Take Control of Your Digestive Health!

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Take Control of Your Digestive Health

Having good digestive health means the body is working properly to break down food and turn it into energy. A healthy digestive system begins with your diet. Making some basic changes, not only to what you eat but also to how you eat, can have a tremendous impact on your body's ability to digest food comfortably. The tips below, based on newly released nutrition guidelines from the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO), outline ways to achieve optimal digestion by making simple lifestyle changes.

• Eat small, frequent meals. To achieve optimal digestion, eat 4-5 small meals per day without increasing overall caloric intake.
• Include foods rich in fiber. Fiber is important for the health of the digestive system and can be found in fruits, raw vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, nuts, and beans.
• Consume fish 3-5 times per week. Fish contain omega 3 fatty acids that can improve digestive abnormalities by stabilizing cell walls, reducing inflammation and restoring balance.
• Reduce intake of fried, fattening foods. Cutting back on greasy, fried foods that are high in fat and hard to digest will reduces your stomach's workload.
• Incorporate fermented dairy products into your diet. Certain probiotics, or the good bacteria that is found in dairy products like yogurt and cottage cheese, may improve intestinal function and overall digestive health and benefit health conditions such as gastroenteritis, irregularity, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.
• Select lean meats. Leaner cuts of meat -- pork, chicken and turkey -- contain less fat, which may reduce digestive discomfort.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids are needed to alleviate and prevent constipation and ease digestion of foods through the digestive tract. A good way to make sure you're getting enough fluids is to drink a glass of water with every meal.
• Don't rush eating. Eating slowly and chewing food properly encourages a "full" feeling, which prevents the overeating that can upset the digestive tract.
• Exercise regularly and abstain from smoking. While most people know that exercise offers overall health benefits, most people don't know that it's good for your digestive tract, too. Daily physical activity improves the natural rhythm of the digestive system and assists in moving food through the digestive tract.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. A Body Mass Index that indicates obesity or unintentional weight loss may have a negative impact on digestive health.

Shop Your Way to Digestive Health

Good digestive health begins with the food we eat. The next time you head to the supermarket, don't forget to pick up the foods on this list, which will help to improve your digestive health.

Tip #1: Fiber can improve digestive function, lower risk of heart disease, reduce cancer risk and aid in weight loss.

Add the following to your shopping cart:

• Fresh fruits
• Raw vegetables
• Whole-grain cereals
• Brown rice
• Legumes

Tip #2: Some dairy products contain Probiotics; these "good bacteria" can help strengthen the body's defenses and regulate the digestive system.

Add the following to your shopping cart:

• Yogurt
• Kefir

Wildi. S. The influence of rapid food intake on postprandial reflux: studies in healthy volunteers. Am J Gastroenterol. 2004 Sep;99(9):1645-51.

Tip #3: Fish contain omega 3 fatty acids that can improve digestive abnormalities by stabilizing cell walls, reducing inflammation and restoring probiotic balance.

Add the following to your shopping cart:

• Tuna
• Sardines
• Salmon
• Sword-fish

Tip #4: Leaner cuts of meat contain less fat, which may improve digestive comfort.

Add the following to your shopping cart:

• Pork
• Chicken
• Turkey

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