Experiencing gut irritations, diarrhea, constipation, gas, or stomach upsets from time to time is expected. However, gut problems and in short intervals mean that there is a problem with your digestive system. Frequent occurrences of these digestive issues can disrupt one’s daily routine, making life uncomfortable. However, changes in diet, lifestyle, and use of CBDs such as vegan CBD oil tincture can have a tremendous positive impact on your gut health. Proper gut health is essential for smooth operations in the body, but how can you achieve this? Here are the top 10 things you should do to keep your intestine healthy.
The Digestive System
Also called the gut or the gastrointestinal tract is composed of all the organs that help break down food and absorb the nutrients. These organs include the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, pancreas, etc. The intestines also have bacteria called gut flora or microbes that are beneficial in maintaining gut health.
1. Include High Fiber Foods in Your Diet
Foods rich in fiber i.e nuts, broccoli, carrots, and berries aid in moving food in the gut. High fiber foods promote regular movement of the bowel by increasing the rate of contractions and relaxations of the gut muscles. This makes it less likely for consumers to get constipated as food moves through easily and fast in the digestive tract. It also increases the feeling of fullness hence promoting healthy eating habits.
2. Reduce Stressful Encounters
Proper stress management not only improves cardiovascular and mental health but also gut health. Different stress types including psychological, and environmental like noise pollution, disrupt microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract.
Poor and irregular sleeping habits also increase stress and, as a result, have a negative outcome on the gut flora. This may increase the risk of getting inflammatory gut diseases, e.g., irritable bowel syndrome.
Proper stress management techniques, including good sleeping habits, meditation, deep inspirational workouts, aid in improving digestive systems health.
3. Including Probiotics and Fermented Foods in The Diet
The gut has billions of microorganisms that are beneficial to a person. Probiotic supplements are available that aid in improving the quantity of these gut flora. Recent studies show that including probiotic supplements in the diet help improve gut health and prevent some diseases like IBS.
Consumption of fermented foods is a natural way of increasing the normal flora in the gut. Ferment foods include kombucha, fermented vegetables, kefir, among others.
4. Staying Hydrated
Dehydration is a common cause of constipation. The fibers in your diet pull water from the colon to make a softer and bulkier stool that quickly passes through the intestines. Lack of water will result in more complex and rough stool that will not move quickly through the gut and may damage the inner lining of the intestines.
Dehydration also causes the accumulation of toxins in the intestines, although it’s easily solved by drinking enough water that helps in the clearing of the toxins. It’s essential to keep track of the amount of water you drink to meet daily requirements.
5. Limiting Processed Foods
Processed foods contain harmful chemicals that damage the inner linings of your gut while they also reduce the concentration of the gut flora. They are rich in saturated fats and highly refined sugars, increasing the risk of developing digestive disorders, including diabetes and gut inflammation. Instead, seek to implement whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in your diet. Study shows they reduce the risk of developing digestive cancers due to the rich antioxidants they contain.
6. Workout Regularly
Regular exercise not only increases contractions of your skeletal muscles but also gut muscles. This results in increased movements of the gut resulting in fast movement of foods in the digestive tract. As a result, digestive disturbances like constipation are avoided. Workouts also increase blood flow to the gut and improve its circulation, enabling the acquisition of essential elements like oxygen.
7. Avoid Unnecessary Use of Antibiotics
Although used to treat bacterial infections, unnecessary consumption of antibiotics leads to bacterial resistance. As a result, the bacteria are no longer susceptible to the same drug used to destroy them. Hence infections with resistant bacteria in your gut may result in distortion of the normal gut flora. Consultation with a medical practitioner is mandatory before consumption of the antibiotics.
8. Make Lifestyle Changes
Some behavioral changes are mandatory if you want to improve your gut health. They include
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Quit Smoking
Smoking affects not only your lungs but also your gut health. It dramatically increases the risk of acquiring cancers due to its carcinogenic components.
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Avoid Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol messes with the distribution of gut microbiota and, as a result, increases the risk of getting some digestive diseases, e.g., cancer of the colon.
9. Frequent Check-ups
Should you experience frequent issues with your gastrointestinal tract, make it your routine to visit the doctor frequently. Screening is essential to rule out colon issues or even discover abnormalities to be removed at an early stage.
10. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners and Sugars
Sweeteners and sugars cause an imbalance of the gut microbes and increase the number of bacteria that cause metabolic diseases, e.g., diabetes.
Conclusion
Maintenance of a healthy gut contributes to the overall good health of an individual, for it results in proper nutrient absorption and improves their immunity. One should, however, consider talking to a doctor before making a drastic change to their diet or lifestyle.
