Exercise can help. It lowers stress and can even help reduce flare-ups. Staying active can lower your risk of certain cancers and improve your blood pressure. Other habits can support digestion, too.

That includes getting quality sleep and reducing stress. To improve digestion, you need to know which foods might be causing your problems, Dr. A good starting point is jotting down what you eat right now, without making any changes, for two weeks.

Make sure to keep track of how you feel afterward. Over time, you may start to see connections, he says. Maybe every time you eat food that has gluten like bread or pasta you feel bloated.

Or perhaps dairy-based foods like milk or ice cream bother you. If you think a specific food is causing digestion issues, remove only that food for a week. Then see if your digestion improves, he says. Sometimes, even a small change can have major benefits.

These methods are simple, but they can offer major health benefits. Try them out and you'll be feeling better in no time. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce, transmit or modify any information or content on this website in any form or by any means without the express written permission of Optum.

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Medically Approved. Drink enough water There are so many health benefits to staying hydrated. Jasutkar suggests choosing foods with a high water content, such as: Apples Celery Cucumber Lettuce Low-sodium broth Peaches Watermelon Zucchini These foods also offer plenty of vitamins and minerals.

Get the right amount of fiber When it comes to fiber, the message always seems to be: More is better. These include: Bananas Kiwi Oats Quinoa Rice Spinach Sweet potatoes Dr. Heartburn and smokin g If you smoke — you increase your risk of more than 50 serious health conditions — and your digestive system is not immune from the effects.

Smoking can weaken the valve at the end of the oesophagus triggering acid reflux and heartburn. See your doctor, pharmacist, or clinic for help to quit now — for the good of your gut.

Drinking and stomach problems Regularly drinking more than the recommended daily limit for alcohol compromises your health — including the health of your digestive tract. Drinking too much hinders your ability to absorb important nutrients, and can increase stomach acid secretion which can damage the lining of the stomach.

Excess alcohol also increases your risk of constipation, diarrhea, heartburn and liver problems, as well as esophageal cancer. Mindful eating for wind Rushing your food causes you to swallow air, triggering burping or wind. Taking time to be mindful of what you eat, and slowing the pace at which you eat, will help you reduce gulping air into your digestive system.

Slow down and chew each bite thoroughly. Avoid sweets or chewing gum if you find they cause you to swallow air. Salt and bloating People tend to have too much salt in their diet — and just a little bit can leave you bloated. Salty foods include chips, soups, ketchup and even breakfast cereal, so check the labels — especially on processed food.

Avoid adding more salt to meals and when cooking. Add flavor with alternatives like pepper and other herbs and spices. Kitchen hygiene Tummy trouble like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting can be caused by lack of attention to food hygiene resulting in food-born illnesses. Abide by the basic rules and ensure foods are cooked and stored at the correct temperatures.

Separate meat and vegetable chopping boards. Lactose intolerance Lactose intolerance — the inability to digest the natural sugar in milk — can cause painful symptoms including nausea, cramps, wind, bloating, or diarrhea.

Healthy eating isn’t only about your food choices, it’s also about how you prepare them. Fried and grilled foods are tasty treats but have a downside. Fried foods have unhealthy fats, while high-temperature grilling can create carcinogens cancer-causing chemicals.

Good choices are: steaming, stewing, poaching, braising, boiling, or microwaving. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that keep bad bacteria in check and nourish your gut for healthy digestion.

Good choices are: yogurt, kimchee, raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, and sauerkraut. If you get constipated, you may not be drinking enough. Drinking water helps prevent constipation and supports healthy bowel function.

How much water you need per day depends on many factors like your size, activity level, and health. In general, adults need cups of water per day. Good choices are: water, green tea, black coffee, fat-free milk, fresh-squeezed juice.

Regular exercise helps food move through your digestive system faster, reducing the risk of nausea, bloating, constipation. Regular exercise can also improve the symptoms of constipation and inflammatory bowel disease.

Good choices are: taking a walk after meals or 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces your chances of developing GERD, gallstones, some digestive cancers, and more. Following suggestions for a healthy diet and regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Red meat has been linked with cancer, heart disease, and digestive issues. Good choices are: chicken, fish, legumes, and limiting red meat to servings per week. Too much sugar can upset the balance of good bacteria and cause inflammation.

Added sugars are found in many products, especially baked goods, ice cream, and desserts. They are also added to many processed foods, even when you wouldn’t expect it — like pasta sauces, salad dressings, and soups.

Healthy eating isn’t only about your food choices, it’s also about how you prepare them. Fried and grilled foods are tasty treats but have a downside. Fried foods have unhealthy fats, while high-temperature grilling can create carcinogens cancer-causing chemicals.

Good choices are: steaming, stewing, poaching, braising, boiling, or microwaving. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that keep bad bacteria in check and nourish your gut for healthy digestion.

Good choices are: yogurt, kimchee, raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, and sauerkraut. If you get constipated, you may not be drinking enough. Drinking water helps prevent constipation and supports healthy bowel function. How much water you need per day depends on many factors like your size, activity level, and health.

In general, adults need cups of water per day. Good choices are: water, green tea, black coffee, fat-free milk, fresh-squeezed juice. Learn more about examples of fermented foods. Fiber has a wide range of health benefits, from lowering cholesterol to reducing the risk of heart disease.

It can also help improve digestion by regulating bowel movements. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans — , the average adult should include around 30 grams of fiber in their daily diet. Good sources of fiber include:.

A person should also drink plenty of liquids to ensure that the fiber absorbs enough water to easily pass through the digestive system. Some foods and drinks trigger problems with digestion.

These triggers can vary from person to person and keeping a food diary can help with identifying culprits. Take notes after meals, snacks, and drinks, highlighting any following digestive problems.

Then, try cutting out potentially problematic foods and drinks from the diet to see whether symptoms improve. A nutritionist can advise a person before making any significant diet changes.

A food diary will also help medical professionals better understand the situation so they can offer more specific advice. While people react differently to different foods, some foods and drinks commonly cause problems with digestion.

Also, fast foods and ready-made meals are high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats. They can be harder for the body to digest and cause problems such as constipation and gas. One of the best ways to promote gut health is following a balanced diet.

Many studies have found that not eating a balanced diet can cause or worsen digestive problems. Certain diet plans can help address digestive health. For example, the Mediterranean diet can help manage digestive disorders like IBS.

This diet emphasizes healthy fats from fish, olive oil , whole grains, and vegetables. Supplements and teas may also help cleanse the digestive system. One of the best natural supplements to promote digestive health is ginger.

Research has shown that ginger can help reduce nausea and inflammation. Regular ginger consumption can even prevent ulcers and tumors.

Individuals dealing with digestive problems may try adding ginger into their daily routine. Brewing fresh ginger as a tea with lemon and honey can soothe the stomach and reduce inflammation.

Or try adding fresh ginger to a green smoothie. Chamomile tea delivers antioxidants and bloat-reducing properties. Tea with chamomile and honey can help naturally cleanse the stomach. But a person should be sure to consult with a doctor to make sure a new diet or supplement is right for them.

Learn about specific herbal teas for constipation. If digestive symptoms are ongoing or severe, they may result from an underlying medical condition.

Individuals who experience symptoms associated with conditions like these should consult a doctor. Severe stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea may be signs of a serious health problem. Mild digestive problems may respond well to at-home treatments, such as adding or removing certain foods from the diet, exercise, and keeping a food diary.

However, more serious issues may require medical attention. Anyone experiencing new or unexpected digestion problems should consult a medical professional to receive a diagnosis and suitable treatment for their symptoms.

What happens when we eat and during digestion? Here, learn about the parts of the digestive system, how they work, and how to recognize any problems. Some health conditions, such as acid reflux, can make it hard for people to digest food. This article lists 11 foods that are easy to digest. Some microorganisms are harmful to our health, but many are beneficial and necessary for a healthy body.

We are learning that the variety of bacteria in your gut is an important indicator of the health of your microbiome. Many factors, including the foods you eat, can impact the type of bacteria found in your digestive tract.

What we eat can have short-term and long-term effects on our gut microbiome environment. The importance of the gut to our overall health is a topic of increasing research in the medical community. Research is showing us that our gut microbiome can affect every organ in our body.

A higher level of diversity in gut bacteria is an important indicator of the health of your microbiome. While research is ongoing, it appears that your gut health plays an important role in your overall health. The gut microbiome is also affected by things we cannot control, such as our environment, age, birth mode and whether we were breast-fed or bottle-fed as a baby.

While we cannot use one specific measure for our gut health External Link , some signs that you may have poor gut health include:. You may be able to improve your gut health through lifestyle and diet changes.

Dietary fibre in foods can improve your gut health as it can help keep us regular, reduce the risk of bowel cancer and feed the healthy bacteria in our gut.

Wholefoods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrains and nuts, may prevent the growth of some bacteria linked to diseases and inflammation. Our lifestyle, for example physical activity , good sleep and stress reduction are also good for gut health. Your gut bacteria are influenced by what you eat.

It is important to give them the right fuel to have a balanced gut microbiome. The best way to maintain a healthy microbiome is to eat a range of fresh, wholefoods, mainly from plant sources like fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts and wholegrains.

Fibre is important for our gut health for many reasons. Fibre can affect the function of our gut, for example, the digestion and absorption of nutrients, how quickly or slowly things move through and the quality of our stools.

The breakdown of fibre by our gut bacteria can also create important products which can influence the development of gastrointestinal conditions such as bowel cancer. Fibre has other benefits to our health apart from the gut, for example, reducing our risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Fibre is only found in foods that come from a plant. Australian adult women should be aiming to eat at least 25g of fibre a day, and men 30g.

Prebiotic fibres, which are not found in all high fibre foods, may be especially helpful for our gut microbiome, as they can act as a fertiliser for the healthy bacteria in our gut. The diversity of food on your plate can help lead to a more diverse microbiome, which is an indicator of a healthy gut microbiome.

While almost all foods have had some kind of processing , it is best to eat foods that are minimally processed. These foods retain their nutritional value and do not usually have added sugar , salt , unhealthy fats or additives such as emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, all of which may impact your gut health.

Unprocessed foods include fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, unflavoured dairy , eggs, seafood, poultry and lean red meat. Ultra-processed foods include deli meats such as ham and salami, many breakfast cereals, ready-made meals, sweet desserts and many packaged snacks such as chips.

Water is the best fluid to drink and provides benefits to gut health. Water assists with the breakdown of food, so that your body can absorb nutrients. Water also assists with softening stools, helping prevent constipation. Chewing your food thoroughly and eating slowly may reduce digestive discomfort such as gas, pain and bloating.

Fermented foods External Link have undergone a process in which their sugars are broken down by yeast and bacteria. While research into fermented foods is limited, the bacteria found in some fermented foods have been linked with digestive health and other benefits.

Breastfeeding helps an infant develop a healthy gut microbiome, which may help protect against certain health conditions later in life. Regular cardiovascular exercise such as walking and cycling can stimulate the muscles of the gut to move digestive contents through the body.

Stress can impact your gut health. Manage your stress levels by exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, socialising, using relaxation techniques and eating well.

Weight loss may be caused by malabsorption because of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth SIBO. On the other hand, weight gain may be caused by insulin resistance or increased inflammation.

Research indicates that an imbalance in gut bacteria may be linked to fragmented sleep and short sleep duration, which may lead to chronic fatigue. While the cause remains unclear , it appears to be connected to inflammation, metabolic function, and mental health.

Skin conditions like psoriasis may be related to the types of bacteria present in the gut. Many studies have found connections between the gut and the immune system. An unhealthy gut may increase systemic inflammation and alter the proper functioning of the immune system.

This may lead to autoimmune diseases , where the body attacks itself mistaking its cells and organs for harmful invaders. Food intolerances are the result of difficulty digesting certain foods. This is different than a food allergy , which is caused by an immune system reaction to certain foods.

Research indicates that food intolerances, like lactose intolerance, may be caused by poor quality of bacteria in the gut. This can lead to trouble digesting the trigger foods and symptoms like:. There is also some research indicating that food allergies may be related to gut health.

You may be able to improve and reset your gut health through lifestyle and diet changes. Consider trying one or more of the following to improve your gut health naturally:. Chronic high levels of stress are hard on your whole body, including your gut. This is because your body releases certain hormones when it experiences stress.

High levels of these hormones affect your body and may compromise gut health. A few ways to lower stress may include:. Not getting enough or sufficient quality of sleep may have serious impacts on your gut health, which can in turn contribute to more sleep issues.

Try to prioritize getting at least 7—8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Your doctor may be able to help if you have trouble sleeping.

Chewing your food thoroughly and eating your meals more slowly may lower your chances of developing obesity and diabetes while also helping you make better food choices. Drinking plenty of water may be linked to increased diversity of bacteria in the gut, though the source of the water also matters.

One study also found that people who drank more water had less of a type of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal infections. Staying hydrated benefits your health overall and can help prevent constipation. It may also be a simple way to promote a healthy gut.

While research is ongoing, adding a prebiotic or probiotic supplement to your diet may help improve your gut health. People who have a severe illness or a weakened immune system should not take probiotics.

Also, not all probiotic supplements are high quality or beneficial for your health. You can try eliminating common trigger foods to see if your symptoms improve.

Reducing the amount of processed, sugary, and high fat foods that you eat may lead to better gut health. Eating a diet high in fiber likely contributes to a healthy gut microbiome as well.

You may also positively impact your gut by eating foods high in micronutrients called polyphenols present in:. Diet and gut health appear to be very closely linked. Avoiding processed foods, high fat foods, and foods high in refined sugars is likely important for maintaining a healthy microbiome, as these foods may promote the growth of damaging bacteria.

You can eat certain foods that actively promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, contributing to your overall health. These superfoods for gut health include:. Research indicates that high fiber foods have a positive impact on gut health. These foods include:. According to a study in rodents, garlic may increase gut microbiome diversity and improve gut health.

A small study of 49 people similarly found that aged garlic extract increased diversity and levels of beneficial bacteria. Still, more research in humans should be done. Fermented foods are great dietary sources of probiotics. Examples include:. Research suggests that consuming these foods may improve the gut microbiome.

Collagen-rich foods such as bone broth and salmon skin may be beneficial for both overall health and gut health. A study indicated that supplements with collagen may benefit the gut microbiome in mice, though further research is needed. To help your body make collagen, try eating more:.

Each of these elements varies in different people, influencing their gut microbiomes in different ways. This variation results in individuals having unique gut microbiomes.

According to one small study of 16 people, fasting was linked to lower levels of a bacteria that promotes colorectal cancer. Research in animals also shows the benefits of fasting.

A study in fruit flies found that intermittent fasting appeared to improve gut health and increase lifespan. Another study in mice indicated that fasting promoted the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and reduced inflammation in the intestines. Some studies have found no impact of probiotics on the gut microbiome.

Still, other research suggests that probiotics may significantly affect the makeup of the gut microbiome and positively impact other areas of health, like immunity.

You can improve your gut health by taking steps to improve your overall health. This can include eating more fiber-rich foods, eating fewer ultra-processed foods, getting enough sleep, and managing your stress levels. Some signs of unbalanced gut bacteria can include upset stomach, unintentional weight changes, and fatigue.

The human gut is complex. While research is ongoing, it seems clear that the gut microbiome impacts whole-body health. A healthy gut contributes to:.

Lifestyle and dietary changes may positively affect not only your gut health but your overall health. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Your digestive system is working nonstop to fuel every cell in your body and efficiently remove the waste. Neglecting your digestive system can have adverse effects that influence every part of your life. Your diet and other lifestyle choices greatly impact your digestive health and are often areas where small changes can have a big impact.

Vegetables and fruits contain healthy nutrients and fiber to support your digestive system and overall health. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables have cancer-fighting properties, and fiber lowers your risk of constipation.

Whole grains still have the dietary fiber, iron, antioxidants, and other healthy nutrients lost when grains are refined to make processed foods like white flour, white bread, crackers, and pastries.

Fiber lowers your risk of constipation, and some whole grains support your good gut bacteria. Processed meats usually have an unhealthy amount of sodium, fat, and nitrates linked to colon cancer.

Red meat has been linked with cancer, heart disease, and digestive issues. Good choices are: chicken, fish, legumes, and limiting red meat to servings per week.

Too much sugar can upset the balance of good bacteria and cause inflammation. Added sugars are found in many products, especially baked goods, ice cream, and desserts. They are also added to many processed foods, even when you wouldn’t expect it — like pasta sauces, salad dressings, and soups.

Healthy eating isn’t only about your food choices, it’s also about how you prepare them. Fried and grilled foods are tasty treats but have a downside. Fried foods have unhealthy fats, while high-temperature grilling can create carcinogens cancer-causing chemicals.

Good choices are: steaming, stewing, poaching, braising, boiling, or microwaving. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that keep bad bacteria in check and nourish your gut for healthy digestion. Good choices are: yogurt, kimchee, raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, and sauerkraut.

If you get constipated, you may not be drinking enough. Drinking water helps prevent constipation and supports healthy bowel function. How much water you need per day depends on many factors like your size, activity level, and health. In general, adults need cups of water per day.

Good choices are: water, green tea, black coffee, fat-free milk, fresh-squeezed juice.