Do you hear that sound coming from your stomach? It’s either your body telling you “feed me” or you are about to experience some stomach cramps. Our digestive tract is one of the most important body parts that maintain our health. It absorbs nutrients, breaks down food, and eliminates waste. If your digestive system does perform its functions properly, then you are probably a walking talking bin consuming and storing food.
Cramping, bloating, diarrhea, and excessive flatulence are a few signs that indicate your digestive system is failing to break down foods in the stomach and creating an acidic environment. This leads to conditions such as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, and heartburn.
So what leads you into this corner? Lack of food items containing probiotics or fiber. Following are some of the best foods that you can include in your daily diet to improve your digestion:
Yogurt
Yogurt is right at the top of the list when it comes to consuming foods rich in probiotics. Probiotics boost regulation of certain cells in the body that maintain the body’s internal environment. The probiotics in yogurt balance the ratio of good and bad bacteria in the stomach that helps with issues such as diarrhea and constipation. Not all yogurts fulfill the probiotics requirements. Look for one that has active and live cultures.
Chia Seeds
When it comes to consuming more fiber, Chia seed are the best source. When absorbed in water or milk, they take a gelatin-like shape in the stomach. Chia seeds assume the function of probiotics. The fiber from this food is consumed by the gut’s beneficial bacteria. This boosts healthy bacteria growth, which leads to healthy digestion. Moreover, fiber in a good and controlled amount promotes healthy stools and bowel regularity.
Beets
Another great source of fiber is beetroot. A cup of beets contains 3.5gms of fiber. It adds size to the stool, which improves digestion. The good thing about beets is that you can roast it, eat it raw in salad, or pickle it. If you don’t like the taste of beets, then try the green smoothie trend. Add a bunch of fruits and vegetables in a blender, a healthy dollop of yoghurt, honey, and some almonds and mix away. This will help mask the smell of beets.
Bone Broth
Including a bowl of roasted veggies in your diet is all well and good but one can only eat the same thing so much. One option you can explore is bone broth. This light soup is made by putting chicken or beef connective tissues and bones in a pot filled with water and, allowing it to simmer for a long time. The gelatin in bone broth comes from amino acids such as Glycine and glutamine. They bind to the digestive tracts fluid and allow food to pass easily.
There are a number of other food items too you can try such as salmon, kefir, sauerkraut, Kimchi, miso, apples, whole grains, papaya, etc. With so many options available to you, experiment with them at breakfast and dinner. Why not take out simple recipes and try them at least once a week.
