We all want a healthy digestion because it is really frustrating to feel bloated, have acid burps, suffer from heartburn or gurgling in the stomach. Poor digestion becomes a source of embarrassment in public places and a constant intestinal problem that can also put your health at risk. If you want to know which foods can help you have healthy digestion, check it out! Here we will tell you everything you need to know and which foods to avoid digestive problems.
The best foods for healthy digestion
Yogurt
Yogurt is incredibly good for healthy digestion as it provides the intestine with good bacteria that help digest food. Several studies have shown that consuming yogurt can inhibit diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease, improve bowel movement, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
You can have a small bowl of yogurt after lunch or dinner to help digest your food. But in case you are lactose intolerant, consider a yogurt alternative made with almond or goat milk, or even coconut milk.
Papaya
Papayas are rich in proteolytic enzymes, chymopapain, and papain that have antimicrobial properties and aid digestion by breaking down food. Additionally, papayas are also a rich source of vitamins A, B, and C, which helps flush out toxins.
Eat papaya 1 hour after lunch. You can also have a papaya smoothie in the morning or add papaya to a fruit salad.
Whole Grains
Whole grains are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fibre. This soluble fibre works by forming a jelly-like substance in the large intestine, thus trapping food and increasing satiety while slowing down glucose absorption. Insoluble fibre helps promote bowel movement by adding bulk to your stool. Fibber also provides nutrition for good gut bacteria
Eat wheat, cracked wheat, sorghum, brown rice, oats and quinoa, among others to get the recommended amount of fibre. If you’re gluten intolerant, eat brown rice, buckwheat, sorghum, millet, and quinoa, which do not cause digestive irritation.
Bananas
Bananas are rich in fibre and pectin, which helps improve bowel movement and aids in carbohydrate digestion. They are also low glycaemic index (GI) foods, helping to keep blood sugar low, are easy to chew, and taste great.
Add a banana every day to your breakfast cereal, smoothie, or pancakes. You can also have a banana with frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Fish for healthy digestion
Cold water fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce inflammation in the wall of the stomach or colon, and this, in turn, can help improve your digestion and bowel movements.
In fact, scientists have found evidence that consuming fatty fish that contain a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It works by reducing oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory biomolecules. Consume small wild-caught salmon, herring, cod, tuna and carp to get the right amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
Beets
These sweet plum-red vegetables have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help prevent inflammatory disorders of the digestive system and also flush out toxins. Beets also stimulate bile production, which promotes digestion and even fat digestion. Mix beets in your salad, stew, or bake beet chips.
See also Beet Juice: 7 Benefits You Should Know About
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fibre that help with proper bowel movements and nutrient absorption. They also stimulate the synthesis of cells in the intestine that promote the activities of digestive enzymes in the colon. You can eat sweet potato puree, baked or grilled sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. You can also substitute potatoes for sweet potato curry.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and have anti-inflammatory properties. Due to the high fibre and water content, cucumbers help prevent constipation by softening the stool and promoting soft bowel movements.
Antioxidants also help prevent toxic build-up that can lead to indigestion and stomach infections. Eat cucumbers as a snack or add them to your smoothies, juices, or salads.
Foods to Avoid for Healthy Digestion
Oily / fatty foods
Avoid fatty and spicy foods altogether when you are battling intestinal problems. Fatty or oily foods can slow stomach emptying, leading to constipation and bloating, or speed up stomach emptying and lead to diarrhoea. Fried foods can cause heartburn and bloating.
Spicy foods
Spicy foods can irritate the digestive organs and cause stomach pain and discomfort when having a bowel movement.
Processed Foods
Processed foods are a big no-no for you if you have digestive problems. Processed foods are lacking in fibre and contain artificial sugar, artificial colors, and too much salt and preservatives. All of these ingredients can cause inflammation and aggravate your digestion problems. Also, without fibre, your digestive tract has to work harder to move food through the tract, and this can lead to constipation.
Some legumes
This is especially true with larger beans like kidneys, chickpeas, edamames, and soybeans, as they contain more starch and are difficult to digest. You can go with small legumes like lentils, mung beans, and split beans.
Alcohol
Stay away from the irresistible parties and free alcohol for a while to get your digestion back to normal. Alcohol causes dehydration that can lead to constipation and bloating. It is also toxic to the stomach and digestive tract and can change the metabolism of the liver.
Caffeine
Caffeine is present in coffee, tea, chocolate, soda, energy drinks, baked goods, and even ice cream. Caffeine stimulates bowel movements, accelerating the emptying of the stomach. This can lead to diarrhoea and stomach pain.
Sugar
Consuming too much sugar or sugary foods can aggravate your digestive problems. That’s because sugar stimulates the growth of bad bacteria in your gut. Bad bacteria can cause inflammation and weaken your immunity. Therefore, avoid consuming sugar in drinks or packaged fruit and vegetable juices, donuts, cakes, pies, among others if you are struggling with indigestion.
Fizzy drink
Gas bubbles in carbonated or fizzy drinks can cause bloating and also irritate the lining of the stomach and digestive tract. Plus, these drinks contain a huge amount of sugar that can also make your digestion problems worse. Therefore, avoid consuming soda or carbonated drinks for a while until your digestive organs recover and begin to function normally.
This article is informative and is not intended to serve as a diagnosis, prescription or treatment of any type of ailment. This information is not a substitute for consulting a doctor, specialist or health professional.
Explicit or implicit recommendations on drugs, techniques, products, among others are cited for informational purposes only. The use of this information is carried out under the sole responsibility of the users.
ALFA