Having a healthy gut is imperative for good health. The digestive system is one of the main systems of the human body. It processes the food you eat and provides energy to your body to perform various functions. A lot of factors come to play in maintaining a healthy gut. For instance, your diet matters. How much you move throughout the day matters. Whether you’re taking probiotic-rich supplements or not to maintain healthy gut matters.
Maintaining a healthy gut is achieved by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Nowadays, we see stomach problems are common such as dyspepsia(indigestion), diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome(IBS), gastritis, etc. The reason is unhealthy eating habits and inactivity. The good news is you can improve your gut health by easy natural remedies that are discussed below and saying goodbye to stomach problems.
1. Hydrate Yourself
Water is an essential component of the human body. Without water, your body won’t be able to function properly. Drinking 7-8 glasses of water is crucial for maintaining a healthy gut. The bowel movement, the processing of food to provide energy, the excretion of waste, etc, all require water for proper execution.
In addition, intake of adequate water will assist in the digestion process. Moreover, water helps your body to stay hydrated and active throughout the day. Improve your water intake and keep a track of your water consumption to maintain a healthy gut.
2. Adopt Healthy Eating Habits
Try to cut down on processed food and excessive sugar intake. Both of which affect the good bacteria in your gut and lead to digestive problems. Instead, eat healthy foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, acacia fiber, nuts, etc. These gut-friendly foods will help you to have better digestion and prevent inflammation.
In addition, cut down on excessive sugar intake because it affects your good bacteria which helps in digestion. Moreover, excessive caffeine and alcohol consumption should be avoided as they can contribute to heartburn. Eat healthy foods that have nutritional value to boost your immunity. Eating processed foods and sugary items would only aggravate stomach problems.
3. Move As Much As You Can
Movement is life. If you are an inactive person, you are prone to stomach problems. The stomach is a muscular bag and like any other body muscle, it needs to move. If you have a lethargic lifestyle, you’ll find it hard to digest food or you’ll develop gastric issues. Exercising regularly will help you strengthen your abdominal muscles and pass the food contents from the digestive tract smoothly.
In addition, exercising helps to improve the blood circulation to the gut which prevents slowing down of intestinal muscles. As a result, your body expels digestive waste efficiently. You can go for any physical activity you like. For instance, yoga is also beneficial for digestive health. It strengthens your muscles and prevents gastric problems such as indigestion, bloating, gas, etc.
4. Cut Down On Stress And Anxiety
It is observed that stomach problems are more common in those who have high-stress levels. Stress and anxiety can affect your digestion adversely. In addition, when you take tension, your body goes in ‘ fight and flight ’ mode. Blood circulation is directed to the heart and brain. Less blood flows towards the digestive tract and this affects bowel movements.
Intestines have a strong barrier against the bacteria in the food you consume. When stress levels are high, this barrier weakens allowing gut bacteria to enter your body. Stress and anxiety affect not only the digestive function of the body but the whole body itself. If you fail to control your stress, you can irritate your digestive system easily.
Meditate to calm your mind. It will make you feel better about yourself. Meditation can help with digestion as it lowers the stress level in the body and helps in restoring normal body functions. When you lower the stress levels, your body will heal on its own.
5. Increase Uptake Of Fermented Products
Many factors come to play when one is suffering from gut problems. It can be due to high intake of sugary food, excessive alcohol intake, processed food, etc. In addition, maintaining a balance of good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract is also important. Increasing intake of fermented products can help you maintain the good bacteria that are crucial for healthy digestion.
Fermented foods such as natural yogurts, kimchi, fermented soya bean milk, etc, are proven to outnumber good bacteria from bad ones. In addition, natural yogurt is beneficial in patients with inflammatory bowel disease owing to the presence of lactobacilli.
6. Prevent Excessive Medication
The use of ibuprofen and antibiotics is common. Unless and until your doctor recommends you, never take them. Overdosing of ibuprofen and antibiotics can lead to an imbalance of the stomach environment. Your digestive tract has both good and bad bacteria to function. When you consume antibiotics, they clear the good bacteria too from your digestive tract and lead to stomach disorders.
If you have to take antibiotics, always take probiotics along to prevent digestive tract problems. In this way, you’ll be able to maintain good bacteria in your body without wiping them out completely. Also, do not take medications unless and until your doctor has prescribed them. Consult your doctor for an expert opinion to avoid any serious complications later.
