5 Ways to Improve Your Digestion
Feeling tired, irritable and bloated? How about constipated, unable to concentrate and headachey?
These unpleasant symptoms could all be signs of poor gut health that, over time, can affect your overall daily function, emotional state and happiness. Poor digestive health can also lead to poor nutrient absorption resulting in low energy levels, impaired physical performance and deficiencies.
There is more research than ever surrounding gut health and the essential role it plays in our immune system, brain function and hormonal balance. With our busy lives, it's easy to get caught up with everyday stresses, eating too much or not enough, eating non-organic foods and consuming various medications.
By making a few small changes, you can improve your gut health and give your body the nourishment it needs to help you thrive each day. Here are our 5 quick and easy tips to get your gut health back on track:
1. Water
Staying hydrated is essential and it can do wonders for your digestive process. Insufficient water intake could lead to dehydration and is one of the main causes of constipation. Adequate hydration can improve digestive strength, helping to break down food in your stomach and keep the digestive system on track
2. Fibre
Fibre is one of the easiest things to add to your diet to help your digestive system out. The Heart Foundation recommends 20-35 grams of fibre per day. Lack of fibre could cause discomfort, constipation and unwanted weight gain. There are three types of fibre: soluble, insoluble and resistant starch.
They are all beneficial to our body and help keep things moving smoothly. A balanced diet should contain a good mix of all three types of fibre and most plant-based foods contain a good variety. These include whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits and legumes. When in doubt – eat more plants!
3. Cut the junk
Keeping the ecosystem in your gut working efficiently is a tricky balancing act. Diets high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, processed foods and unhealthy fats can lead to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, causing an imbalance.
Loading up on good quality, whole foods will not only keep your gut happy, but it’ll also keep those junk food cravings at bay. Some of our favourite vegetables include spinach, kale, broccoli and lettuce. When you’re craving something sweet, opt for an apple, banana or a handful of berries.
4. Sleep
Lack of sleep puts huge stress on the body which, in turn, impacts the digestive system. When you’re tired and lacking energy, you’re more likely to reach for foods filled with sugar, fats and caffeine – further upsetting the digestive balance.
Sleep allows your body time to recover and heal itself, and the digestive process requires a lot of energy to effectively digest and absorb the food you eat. Enough good quality sleep ensures your body and digestive system has time to rest and repair.
5. Probiotics/Fermented Foods
Probiotics are good bacteria that naturally reside in your stomach. They work hard to balance the amount of good and bad bacteria, which is essential in maintaining a healthy gut and overall immune system function. They also assist in detoxing the body while encouraging optimal nutrient uptake and absorption from your diet.
Foods and drinks that are cultured or fermented – such as coconut yoghurt, sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha – contain probiotics that are great for your gut health. Fermentation increases shelf life and nutritional value, as well as adding a good boost of probiotics. Including supplements with probiotics into your daily routine can help boost the number of good bacteria in your gut and assist with overall digestive health.
Amazonia Raw Probiotics Biotic Ferment is a potent blend of 5 probiotic strains, prebiotics and probiotic fermented wholefoods to assist in soothing digestive discomforts and supporting gut health.
References
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/fibre-in-food