How to Naturally Improve Digestion
Digestive health is one of the most important concerns for long-term overall health. While every organ system is critical, the digestive system is responsible for absorbing the vital nutrients we need in order to not only survive and more importantly, thrive on an everyday basis.
There are many things that can throw our digestive systems off balance, but the good news is that there are also a number of things we can do to get it back on track. Here’s what you need to know about how imperative the gut microbiome is to overall health, and how you can help improve overall digestive system functioning.
The Gut Microbiome
The digestive system or gut is made up of an intricate ecosystem of bacteria commonly known as the microbiome. The microbiome includes “good” bacteria, as well as “bad” bacteria, but when everything is working properly, the good and the bad bacteria balance each other out. They each play an essential role, and they keep themselves in check.
This balance is critical to breaking down food, helping your body determine what to do with foreign bodies, and signaling to the immune system which entities are friends or foes. Friends are largely ignored by the immune system and foes are attacked. As a result, gut health plays a major role in immune health.
Because of its link to the , the microbiome is vitally important to keep in balance.
For example, a healthy microbiome has also been linked to better serotonin production, which can lead to a . In fact, gut health is so inextricably linked to overall health that many practitioners believe that a healthy gut is the key to a healthy body.
An unbalanced microbiome can manifest in digestive issues such as diarrhea, constipation, or bloating and indigestion. There are many ways to help support gut health and a balanced microbiome. Here are some natural ways, in addition to supplements if you need some additional support.
How to Improve Your Digestive System Naturally
Incorporate Prebiotic Fiber into Your Diet
Prebiotics are carbohydrates that the body cannot digest and serve as food for more commonly known probiotics (see below). Prebiotics reside in the lower digestive tract and help foster an environment in which healthy bacteria can thrive. Prebiotics help the body absorb calcium, keep the excretory system regular, and help regulate blood sugar.
Fiber is a common prebiotic, and is found in many whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Prebiotics can also be found in asparagus, onions, garlic, leeks, and green (so they’re not quite ripe yet) bananas.
Eat Probiotic Foods or Supplement With Probiotics
Probiotics are healthy bacteria and yeast that help balance the microbiome and assist in digestion. They can help replace good bacteria when it is depleted.
Probiotics can be found in yogurt and fermented foods, such as kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, and fermented vegetables. But they can also be taken as a dietary supplement in capsule or powder form.
There should perhaps be a word of caution for people who have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). This is a condition in which bacteria that belongs in the gut ends up in the small intestine, causing intestinal problems. In this case, adding more bacteria to a system that is already out of whack could do more harm than good. If you have digestive problems, be sure to check with your integrative practitioner before incorporating additional probiotics in your diet.
Cut Back on Sugar and Sweeteners
A simple way to improve digestion is to cut back on sugar and artificial sweeteners. First and foremost, there’s really no nutritional value to either — they’re empty calories at best, and harsh chemicals at worst. And second, sugar tends to feed undesirable bacteria and yeast.
If bad microbes outnumber the good after feasting on sugar and multiplying, the balance will be thrown off, setting off a chain reaction of negative health outcomes. concluded that sugar negatively impacts the microbiome, and can also affect cognitive health.
The standard American diet is full of sugar — it’s hidden in pre-packaged foods, soft drinks and is used to make all kinds of foods taste better. Cutting back on sugar and other sweeteners begins with checking ingredients in foods and reducing products with hidden sugars like corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, dextrose, etc. Another benefit of reducing your sugar intake is that you may find your palette changes and you crave sugar less often.
Prioritize Sleep
Sleep gives your body time to rest and restore itself. Americans are not very good at prioritizing this crucial biological need, but doing so can help in a variety of ways, including gut health. that sleep deprivation negatively impacts the microbiome.
A of the microbiome’s role in sleep disruption concluded that “circadian rhythm disorders appear to damage the gut-microbiota equilibrium, and this type of damage is associated with the occurrence of metabolic syndrome.” However, the researchers ended on a positive note, saying that “the damage can be ameliorated by antibiotic intervention or dietary adjustments.”
It’s important to go to bed at about the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day — this helps your body keep its circadian rhythm. Furthermore, reducing digital screen-time can help, as has been shown to negatively impact circadian rhythms.
Get More Exercise
It might seem as though many health professionals advise people to get more exercise in order to solve almost any health concern — and you’d be mostly right about that. Exercise is something many people neglect, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility to assume that people aren’t getting the recommended amount of physical activity. We sit in cars on commutes, we sit at desks at least eight hours per day, and we don’t make time for exercise when we get home from work.
The problem is that exercise can positively impact multiple aspects of overall health, and (as one might assume) lack of exercise has negative impacts. “Exercise is an essential part of your digestive health,” says Dr. Nikola Djordjevic, MD and medical advisor for . “Your stomach muscles weaken as you age, and keeping regular bowel movement is important for your digestive and overall health. Keeping your muscles active will help with bowel movement and better digestion. Brisk, 30-minute walks are a great way to keep active.”
Remember to check with your practitioner before you start a new exercise program, especially if you’ve taken a lengthy hiatus from it.
Supplements to Support Healthy Digestion
Digestive Enzymes
As our bodies age, they naturally produce less digestive enzymes, which help break down our food. “The symptoms of low stomach acid and digestive enzymes mimic the symptoms of high stomach acid (heartburn, reflux, bloating),” says Wendie Trubow, MD, MBA and President of and the . “Because the symptoms are so similar, they’re often improperly treated with antacids. In reality, it’s much more likely that the issue is low stomach acid or enzymes than an overabundance of it, and lowering the stomach acid often makes the problem worse.”
Furthermore, digestion can be affected by periods of both short-term and long-term stress, illness or microbial imbalance. People who have never had problems with digestion before may find they experience bloating, gas, or indigestion from time to time. Again, in these cases, people tend to treat the symptoms with antacids, when the real problem is that stress or something else has altered the enzyme balance and function of the GI tract.
Many people have been relieved to find that their annoying occasional digestive problems have been completely solved using a good food enzyme with their meals. Sometimes, it may be just one or two foods causing the biggest problem. A nutritionist or integrative practitioner is a good resource to help you find the best enzyme to suit your particular needs.
L-Glutamine
Also known as glutamine, L-glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the body and a key nutrient for intestinal health. L-glutamine plays a in digestive health because it “promotes enterocyte proliferation, regulates tight junction proteins, supports healthy inflammatory response” and can help protect cells from cellular stresses during normal conditions.
In layman’s terms, what this means is that L-glutamine is a primary nutritional food and fuel for intestinal cells and supports the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, protect against intestinal cell death and stress, maintain intestinal barrier integrity and balance in the GI tract. In short, it provides the support for healthy GI structure and function.
Probiotics
Many people get probiotics into their diets via yogurt and fermented foods, but if neither are to your liking, there are many probiotic supplements that can help support a healthy microbiome. It’s very important to get enough beneficial bacteria in your gut in order to help balance out the non-beneficial bacteria.
Probiotics are particularly helpful when recovering from an illness, as many medications can throw off the microbiome.
Peppermint Oil or Tea
Because of its natural properties, mint can help soothe the digestive tract and alleviate occasional bloating. If your dinner has upset your stomach or left you feeling gassy, a hot cup of mint tea may be helpful in reducing that sensation.
Remember that if you want to try using peppermint oil, look for an enteric coated gelcap specifically formulated for oral consumption as a dietary supplement.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea has long been used to soothe kids’ occasional tummy aches.Chamomile does have properties supporting a healthy inflammatory response and therefore, it may have a natural ability to help soothe an occasional upset stomach. Some believe that it helps with their occasional acid reflux.
Ginger
Ginger is also believed to have properties supporting healthy inflammatory response, and is recommended frequently for people who have occasional acid reflux. Furthermore, ginger may be helpful for alleviating occasional nausea and upset stomachs. In fact, it’s to pregnant women experiencing pregnancy-related heartburn (always remember to check with your OBGYN first).
Ginger also supports healthy intestinal motility, meaning, it can be helpful for occasional constipation. The great news about ginger is that it’s available in many forms, not only in capsule form, but also as a spice in food, and when consumed in tea form.
Butyrate
Butyrate, or butyric acid, is a fatty acid that the body creates naturally when breaking down dietary fiber. Butyrate supports colon health and the cells that use it as a primary source of energy. Prebiotics increase the production of this important fatty acid, but supplementation may also be of value.
Focusing on Digestive Health
It can be overwhelming to transition your daily habits into a more healthy lifestyle. Because digestive health is so important to overall health, it’s a good place to begin if you’re interested in focusing on one area to start.
While some of the lifestyle changes suggested here may seem difficult to incorporate into your life, they will become easier with practice. As these healthy practices become habits, they’ll become second nature. For example, deciding to take a 30-minute walk three times per week becomes easier the more you do it. You may even find yourself looking forward to your walk, and wanting to add days.
With a bit of time and effort, your digestion can improve. Again, be sure to check with your practitioner before starting a new exercise regimen, or beginning to take new supplements. They’re likely to have suggestions for you based on their professional expertise and other patients’ experiences.
Are you interested in learning more about digestive health? Check out these articles with additional pro tips: