Natural Ways to Get Rid of Digestive Problems

As we all know, a healthy digestion is a hallmark for a healthy body and a good lifestyle. That’s why whenever there’s an issue with your gut, whether it’s gas, an upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, we generally look back to what we’ve been eating, or what we’ve been doing to lead to it. Indigestion is usually a symptom of bad life choices and has the potential to make your life difficult.

Treating indigestion doesn’t have to be difficult, however, and it doesn’t even have to be costly. It does take a bit of know-how and effort to work around this issue, but a few tweaks at home, and some good old-fashioned remedies can help you resolve this, and we’ll be showing you how.

Here are just some natural ways you can get rid of indigestion:

1. Eat Proper Food

Much of the western diet consists of some not-so-good stuff, like refined carbohydrates, food additives and saturated fats. While they’re fine when consumed in moderation, too much of these things can lead to many illnesses, including digestive problems like digestive tract inflammation. Even more alarming is that according to surveys, 2/3 of the American diet consists of fast food, stuff that has high concentrations of refined carbs, food additives and saturated fats.

If you’re having issues with your digestion and you’ve been eating a lot of processed foods, then changing to an all-natural diet can help you alleviate some of the problems. Certain plants, for example, are a natural digestive aid, and if they’re incorporated more into your diet, will help cultivate a healthier digestive tract. Ginger, mimosa pudica, aloe vera and dandelion root are just a few examples.

2. Focus on Healthy Fats Instead

While fats have been given a bad reputation recently, your body does need them to function normally. The absence of fat in your food will prevent proper nutrient absorption. Oils and fats help trigger the production of enzymes in your body that actually help break down the food and help with the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. Try to consume healthier forms of fat, like unsaturated fat and omega-3 oils. Healthy fats can help decrease the risk of you developing inflammatory diseases in your gut.

3. Eat More Fiber

Although it’s already common knowledge that adding fiber to your diet helps a lot with digestion, not many people actually eat fiber-rich foods. Fiber actually helps your digestion by absorbing the water in your stool and adds bulk to it. It also acts as a broom that cleans up your digestive tract clear of any obstructions, helping to keep the tubes moving.

Good sources of fiber include many plant-based foods, like legumes, nuts, seeds, oat bran, most vegetables, and whole grains. Having a fiber-rich diet helps reduce the risk of your body developing digestive issues, like ulcers and hemorrhoids.

4. Stay Chill

Studies have shown that too much stress is a contributing factor to a lot of digestive problems, like diarrhea, IBS, ulcers, and constipation. Many stress hormones can directly affect your digestive process, which lead to your body diverting blood and energy away from your digestive tract to help cope with what you’re going through.

A healthy stress management has been shown to improve digestion as well. If you haven’t yet, try doing activities that are relaxing, like yoga or meditation. Reading a book, listening to music and drinking some team will also help.

5. Keep Yourself Hydrated

Lower intake of water has been known to lead to constipation. In order to prevent this, drink the recommended daily amount of water a day, that is, 2 liters or 8 glasses. You may need more water if you’re living somewhere warm or are active. Try to avoid liquids that have additives in them, like coffee or sodas.

6. Exercise Regularly

Keeping yourself active through regular exercise can help improve your digestion. Moderate intensity exercises like jogging and cycling have been known to improve the transit time of your food in your gut. Exercise itself produces a cocktail of hormones in your body that helps keep you relaxed, and your gut running smoothly.

7. Chew Properly

Your parents may have told you to do it many times before, and that’s because chewing your food properly helps with its smooth transition down your gut. Digestion itself starts with proper chewing, since this is when your food is broken down into more manageable pieces, so the enzymes in your body can easily process them. Improper chewing has been known to lead to lowered nutrient absorption, heartburn and indigestion.

8. Stick to a Schedule

Simply choosing the right food isn’t enough to maintain a healthy digestive tract, you’ll also need to get the timing right as well. Improper timing with eating your food can lead to gas, bloating, and indigestion. Too much food or too little of it can cause your body to go haywire. A good rule of thumb is by eating snacks in between meals and eating slowly to allow the hormones that tell you you’re full to reach your brain can help with either case. Avoiding late night eating will also help you with a lot of digestive problems, like heartburn and indigestion.

9. Choose Better Habits

While many of us rely on a lot of our vices to relax, they can be detrimental to your overall health, and that includes your digestion. As a matter of fact, they’re responsible for most of the common digestive issues people have. Smoking, for example, increases the risk of you suffering from acidic reflux. This habit has also been linked to the development of stomach ulcers, which can get bad enough to require surgery to fix.

Another bad habit to consider quitting is drinking alcohol. While there are some benefits to drinking alcohol, like improving your gut microbiome, it has been linked to acid reflux, heartburn, ulcers and bleeding in the digestive tract as well, due to its acidic nature. I used to be quite a drunk (true story) but my digestion improved a TON when I quit.

While dealing with digestive issues, whether they’re occasional or chronic, can be a huge pain, they’re easy enough to alleviate. Proper diet and a few tweaks to your lifestyle is enough to improve your digestion. All it takes is the right knowledge and the determination.

love, molly