick, breakdown of nutrients, absorbs medication and restores balance within our body. Fermented food like yogurt is the best easily available probiotic food. Other foods like buttermilk, sourdough bread, cottage cheese, kombucha (tea), tempeh (fermented soya bean), pickles, kimchi, and dark chocolates are some of the sources of good bacteria.

5- Eating a diet high in fiber-

Diet rich in fiber is known to maintain a healthy digestive system by regularizing bowel movements. We can add fiber in our diet by consuming more fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds, whole grains, and legumes. Such foods prevent hemorrhoids, ulcers, acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

6- Choosing only lean meats-

Lean meats are nothing but limiting your meat portion size by including skinless poultry. It helps not only in better digestion but keeps your heart healthy.

7- Chew your food

Chewing is the first step in digestion. When we chew food it breaks down into smaller pieces that become easier to digest. Food mixed with saliva absorbs nutrients in the best way. Many people just swallow food without chewing it. One needs to take smaller bites to chew food correctly. On an average it’s advised to chew food 32 times before swallowing it.

Footnote

Eating healthy & nutritious food along with making certain changes in your lifestyle will automatically help you keep your digestive system function smoothly.