Bloating, wind, indigestion, abdominal pain. We all sometimes suffer from heartburn and indigestion, especially after heavy meals. But sometimes these symptoms appear too often. And here it is necessary to think and try to change your lifestyle.
Change Your Eating Habits
Improper diet, snacks “on the run”, fast chewing of food cause significant damage to the digestive system, leading to the abnormal production of digestive enzymes. When we eat, our body produces about 22 types of enzymes with the help of the salivary glands, gastric glands, pancreas, and small intestine. Each of these enzymes acts on specific types of products. For example, proteases dissolve proteins, amylases help digest carbohydrates, and lipases break down fats and lipids. By processing these foods, digestive enzymes help the body digest and absorb the nutrients it needs. As we grow older, our bodies produce fewer enzymes, and sometimes they are insufficient to properly digest food. It is therefore important to pay special attention to the process of eating.
There are many recommendations on how to improve the digestive system. Here are the most basic ones.
Eat More Dietary Fibre, Drink Water
Eat plenty of fiber every day and do not forget to drink plenty of water. By helping digestion, fiber also serves as a good prevention of diseases, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, hemorrhoids, colon cancer and many others. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts are the main sources of fiber.
Eat Less Wind Causing Foods
Try to eat fewer foods that promote wind production. These include beans, cabbage, and even broccoli (in spite of all its usefulness, it has this annoying feature). Remove sodas from the diet as well as dairy products, if you suffer from lactose intolerance.
Chew Slowly and Longer
Chew slowly. Chewing food is among the most important parts of digestion and probably the most ignored one. We eat on the run, swallowing huge chunks of food. And by the way, once we start to chew, the salivary and gastric glands receive the signal about the need to develop enzymes. The conclusion is: the less we chew, the fewer enzymes that help “digest” the food are produced. As soon as they cease to cope with food, you get heartburn, bloating and other side effects, especially in cases of overeating.
Be Physically Active, Avoid Stresses
Do exercises regularly and try to avoid stress. Physical activity helps to reduce most of the problems with digestion. As a result of several studies, the scientists have proved the link between obesity, physical inactivity, abdominal pain, diarrhea and irritable bowel symptoms. Stresses also exert negative impact on digestion. As a result of stress, the blood flow to the stomach is decreased, which reduces the development of digestive enzymes and slows down digestive processes. Thus, we suffer from heartburn, bloating and constipation.
Mindful Eating
Try to have mindful eating. Read the article about mindful eating on our website. Healthy digestion, enjoying meals and avoiding distractions, such as computers and television, will help you live a full life without pain, and antacids.
