Everyone experiences digestive symptoms such as stomach pain, gas, heartburn, nausea, constipation, or diarrhoea from time to time. However, when these symptoms occur frequently, they can create serious disruptions in your life. Fortunately, changes in diet and lifestyle can have a positive impact on gut health.

Here are 11 evidence-based ways to improve digestion naturally.

1. Eat real food

The typical Western diet, rich in refined carbohydrates, saturated fats and food additives, has been linked to an increased risk of developing digestive disorders. Food additives, including glucose, salt, and other chemicals, have been suggested to help increase gut inflammation, leading to a condition called leaky gut. Avoid the consumption of Trans fats which are usually found in processed foods. They affect your health in a number of ways, with a negative impact on heart health. This is not it, they are also known for increasing the risk of developing ulcerative colitis, which is an inflammatory bowel disease.

Additionally, processed foods such as low-calorie drinks and ice cream often contain artificial sweeteners, which can cause digestive problems. One study found that consuming 50 grams of the artificial sweetener xylitol causes bloating and diarrhoea in 70% of people, while 75 grams of the artificial sweetener erythritol caused the same symptoms in 60% of people. Studies also suggest that artificial sweeteners are not good for your gut, as they may increase the number of harmful gut bacteria. An imbalance of gut bacteria has been linked to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and irritable bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Fortunately, scientific evidence suggests that a nutrient-dense diet protects against digestive disease. Therefore, for optimal digestion, it may be best to follow a whole-foods diet and limit your intake of processed foods. 

2. Get enough fibre

Fibre is known to be beneficial for good digestion. Soluble fibre absorbs water and helps thicken the stool. Insoluble fibre acts like a giant toothbrush and helps keep the digestive tract moving.

Soluble fibre is found in oat bran, legumes, nuts and seeds, while vegetables, whole grains, and wheat bran are good sources of insoluble fibre. A high-fibre diet has been linked to a reduced risk of digestive diseases, including ulcers, reflux, haemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and IBS. Prebiotics are another type of fibre that feeds healthy gut bacteria. Diets rich in this fibre have been shown to reduce the risk of inflammatory bowel disease. Prebiotics are found in many fruits, vegetables and grains.

3. Add healthy fats to your diet

You may need to eat enough fat for good digestion. Fat helps you feel fuller after your meal, and is often necessary for proper nutrient absorption. Furthermore, studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of developing inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Foods rich in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids include flax seeds, chia seeds, nuts (especially walnuts), as well as fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines.

4. Drink enough water

Lesser water intake often leads to constipation. Experts recommend drinking 50 to 66 ounces (1.5 to 2 litres) of decaffeinated liquids daily to help prevent constipation. However, you might need more if you live in a hot climate or do intense exercise. In addition to water, you can also maintain your fluid intake with herbal teas and other caffeine-free beverages like seltzer water. Another interesting way to increase your body fluid needs is to include fruits and vegetables as they contain high water content, especially cucumbers, zucchini, celery, tomatoes, melons, strawberries, sugarcane, grapefruit and peaches.

5. Manage your stress

Stress can wreak havoc on your digestive system. It often gives rise to stomach ulcers, constipation, diarrhoea, and IBS. Stress hormones directly affect digestion. When your body is in active mode, it thinks you don’t have time to rest and digest. Similarly at the time of stress, blood and energy get diverted from your digestive system. Additionally, your gut and brain are closely linked – what affects your brain can also affect your digestion. Stress management, meditation, and relaxation training have been shown to improve symptoms in people with IBS. Other studies have shown that cognitive behavioural therapy, acupuncture, and yoga improved digestive symptoms. Therefore, the use of stress management techniques such as deep abdominal breathing, meditation or yoga can improve not only your mindset but also your digestion. 

6. Eat mindfully

It’s easy to overeat too quickly if you’re not careful, which can lead to gas, bloating, and indigestion. Mindful eating is about paying attention to all aspects of your diet and the eating process. Studies have shown that mindfulness can reduce digestive symptoms in people with ulcerative colitis and IBS. 

Eating mindfully:

• Eat slowly. 
• Focus on your food by turning off the TV and your Phone.
• Pay attention to the appearance and smell of the food on your plate.
• Eat small bites of food, this will help in faster digestion of food, starting from the mouth itself. In addition to the above listed points, texture, temperature and taste of food is equally important.

7. Chew your food

Digestion begins in the mouth. Your teeth break food down into small pieces so that enzymes in your digestive tract can break it down better. The more you chew your food, the faster your food will start breaking down, eventually releasing energy much quicker. When you chew your food thoroughly, your stomach has to do less work to convert solid food into a liquid mixture that makes its way to your small intestine.

Chewing not only breaks down food but also produces more saliva. So, the longer you chew your food the more saliva is produced. Saliva acts on food and starts breaking down into smaller particles, thus simplifying the digestive process from the mouth and breaking the carbohydrates and fats in the meal. In the stomach, saliva acts as a liquid, mixing with solid food so that it flows smoothly into the intestine. Chewing well ensures that you have enough saliva for digestion. This way you will stay away from  indigestion and heartburn.

Additionally, chewing has also been shown to reduce stress, which can also improve digestion.

8. Get moving

Regular exercise, especially walking or jogging are one of the best ways to improve digestion. Exercising and gravity help the food to travel through your digestive system. Therefore, taking a walk after a meal can help your body move things around. A study in healthy people showed that moderate exercise, such as cycling and jogging, increases intestinal transit time by nearly 30%. In another study of people with chronic constipation, a daily exercise program that included 30 minutes of walking significantly improved symptoms.

Additionally, studies suggest that exercise may reduce symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease due to anti-inflammatory effects, such as B. reducing inflammatory compounds in your body.

9. Slow down and listen to your body

If you don’t pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues, it’s easy to overeat and develop gas, bloating and indigestion. It’s a common belief that it takes your brain 20 minutes to realise your stomach is full. Although there isn’t much scientific evidence to support this claim, it takes time for the hormones released by your stomach in response to food to reach your brain. So taking the time to eat slowly and noticing how full you are is one way to avoid common digestive issues. Additionally, emotional eating negatively affects your digestion. In one study, people who are anxiously experienced higher levels of indigestion and bloating.

Taking time to relax before a meal can improve your digestive symptoms. 

10. Break Bad Habits

You know that bad habits like smoking, drinking too much alcohol and eating late are not good for your overall health. In fact, they can also be responsible for some general digestive issues.

Smoking

Smoking almost doubles the risk of developing acid reflux. Additionally, studies have shown that quitting smoking improves these symptoms. This bad habit has also been linked to stomach ulcers, increased surgeries in people with ulcerative colitis, and gastrointestinal cancer. If you have digestive problems and you smoke cigarettes, remember that quitting smoking can be beneficial.

Alcohol

Alcohol can increase acid production in the stomach and cause heartburn, acid reflux, and stomach ulcers. Excessive alcohol consumption often leads to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract or enlargement of liver. Alcohol has also been linked to inflammatory bowel disease, leaky gut, and harmful changes in gut bacteria. Reducing alcohol consumption can help digestion.

Dinner

Eating late at night and then lying down to sleep can cause heartburn and indigestion. Your body takes time to digest, and gravity helps the food you eat move in the right direction.

Also, when you lie down, the contents of your stomach can increase and cause heartburn. Lying down right after eating often increases the reflux symptoms. If you have indigestion before bed, try waiting three to four hours after eating before going to bed to give food time to move from the stomach to the small intestine.

Summary
Simple diet and lifestyle changes can help improve digestion if you experience occasional, frequent, or chronic digestive symptoms. Eating a healthy diet rich in fibre, healthy fats and nutrients is the first step to good digestion. Exercises such as mindful eating, stress reduction, and exercise can also be helpful. Finally, eliminating bad habits that can affect digestion, such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and eating late at night, can also help relieve symptoms. You can include probiotic supplements in your daily diet. Setu, MamaEarth and many more brands are available in the market to help you achieve good gut health.