Balanced Nutrition For Digestion

Your digestive system affects all parts of your body. It plays a role in your mental health, nutrition, and physical well-being. Your gut contains a microbiome, a collection of microbes that are vital to digestion and a few that can harm the body or negatively affect the process. To be your healthiest, you need the right type of nutrition to boost digestion. That can improve every aspect of your life.

Focus on fiber.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber becomes a gel when it is mixed with water. The beneficial microbes feed on it. That increases the beneficial microbes and diminishes the harmful ones that can make you sick. Foods with fiber include whole foods like beans, sweet potatoes, broccoli, avocados, and other fruits and vegetables. Insoluble fiber provides bulk to your stool and keeps you regular. It slows the absorption of sugar to help prevent insulin resistance. Both improve gut health.

Probiotics can boost digestive power.

Greek yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, and tempeh all can improve digestion by providing a probiotic boost. The beneficial bacteria in the fermented food increases the beneficial microbes in your gut and improves your gut health and overall health. Consuming probiotics with prebiotics—food that feeds the beneficial microbes–can keep your digestion at peak performance. Food that contains inulin like Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, spinach, bananas, and oats, are the best prebiotics.

Don’t forget to increase your water intake.

Adequate fluid intake is necessary, particularly if you’re increasing fiber. Sipping on water throughout the day helps avoid mild dehydration and keeps your colon working at its best. A good estimate of how much water to drink is ½ ounce per pound. If you weigh 120 pounds, you’d need 60 ounces of water. That’s 7 ½ cups. You can include teas, coffee, juice, and high-water-content fruits and vegetables as part of your fluid intake.

• Avoid consuming too much red meat. Red meat takes a long time to digest and sits in your digestive system for a while. Instead, include fish in your diet. Fish like salmon and cod can improve digestion in just 8 weeks when added to the diet.
• Soy products contain isoflavones. They improve gut health and can be beneficial for existing conditions like colitis. Always talk to your healthcare professional first before dramatically changing your diet.
• What you don’t eat also makes a difference in your gut health. Skip food with added sugar and highly processed food. Sugar can diminish the beneficial microbes in the gut.
• Increase collagen-containing foods in your diet. One excellent addition for good gut health is bone broth. It’s high in collagen and known to help treat IBS, leaky gut, and inflammation.

For more information, contact us today at Thrive Fitness!