Digestion is the process by which the food we eat is broken down so that your body can make use of the food that you have eaten. Without digestion, the food that you eat will not benefit your body. It will not supply your body the needed treatment, and hence the growth and development that should occur in your body will be hindered. One of the ways by which your digestion may be impeded is when there is a problem with your gastrointestinal structure(s) and its associated structures like your liver and pancreas. For example, if you have a problem with your pancreas, you may develop a problem called steatorrhea. This is a condition in which your fat is not well digested, and because of this your stool will be fatty (have much fat). If you have this, you will discover that your stool does not wash off easily when you flush the toilet after you have used it. If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, you may have a problem with digestion. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease is a condition in which the content from your stomach goes back into your esophagus. With this condition, you may not have the food you have eaten broken down into smaller particles when you get to the stomach. You will need medical treatment if you have such a disease. Apart from conditions that may require medical treatment, there are ways by which you can improve your digestion. Some of them will be discussed in this article.
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- Eating Foods that are Rich in Fibers: Fibers are good because they help in digestion. This is why you need to be eating foods that are rich in fibers. Fibers may be soluble or insoluble. Each of these classes has different ways in which they help your digestion. Soluble fibers absorb water from your food, thereby helping to form bulk for your stool in this way they prevent you from having diarrhea or constipation. They act in such a way that they slow digestion. Examples of soluble fibers include (and not limited to) legumes, nuts, beans, blueberries. Insoluble fibers also have their own beneficial roles. If you are having a problem with hemorrhoids (swellings inside or around your rectum and anus. These swellings contain enlarged blood vessels. If you have not heard about hemorrhoids before, but you have heard of piles before, it is the same thing. Hemorrhoids are also known as piles), or constipation, then you are one of such people who should eat more insoluble fibers.
- Drinking Enough Water: Water is vital for living. One of the things water does is to help the body in making digestion easier. After eating solid foods, you may not feel convenient if you have not taken water or a soft drink. You need to drink the water so that the digestion of food in your body will become more comfortable. If you do not usually drink water or some soft drinks after eating you may be prone to having constipation (difficulty in passing stool). If you have ever had constipation before, you will surely not want to have such an experience again. One of the other ways by which you can increase your fluid intake is by taking fruity juice(s).
- Don’t be too Fond of Eating Junks: Sometimes you can be so busy that you do not have good time to prepare good food for yourself to eat. This can make you tend to feed on junks. But instead of feeding on junks try to create a good time to prepare good food, or if you are too busy sometimes to cook, you can visit a restaurant for good food. It has been suggested that when you like taking processed foods like ice cream, you may have a digestive It is not to say that ice cream is not right to feed on, but don’t be too fond of taking ice cream and some other junks alone as your food because of the excuse of not having enough time to eat. Take care about what you feed on.
- Don’t Always get Yourself Every Time Stressed Up: You may not be able to avoid completely not to be stressed. Sometimes the nature of the job you do cannot but make you stressed up, but you need to learn how to manage your stress. When you are in a state of stress or activities such that there is an increase in the level of your catecholamines, your body will feel like you do not really need time to rest and digest. This will make circulation of blood to be directed from your digestive system to other parts of your body. With this, enough food will not be absorbed into the blood vessels around your digestive system, and there will be a limitation in the amount of food that can go into your blood.
- Be Careful to Chew your Food Well: Digestion actually starts from the mouth. Your teeth are meant to help you break down your food into smaller particle before it goes through your esophagus to the stomach. Another good thing about your mouth is that you have saliva produced in your mouth. Saliva helps your food to mix well properly. With this when your food gets to the stomach, it will not be difficult for it to exit it and move into your intestine. If you have had a baby(is) before and you want to give them some type of solid food while they have not developed strong teeth, you will need to help them break it down into smaller portions with your hand or just give them in very small portions.
- Do Exercise Regularly: It has been suggested that people who do regular body exercise will have an increase in their gut transit time.
- Stop Eating when you Know you are full: This will also help you in preventing digestion problem(s)
- Stop Bad Habits like Smoking and eating late in the Nights.
- Take probiotics if they come by your way. Kimchi is a fermented food. It can be a source of probiotics
- Include healthy fats in your diet.
Digestion is an important process that will help you in making good use of the food you eat. Ensure you feed on healthy diets. Also don’t be negligent about what you feed on. Eating well will make you live a healthy life.
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References
- 5 Tips to Improve Your Digestion. Very well Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/tips-to-improve-your-digestion-89849. Published 2018. Accessed August 4, 2018.
- 10 Simple Ideas To Heal Your Digestion Naturally. mindbodygreen. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17784/10-simple-ideas-to-heal-your-digestion-naturally.html. Published 2018. Accessed August 4, 2018.
- Therealfoodrds.com. https://therealfoodrds.com/5-ways-to-improve-your-digestion-naturally/. Published 2018. Accessed August 4, 2018.
