Our digestive system is one of the most sophisticated system. Its also considered as our second brain with its own nervous system which governs and regulates the way our gut works. Its very true that what affects our brain also affects our gut and vice versa. Hence its extremely important that while we are following the below strategies, we should also be focusing on mindful eating, stress management and staying peaceful for overall benefit.

We seldom realize the amount of work our gut is undertaking while we continue to eat our favorite foods without paying heed to the impact within. As we age, our digestive system, just like any other organ, gets weaker and hence its important we take care as soon as we a crunch point. Crunch point is the moment we start experiencing uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, burping, belching, acidify, acid reflux, constipation, dysentery etc. This is an indication that our body needs immediate attention and modification in terms of diet, lifestyle, physical activity and mindset. Here are a few dietary strategies that one can follow to promote better gut health.

1. The way we eat:
   Its surprising that most of us experience discomfort or bad gut health because of the way we eat. Most often we try and eat healthy but the way we eat may not be right. Here are some of the ways how we negatively impact our digestive system.

• We are usually not prepared for a meal and just eat on the driveway or in pantry or grab something on the move. It’s important that we sit comfortably, lay the meal on the table, trigger our sense with the aroma and the look of the meals and mentally prepare ourselves for the meal. This will help our stomach to secrete sufficient digestive juices, acids and enzymes just before the meal which will enable complete digestion.
• Not chewing meals sufficiently before it enters the stomach is another major reason for acidity or acid reflux. Most of the digestion happens with the saliva in the mouth and therefore we must encourage ourselves to chew foods properly before swallowing. This will make it easy or the stomach to digest further.
• Not giving enough time to relax after a meal also can be a cause to incomplete digestion. Rushing to work or getting too active immediately after a meal can divert the blood circulation away from the digestion leaving it incomplete. Its important to sit down for 5-10 minutes after a meal to allow better digestion.
• Drinking too much water between meals can also dilute the digestive juices and can cause a disturbance in the digestion.
• Eating with distractions is again a major reason for incomplete digestion. Its important to involve our senses and eat mindfully for a better digestion.
• Late night dinners and skipping meals can also disturb the gut balance resulting in digestive issues.
• Experimenting with different diets and taking the gut to extreme conditions can also result in digestive issues.
  Most often, just by correcting the way we eat, most of our digestive issues can be sorted. It sounds too simple but its powerful.

2. Hydration is the key

Our digestive system is like a compact blender that needs just enough water to digest foods in a healthy manner. Water is the medium for nutrient transportation, for cleansing and for various other functions. Without water, our digestive juices and enzymes can get too concentrated. It’s important we drink at least 2-3 liters of water daily to promote a healthy digestion. Its also important to include water rich fruits and vegetables to stay hydrated. Hydration helps in a smooth digestion resulting in healthy bowels.

3. Gut environment

Our gut comprises or various components and it’s a laboratory in itself. Its important we do not provide acidic foods such as refined foods, sugary foods, fried and processed foods as the gut cannot really digest these compounds well. Moreover, our gut is not designed to digest these non-nutritious components. Its important we try and keep our healthy in an alkaline environment by providing lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fat. Our gut environment is one of the major deciding factors of our health status. An acidic environment can feed many diseases and hence its recommended to eat clean, natural and healthy.

4. Nutritional Components

A diet rich in fiber, whole carbohydrates, healthy fat and moderate protein can keep the gut healthy. Overdoing on any nutrient can create an imbalance in the overall gut health. Therefore, its always recommended to have a balanced diet. The amount of food we eat also impacts our gut health largely. We need to provide at least 1/3rd space in our stomach to promote a better digestion and we should not stuff ourselves with a lot of quantity which makes it tough for the stomach to churn and digest. We must also avoid sugary foods as this can be a great medium for a lot of disease-causing microorganisms.

5. Gut Microbiome

Our gut is like a huge war-field with millions and trillions of microorganisms. Our gut comprises of both the good and the bad organisms. Our health status is dependent on whichever organisms dominates our gut. Its important we include enough probiotics and prebiotics to promote gut health. Probiotics are live microorganisms present in certain foods such as curd, fermented foods like idli, dosa, dhokla, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha etc. It’s also important to provide prebiotic foods, which are the foods on which the probiotics feed on. These are basically whole cereals, pulses with skin, fruits and vegetables which promote a healthy growth of the probiotics. It’s a good idea to include both prebiotics and probiotics in our daily intake. Frequent intake of antibiotics can also disturb the gut flora and hence its best to limit its usage.

With all these strategies, its also important to manage stress as it can be a major factor that impacts the gut functioning. One can take up meditation, any hobbies or some activities to manage stress. Bringing in regular exercise can also help in better bowl movement.

Prolonged gut issues can also indicate an underlying digestive disorder, food intolerance or gut damage which may need a diagnosis and medical intervention.

Illness or wellness – it all depends on our gut health. So, let’s not miss taking care of our gut – our second brain!!!

Authored by,

Ranjani Raman

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