How To Improve Digestion

Our digestive health plays a massive role in our general health and well-being. Our
digestive system is responsible for absorbing the vital nutrients our bodies need so
we can thrive. Once the nutrients are absorbed, they are passed along enroute to
wherever they need to be distributed.
All sorts of things can throw our digestive system out of balance. That being said,
we can also do several things to get our system back on track. Keep reading to
learn more about how to improve your digestive system function.
The Microbiome
Our microbiome is an intricate ecosystem that makes up our gut or digestive
system. Beneficial bacteria are necessary for our gut. Beneficial bacteria and
harmful bacteria that cause illness are different. Although, if you have too many
bacteria in the gut, that can impact your body.
Improving our digestive health improves our microbiome, which in turn improves
our general well-being. Let's look at some natural ways to get your gut going on the
right track.
Improving The Digestive System Naturally
Add Prebiotic Fiber Into Your Diet: Prebiotics are carbs that our body can't
digest, but they are food for the beneficial bacteria in our gut. Prebiotics are
beneficial bacteria, and they exist naturally in our lower digestive tract. Without
them, our body wouldn't function properly, and we would struggle with various
aspects of our health.
Probiotics: Fermented foods like sauerkraut and yogurt contain the beneficial
live bacteria we need. Every now and again, it's good to replenish the probiotics as
they can die off. If there is an overgrowth of bacteria by chance, adding more to the
system could worsen matters. Before you introduce more, check and be sure your
belly actually needs them.
Cut Back On Sugar: Sugars and artificial sweeteners contain no real nutritional
value. They're a load of empty calories that digest quickly; our microbiome doesn't
get to eat any. Not to mention, simple sugars tend to feed undesirable bacteria and
yeast that can cause harm. If the unhealthy bacteria outnumber the beneficial
ones, it creates an unbalance and can negatively impact our overall health.
Sleeping: Try to keep healthy sleeping patterns, as well as making sure you get a
whole night's rest. Our body heals, repairs, restores while we sleep, and
disruptions in those sleep cycles can slowly wreak havoc on our system. Honestly,
a 2018 study found that the disruption in our circadian rhythm disrupts our
microbiome. After that, it's like a domino effect.

Get Up & Get Out: Get outside more often; fresh air is fantastic for our entire
body! Also, get some exercise, even if it's just a 30-minute walk every day or every
other day. Many moons ago, doctors told patients to get outside and get plenty of
exercise to prolong their life and improve their health. It might seem odd, but our
digestive system needs us to work our bodies in a healthy way.
Supplements: As we age, our bodies begin to produce fewer digestive enzymes,
which are a part of breaking down food. Taking digestive enzymes will give you a
bit more of a punch when it comes to proper digestion. L-Glutamine is an amino
acid that is essential to our digestive health. This amino acid is the primary
nutritional fuel and food for our intestinal cells. It supports the body's ability to
absorb the essential nutrients we need.
Probiotics: Yogurt, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods are excellent ways to
get probiotics. If you're not a fan of fermented foods, no worries, there are
supplements you can take instead. Probiotics are live bacteria that can be
introduced to our gut if we need them. Probiotics can be tricky because if you're
already having gut health issues and an overgrowth of bacteria is the cause, you
won't want to add any more to the colony. Before taking more than you need,
please speak to a practitioner or doctor to ensure it's best for you and your body. If
you don't have any issues like that, you should be good to go, but it doesn't hurt to
check.
Stress is a huge factor that ties into our general health and well-being. If you can
limit all of the unnecessary stress, do it! Let it go! Our gut health will affect our
general health and well-being. Improving digestion will have a much more
significant impact than you might ever dream of. Our microbiomes need to be
taken care of so they can take care of us!