Without a healthy running gut, it is impossible to get nutrients and energy from food. Networking with different organs inside the abdominal cavity, the gut breaks the food to be used as nutrients and energy after segregating the waste matter through the colon.
The gut needs to be well managed with an appropriate diet and suitable lifestyle habits. In this blog, there has been a discussion on the gut as a whole and that includes symptoms of an unhealthy gut and suitable tips for effective gut management.
Importance of Gut Health in Human Life
The gut or the gastrointestinal path aids in breaking down food and extracting nutrients to make other functions of the body run for improving the skin tone, strengthening bones and muscles, and balancing hormones, enhancing eye vision, promoting mental and physical wellness, producing energy and eliminating waste particles from the body.
Medical research has come a long way in understanding how the negligence of maintaining a healthy gut can lead:
- Autoimmune disorder
- Thyroid and diabetic conditions
- Problems arising in the gastrointestinal tract may involve irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel conditions.
- Inflammatory bowel conditions may cause piles
- Cardiac disorders.
- Sleeplessness
- Acidity and bloating of the stomach
- Cancer
It all depends on the quality of gut bacteria which can either be stimulating in maintaining a healthy gut or do worse to the entire metabolism of your body. It can damage the gut health under the influence of high levels of smoking and drinking, lack of physical activity, poor fiber diet and depending too much on antibiotics.
Symptoms of Unhealthy Gut
- Suffering from diarrhea or loose stools, constipation and stomach bloating.
- Pain in the abdomen.
- Allergic to specific food items.
- Experiencing sudden weight loss or gain.
- Pimples, acne and psoriasis appearing on the skin
- Getting affected by tooth decay and high blood sugar as a result of excessive sugar cravings.
- Abrupt changes in the mood
- Suffering from chronic ailments like diabetes, thyroid and different autoimmune disorders.
10 Major Tips to Keep the Gut Healthy
We can make efforts to improve our gut health by not compromising with the wrong lifestyle habits and settling with natural and holistic solutions. Here is a list of such natural tips that promise a long-lasting healthy gut for any Indian:
Drinking an Abundance of Water
Water is above everything in making the gut active to help in absorbing the nutrients and flushing out the waste matter from the body. The more water you drink, it would be easier for you to pass out the stool through the anal canal. Therefore, you will be least affected with any kind of gut-related disease.
Consuming Herbs Like Triphala and Aloe Vera
Triphala and Aloe Vera appear to be valuable herbs in the form of tablets, powder and juice. You can daily take either of the two or both alternatively on an empty stomach to reduce the inflammatory condition of your stomach, constipation or any form of discomfort arising from the digestive area. You will gain control over any immunity-related disorders like blood sugar, thyroid and rheumatoid arthritis.
Going for a Morning Walk
Making a habit of performing daily workouts or simply walking on a sunny morning before breakfast will increase the number of friendly bacteria in your stomach. The food that you will eat during breakfast will pass through the digestive tract and revitalize your physical and mental health. You will experience loads of energy in your body.
Using Ghee in Your Daily Diet in Moderate Amounts
Ghee or clarified butter is common and favored by the majority of people living in India. Cooking dal or any vegetable curry by adding ghee in moderate amounts will strike taste buds with its nutty flavor and boost smooth stool movements through the colon.
Increasing Fiber-rich Foods in Your Diet
Many of us would not be interested in eating vegetables or even juicy fruits. But it is the fruits and vegetables not excluding the legumes and wholegrains which can conveniently pass through the digestive tract until it reaches the colon. You will get a bulk of roughage from such foods which will boost easy bowel movements and nourish your overall health. Beans, broccoli, wholegrains, berries, apples, popcorn, dried fruits and nuts are good foods to include in your diet regularly. You will gain gut-friendly fiber through such edibles along with high calories and other necessary nutrients.
Staying Away From Caffeinated and Alcoholic Beverages
Both beverages would not be suitable for your poor gut health conditions. Any caffeinated or alcohol would reduce the amount of fluids required for digestion in your body and increase the levels of toxicity. Such beverages are harmful even to your liver, kidney and lungs apart from causing constipation and irritable bowel syndrome and can lead to sudden death.
Following Intermittent Fasting
Any dietitian would advise you to manage intermittent fasting to enhance the number of gut-friendly bacteria and thereby improve gut health. During the non-fasting 8 hours, you can have a sufficient amount of gut-friendly probiotics and fiber-rich, wholesome cereals, fruits and vegetables to increase the amount of roughage in your body. And in the next 16 hours, you can fast to allow your digestive system to rest and balance your metabolism.
Avoid Consuming Chilled and Cold Water and Icy Beverages
Keeping away from consuming cold and icy matter regularly is needed when you are struggling with difficult gut health. Cold and icy matter going inside your body would shrink the blood vessels and not enable the absorption of nutrients from the food. It will make you suffer from stomach bloating, pain in the abdomen and constipation. Instead, drinking lukewarm water after any meal will ease stool movement through the anal canal easily.
Prefer Cooking With Anti-inflammatory or Gut-friendly Spices
In every Indian kitchen, you will come across the most common spices like turmeric, dalchini, ginger, pudina and even curry leaves. These herbs not only set a holistic environment at home with their fragrance and revitalize the taste buds but also alter nausea and remove toxins from the stomach.
Increasing the Intake of Probiotics
Probiotic-rich foods include paneer, cottage cheese, curd, buttermilk, raw cheese, idli and dosa, kefir, green peas, apple cider vinegar, apples, and whole wheat bread. The health of your heart, bones, and teeth depends on paneer, while over 250 different strains of gut-friendly bacteria can be found in curd. Probiotic bacteria are well-carried by buttermilk. Idli and dosa are popular dishes in Southern India facilitating with fiber and other necessary nutrients. Apple and whole wheat bread are both beneficial for gut health, as they produce short-enchained fatty acids and promote the growth of good bacteria,
Slow Eating is Recommended
Whenever you are eating any food, you must be slow at it by chewing it fully. It will improve digestion along with thorough absorption of nutrients.
Conclusion
Smooth digestion and nourishment of our body depend on the quality of gut health. We do ignore most of the time which may be good for our gut health. As long as we are eating food from street food corners or restaurants, relying on ultra-processed food items, alcohol or caffeine-enriched, our digestive system will be disrupted and we will suffer from life-threatening disorders. With a holistic approach and eating fiber-rich unprocessed grains, fresh fruits, vegetables and the right eating technique, we can reverse unhealthy gut conditions.
