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The Do’s and Don’ts for Healthy Digestion
Healthy digestion plays a pivotal role when it comes to your overall health. You might be surprised to find out that 62 million Americans are diagnosed with a digestive health problem every year. That’s quite a big percentage of the total population.
That means most of us are making mistakes with our diet and lifestyle which is affecting our overall health and wellbeing. You might have come across a lot of solutions for healthy digestion on the internet. However, there are some important do’s and don’ts that most people don’t know about when it comes to the digestive system.
What Not To Do
The “don’ts” are often more important than the “dos.” We are usually making so many mistakes with our diet on a daily basis that we become prone to problems like:
- Chronic Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Hemorrhoids
- Bloating… and more!
Stop Trusting Myths
The first thing is to stop trusting purely random ideas that people propagate without any sound scientific basis for them. Let’s discuss an example of such an idea about healthy digestion that is purely based on hearsay.
Some people say that drinking a lot of water after meals causes abdominal distention and bloating. That’s completely wrong. Water, no matter when and how you drink it with your meals, helps your stomach break down food much more easily.
Don’t Eat Too Much At Once
Smaller portions of various foods in your diet are much more suitable for your stomach than a huge portion of the same food eaten as one large meal. Bloating, acidity, heartburn, and nausea often result from such large meals.
Avoid Foods That Can Cause Constipation
There are two types of fiber. One is the type that gets broken down, dissolved, and digested in your gut. It yields energy and structural components for your body.
The other type is the one that does not dissolve but forms an insoluble, smooth, slippery lining in your intestine to let your food pass easily.
Such insoluble dietary fiber prevents constipation by shortening the time that your food spends clogging your intestines, and improving your appetite. Laxatives are composed of this type of fiber.
There are some natural remedies that have worked well for digestion health. That peel has all the dietary fiber that you need in your diet. It doesn’t get digested but it helps form stool that is easier to pass.
What To Do
Here are some golden tips that your nutritionist would give you if I didn’t. These things must be kept in mind to maintain a healthy diet and healthy eating habits.
Get All The Carbs You Can Get From Your Diet
People often think that protein is good but fat and carbs need to be avoided altogether. That’s wrong. It applies only to some specific cases of obesity and diabetes. Your body is programmed to function better on glucose and carb-derived energy.
Your brain, for one, cannot handle low blood sugar at all. 60% of the energy in a balanced diet should be carb derived.
Drink Plenty of Water
As I have mentioned above, your stomach – much like your washing machine – has to churn up your food to digest it and that consumes precious energy and requires lots of mixing with secretions. There are multiple ways that may help increase your overall hydration.
Eat Smaller Portions Throughout The Day
Smaller portions allow for easier digestion and mixing, and water definitely makes the process easier for your stomach. You can get rid of any kind of stomach disturbances by following this routine.
There are hormones that play the role of making you feel full and sated after your food reaches your stomach and your duodenum. Large meals can cause nausea and vomiting in conditions like pregnancy by producing an excess of those hormones.