Learn how to help digestion with some basic healthy eating and nutrition tips

Yep, you’ve gone and done it again. You ate too quickly, chowing down on spicy foods you know give you heartburn.You need to belch. Your belly hurts and is distended. You are uncomfortably stuffed and gassy. Obviously, your digestive tract is all screwed up.

How to help digestion … let us count the ways …

Food passes through the digestive tract, which is an elongated muscular tube. Food is broken down and processed into beneficial nutrients required by the body — including amino acids, glucose (sugar) and fatty acids — while in the tract.

When a person eats food that doesn’t “sit well” with him, eats too fast or consumes strange combinations of foods, this disrupts digestion. When the “gut” is upset it can make for a long and miserable day.

Consuming excessive amounts of sugar destroys the mineral balance in the body. When the mineral balance is off the body finds it difficult to function suitably. Enzymes need minerals and proper digestion depends on enzymes and vitamins. The vitamins call for minerals and so on and so forth. When one aspect of digestion is out of whack, the person is in for trouble.

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The system works either quickly or slowly depending on what a person has eaten. Red meat is hard for some to digest, as are dairy products. If you know this to be true, stay away from meat and milk products.

When foods stay inside the body too long instead of being quickly eliminated this ups the ante the person is going to suffer from digestive ailments.

Eating natural and whole food as opposed to processed food is a lot easier on the system. Processed food makes the system sluggish, especially the colon. when the colon gets lethargic, bad things can happen over time including colon cancer, which stems from polyps that grow on the intestinal wall.

The polyps are the result of harmful bacteria forming. The bacteria love refined sugars and other detrimental fats so when a person eats those things the bacteria thrive and proliferate.

Some bacteria are good and if eaten regularly this good stuff grows and supports the digestive system, tamping down the bad bacteria. When a person eats prebiotics found in many natural foods this results in the proliferation of good bacterium. Prebiotics are in fruit, whole grains and raw vegetables. They are non-digestible carbohydrates that serve as food probiotics. Probiotics are the good bacteria.

Prebiotics and probiotics

When probiotics and prebiotics are put together they form a synbiotic, such as occurs in yogurt and other fermented dairy products. Synbiotics result when something contains both live bacteria and the energy needed to flourish.

Prebiotics are contained in bananas, garlic, onions, whole grains, artichokes and honey.

Probiotics are believed to treat irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, intestinal infections, prevent urinary tract infections and vaginal yeast infections, as well as eczema in children and lessen the incidence of recurrent bladder cancer.

Antibiotics

When a person takes a lot of antibiotics this destroys the beneficial bacteria as well as the harmful bacteria, causing a disparity in intestinal flora.

Gluten and lactose intolerance

Those who are gluten or lactose intolerant will experience distress if they eat products containing gluten or lactose. Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat- and other grain-processed foods. Lactose is disaccharide sugar made of glucose and galactose.

When experiencing chronic infections caused by bacteria, organisms, viruses and/or fungi this results in too much bacteria or fungi developing, which torments the existing conditions and contributes to inadequate absorption of minerals, vitamins and amino acids.

When a person puts out low amounts of hydrochloric acid (HCI) this causes yeast and bacterial overgrowth, which makes existing conditions worse.

Stress can do a real number on the digestive system. It can lead to ulcers and hypochlorhydria (low HCI output.)

Try to eat high fiber foods and nutrient-packed whole foods such as seeds and nuts. Eat more saturated fat (extra virgin coconut oil) and omega-3 fatty acids (salmon.) Don’t eat right before going to bed and, when you do eat, chew slowly and thoroughly.

Drinks lots of water to keep your system hydrated. Eat several small meals every day instead of three large ones.

These tips should help alleviate digestive woes.