Your digestive system works around the clock, nourishing every cell and eliminating waste efficiently. Neglecting your digestive system can affect every aspect of your life. Your diet and other lifestyle habits can greatly impact your digestive health, and it's often the most minor changes that have the biggest impact. In This Article, we discuss the causes of indigestion, how can you improve your digestive health, and when you should go to the doctor.
Causes of Indigestion
Many different factors can cause digestive problems. Bacterial infections, viral infections, deficiency of lactase, Some unhealthy foods like fried or sugary foods, smoking, drinking alcohol, stress, gallstones, and inflammatory reactions caused by medications are some common causes of indigestion.
Coffee, carbonated drinks, and even too much chocolate can increase the amount of caffeine in your body, which speeds up your bowel movements. This excitement of the digestive system often leads to diarrhea.
If you do not sleep on time and do not eat on time, indigestion occurs. In other words, our digestive problems can also occur due to an uncontrolled lifestyle.
Moreover, elderly people are more prone to indigestion. Because the amount of saliva decreases with age.
Here are some ways the lifestyle can improve your digestive health
Choose Vegetables and Fruits
Vegetables and fruits are suitable for the digestive system and overall health. Because they contain healthy nutrients and fiber. The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables have cancer-fighting effects, and fiber may reduce the risk of constipation. So we should add vegetables and fruits to our diet.
Eat Whole Grains
Whole grains still contain fiber, iron, antioxidants, and other healthy nutrients, and whole grains are used to make processed foods like white flour, white bread, pasta, and cakes. Fiber can reduce the risk of constipation, and some whole grains promote good gut bacteria. So we should eat whole grains.
Get Lots of Fiber
It is well known that fiber is good for digestion.
Fiber helps bulk up your stool. It acts like a giant toothbrush, keeping your digestive tract healthy.
Oats, and barley, while whole grains, nuts, and seeds are good sources of fiber. You can eat fruits and vegetables. They are also rich in fiber. So if you eat many of these foods, It will help your digestive system. Moreover, fiber is also good for those suffering from constipation.
Avoid Red Meat
Processed meats often contain unhealthy amounts of sodium, fat, and nitrates, which have been linked to colon cancer. Red meat is associated with cancer, heart disease, and digestive problems. So you can eat chicken and fish instead of red meat.
Avoid Excess Sugar
Excess sugar destroys good bacteria and can lead to
inflammation. Baked goods, ice cream, and desserts often contain extra sugar. Some processed foods contain added sugar even if you don't want
them, like pasta sauces, salad dressings, and soups. So you should avoid all
kinds of processed foods which contain excess sugar. Sugar makes us gain weight which causes various health problems including indigestion.
Follow A Healthy Cooking Style
Not only should we eat healthy food, but we should also pay attention to how we prepare the food. Fried and grilled foods are delicious but they are not healthy for us. Fried food contains harmful fat and eating grilled food can cause cancer. Fried food and grilled food are not digested easily, and as a result, occurs indigestion. So we can eat our food by steaming, boiling, or microwaving.
Eat Foods with Good Bacteria
Yogurt, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and onion
contain probiotics which are good bacteria. Probiotics can control bad
bacteria and can help with healthy digestion.
Chew Food Properly
Digestion begins in the mouth. Your teeth break food down into smaller pieces so enzymes in your digestive tract can break it down better.
When you chew your food well, your stomach has to work less to break down solid food into a liquid mixture that reaches your small intestine.
Chewing food well produces a large amount of saliva which acts as a fluid in the stomach. This fluid is mixed with solid food and helps it to reach the intestines easily.
Drink Enough Water
Water has a deep connection with digestion. If you don't drink enough water, you may suffer from
constipation. Drinking enough water helps prevent constipation and improves
digestion. An adult should drink 7 to 8 glasses of water every day.
Exercise After Meal
We should take exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps our digestive system to digest food faster. A good option is to take a walk after a meal.
Weight Loss
Excess weight is very bad for health. Losing excess
weight can help you avoid GERD, gallstones, and some digestive cancers. Following
recommendations for healthy eating and regular physical activity can help you healthily lose weight.
Avoid Smoking
Smoking is not only harmful to the respiratory system, but it also harms our digestive system. Smoking increases acid reflux and is also responsible for stomach ulcers, gastrointestinal cancers, and ulcerative colitis. So we should avoid smoking.
Sleep Enough And Reduce Stress
Our sleep is related to our digestive system. We should sleep 7 to 8 hours daily. People who sleep less suffer from constipation
problems. Similarly, those who are stressed more often suffer from diarrhea,
constipation, IBS, and ulcers. That's why we should try to stay stress-free.
When Should I Go To The Doctor?
If your problem is chronic then you should consult a doctor. If you are pregnant or might become pregnant, contact your doctor immediately. Seek immediate medical attention if your symptoms are severe like difficulty swallowing or going to the toilet, choking, vomiting, bloody or black stools, stomach pain, or unintentional weight loss. Your doctor will find a solution for you to recover sooner.
In conclusion, more or less all of us have digestive problems. We can survive this problem through a proper lifestyle and a good diet. But if the problem is more or if the problem still needs to be solved by home methods, we have to consult a doctor.