1. Drink plenty of water
The simplest way to improve your digestion is to keep yourself hydrated. Clinical guidelines recommend ingesting about 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid every day to ward off IBS-related constipation or simple constipation. [1] The Traditional Japanese experts recommend drinking four glasses of water on an empty stomach to keep all diseases, including digestive disorders at bay.2. Heap up fiber into your diet
Experts recommend eating a fiber-rich diet to optimize your digestive health but at the same time staying hydrated so that the fiber can work. [1] Fiber helps regulate your bowel movements and flush out the waste from your system, thus, staving off several ailments. Heaping doesn’t mean to bulk up the dietary fiber in one go. If you’re not habitual to taking a fiber-rich diet, gradually work out fiber into your routine until your tummy doesn’t feel any discomfort. A sudden increase in fiber can do more harm than good, making you avoid a healthy, fiber-rich diet.Fiber-rich sources include:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Beans
- Prunes
- Figs
- Raisins
3. Consume probiotic-rich foods
Fermented or probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, Kombucha, and kimchi help ramp up your digestion and microbiome. An altered gut microbiome (bacteria and their genes) can wreak havoc on your digestion, mood, immune system, body weight, and heart health. Introducing these foods into your diet not only benefits your digestive health but also allows a host of other body systems to function at their best. A systematic review conducted by the Korean scientists on the Korean fermented food — Kimchi, unveiled its digestive, nutritional, antioxidative, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-aging properties. [2]4. Supplement probiotics
Sometimes your body may have a greater need for probiotics that the diet cannot suffice. For instance, can help speed up the transit of food through the gut as well as allow your body cells to harvest more energy from the ingested food. [3] Experts have also unveiled the benefits of probiotics against antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The beneficial bugs can prevent the growth of harmful bugs in response to an antibiotic course. These harmful bugs could otherwise infect the colon and lead to diarrhea. [4]5. Put some pep in your step
Any form of exercise, be it strolling, interval walking, cardio, or more intense workout — all tend to get the food in your tummy moving. The role of exercise in pushing the food through the bowels and preventing constipation is well recognized. [5] What is not known is its impact on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Moderate exercise seems to exert a positive effect on IBD in animals by lessening the colon inflammation. Muscles that have worked at a moderate instensity can release anti-inflammatory chemicals, thus fighting inflammation. [6]References
- Mearin F, Ciriza C, Mínguez M, Rey E et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and functional constipation in the adult. Rev Esp Enferm Dig. 2016;108(6):332-63. doi: 10.17235/reed.2016.4389/2016.
- Patra JK, Das G, Paramithiotis S, Shin H-S. Kimchi and Other Widely Consumed Traditional Fermented Foods of Korea: A Review. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2016;7:1493. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.01493.
- Zhao Y, Yu Y-B. Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation. SpringerPlus. 2016;5(1):1130. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2821-1.
- Agamennone V, Krul CAM, Rijkers G, Kort R. A practical guide for probiotics applied to the case of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in The Netherlands. BMC Gastroenterology. 2018;18:103. doi:10.1186/s12876-018-0831-x.
- Tantawy SA, Kamel DM, Abdelbasset WK, Elgohary HM. Effects of a proposed physical activity and diet control to manage constipation in middle-aged obese women. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy. 2017;10:513-519. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S140250.
- Bilski J, Mazur-Bialy A, Brzozowski B et al. Can exercise affect the course of inflammatory bowel disease? Experimental and clinical evidence. Pharmacol Rep. 2016;68(4):827-36. doi: 10.1016/j.pharep.2016.04.009.
