How to boost your digestive health? Tips for smooth running system:
Sometimes, people have tummy issues now and then. It can happen because of tummy problems or foods they eat. Things like tummy cramps or changes in how you poop can show up, but usually get better with time. There are easy things you can do at home to feel better. This article talks about what might be causing these tummy troubles, how to make your tummy feel better, how to clean your tummy, and when you might need to see a doctor.
Why Gut Health is Important?
“Remember, you are what you eat.” This saying is pretty old, going back to 1825. It’s just as true now as it was back then, when a French food lover named Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote it in his famous book about taste.
Even after two hundred years, research keeps showing that this idea is right, according to Dr. Lee. When you eat healthy food, it helps make your tummy healthy. A healthy tummy is super important for having a strong immune system, feeling happy in your mind, and just feeling good overall.
When you eat the right things, your tummy’s special mix of tiny living things (we call them “microbes”) gets stronger. These microbes, including the good ones, live in your tummy. It’s really important to have a good balance of these microbes for your health.
Dr. Lee says, “What you eat affects your tummy health and your overall health. If you eat not-so-good food, the balance gets messed up, and your body won’t feel its best.”
Signs of Poor Gut Health:
“So, what goes wrong when your tummy isn’t feeling great? Signs that your tummy might need some help include:
- Heartburn (a burning feeling in your chest).
- Gas in your tummy that makes you pass gas (also known as farts).
- Feeling swollen and puffy in your tummy.
- Having a hard time pooping.
- Having runny poop.
- Feeling really tired.
- Getting rashes on your skin.
Ways to Improve Your Digestive Health:
You can try things at home to help your digestion, like changing what you eat and how you live. Sometimes, doctors think that not-so-good digestion is connected to things like tummy issues or feeling stressed.
1. Stay Hydrated:
Drinks and watery foods help your body get rid of stuff it doesn’t need and keep things moving smoothly. You can drink things like water, juice, tea, and other drinks. These fluids are also found in foods, so you might not have to drink exactly 8 glasses of water every day. If you’re not sure how much to drink or which drinks are best, you can ask your doctor or a dietitian for advice.
Related………..How Much Water You Should Drink Per Day?
2. Limit Salt:
Even having a bit more food with certain things in it can make you feel puffy and full. This can happen because of things like the salt you add or the salty stuff in packaged snacks and cereal. To feel better, try to eat less of these things and read the labels on food to see how much salty stuff is in a portion.
3. Maintain cleanliness:
We all want to stay away from food sickness, which can give us tummy troubles like diarrhea, feeling sick, and throwing up. To avoid this, remember to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. When you’re making food, use separate tools and cutting boards for things like fruits and veggies, and for raw meats. And when you buy dairy products, make sure they’ve been pasteurized to be safe.
4. Try Probiotics:
Probiotics are like the friendly helpers in your body. You can find them in certain yogurts, juices, snacks, and supplements. Some studies suggest they might be useful if you have a runny tummy, tummy troubles like IBS, or tummy issues like IBD. But the experts aren’t completely sure which probiotics work for which problems and how much you should have. If you want to know more, it’s a good idea to chat with your doctor.
5. Make your plate smaller:
Here’s a smart trick to stop tummy troubles like indigestion, feeling puffy, and heartburn: eat smaller meals more times during the day. Also, try to eat slower. It takes a while for your tummy to tell your brain that it’s full. When you do this, you won’t end up eating more than you meant to.
6. Dealing with Heartburn and Smoking:
If you smoke, you raise your chances of getting more than 50 serious health problems, and even your tummy can be affected. Smoking can make a part in your tummy weaker, which can lead to acid coming up and giving you heartburn. If you smoke, you’re also more likely to get certain tummy cancers, sores in your tummy, and Crohn’s disease. To help your tummy and overall health, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or clinic about quitting smoking.
7. Drink mint tea:
Mint tea is like a natural way to help with feeling sick in your tummy and having tummy troubles. You can make this easy mint tea at home:
- Get about 5 to 10 leaves of peppermint or spearmint.
- Boil a cup of water, then let it cool down a bit.
- Pour the water over the mint leaves and wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
- If you want, you can add a slice of lemon or a tiny bit of honey.
Some smart people who study this stuff found that the oil in peppermint leaves might help with tummy problems, like tummy pain from IBS. But they need to do more studies to know exactly how it works.
8. Reduce Gas:
Air can get into your tummy when you eat or drink, and your body makes air when it’s digesting food. If this air gets stuck in your tummy, it can make you feel puffy and not so good.
Having some air in your tummy is normal and healthy, but some things can make you swallow more air than usual. These things include:
- Chewing gum
- Drinking fizzy drinks
- Eating really fast
- Wearing dentures that don’t fit well
Certain foods can also make more air when they’re going through your tummy. These foods are:
- Broccoli
- Kidney beans
- Onions
- Apples
- Yogurt
If you gently rub your tummy, it can help the air move out of your tummy, which can make you feel better if you’re puffy and uncomfortable.
9. Stay away from foods that can cause problems:
People don’t all react the same way to the same foods, but there are some foods and drinks that often make tummy troubles.
Here are some examples:
- Foods that are made in a factory (processed foods)
- Spicy foods
- Fried foods
- Sour foods, like things with vinegar or citrus fruits like oranges
- Sweeteners that are like fructose
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
If you don’t have too much of these, it might help your tummy feel better.
Fast food and meals that are already made usually have a lot of sugar, salt, and fats that aren’t so good. These things can be harder for your body to handle, and they might cause problems like trouble pooping or feeling puffy in your tummy.
When is it time to visit your doctor?
If your tummy problems stick around, come back, or really bother you, it’s a good idea to set up a doctor’s appointment. If you’re pregnant or could be, see the doctor quickly. And if your symptoms are really bad or you have a fever, it might be serious. Same goes if you’re finding it hard to swallow, go to the bathroom, or if you choke sometimes, throw up blood or black stuff, or have tummy pain. If you’ve lost weight without trying, that’s also a sign to see the doctor. They’ll figure out why you’re having these issues so you can start feeling better soon.
