What bad habits that we avoid to have good digestion?

Our eating and lifestyle habits can influence our digestion and improve or worsen our overall health.

The digestive system is very complex because it contains trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms whose function is to transform the food we eat into nutrients essential for the proper functioning of the body. These microorganisms are known as the microbiota, and the set of all those in our body, be it in the skin, blood and other organs, constitute the microbiome typical of each one of us.

According to numerous investigations, our eating behaviour and lifestyle habits can influence it and improve or worsen our health in general. That is why it is crucial to detect which of our behaviours contribute to hindering the digestive process and how to make any symptom of discomfort disappear, from bloating to stomach pain, heartburn, reflux, to name the least severe, liver disease or ulcersfaulty all due to faulty digestion.

If you have any of these, it would not be a bad idea to get informed and try to change some habits, both eating and lifestyle. Here are some tips, in alphabetical order and not by importance, to improve the health of the digestive system.

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Abuse alcohol

Drinking a lot of beer, wine or spirits wreaks havoc on the stomach because it causes inflammation in the stomach tract and can lead to digestive disorders, such as uncontrolled growth of bacteria or intestinal perforation. However, an investigation by King College London concluded that there is a relationship between moderate consumption of red wine and an increase in the diversity of the microbiota, which is a sign of good digestive system health. 

Antibiotics

Taking too many of these medications leads to resistance and loss of effectiveness but can also destroy the beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.

Researchers from Copenhagen University published a study in Nature Microbiology, which discovered how they affected the microbiota. While in healthy adults, it recovered in a few days after stopping the medicines, patients subjected to an intensive treatment of four days of broad-spectrum antibiotics for severe ailments, usual in intensive care units, took up to six months to recover the beneficial bacteria.

Low zinc levels

It is an essential mineral for a sound immune system and wound healing. Although severe zinc deficiency is rare, people with digestive disorders such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and short bowel syndrome often have trouble absorbing it.

Late dinner

An investigation carried out in Canada with 800 adults suffering from type 2 diabetes concluded that those who ate dinner at least three times a week just a couple of hours before going to bed were more likely to suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease

Dehydration

Water is an essential nutrient for health, and often we don’t even realise we are not adequately hydrated. The water shortage causes the metabolism to slow, affecting all bodily functions. Being sufficiently hydrated improves digestion because it helps the tract dissolve food and facilitates the absorption of nutrients. It’s also preventive against constipation.

Fat diet

A diet based on monosaturated and trans fats affects the composition of the intestinal flora and reduces its variety, which results in gastrointestinal ailments. Many studies support that a low-fat diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, fibre and fermented foods means a healthy microbiota, relieves discomfort symptoms and prevents.

High consumption of pastry products can change the composition of the bacteria in the intestines and increase the production of endotoxin. The consequences are inflammation of the gastrointestinal system and damage to the cognitive function of the stomach-brain axis.

Artificial sweeteners

They can be just as harmful as the sugar they replace. Researchers from various countries examined the effects of multiple sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, etc.). They came to the critical conclusion that the bacteria became toxic when the digestive system was exposed to one milligram per millimetre of this extra sugar, and the bacteria became toxic. This proves that they hurt the activity of the microbiota, with the consequent health problems.

Stress

Often, someone says noticing a knot in the stomach is quite literal. Stress, whether due to a specific or long-term problem, significantly impacts the gastrointestinal system. It can be a reason for indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea and other chronic ailments. Anxiety can alter the microbiota that the intestines act like someone on a diet high in saturated fat.

Excess meat

It is no personal cholesterol levels, which are closely related which is ed to cardiovascular problems. But various studies confirm that consuming steaks and hamburgers can motivate the digestive system to produce other components capable of metabolising to form triethylamine oxide. This organic component is associated with the hardening of the arteries. Scientists have also observed differences in the type of microbes in the digestive systems of those who eat red meat and those who don’t.

Do not take fermented.

Whether in the form of yoghurt, cheese, kefir or the traditional preparations of oriental cuisine that are being introduced into our food, such as kombucha or kimchi, they are foods that, during the fermentation process, transform carbohydrates and sugars into organic acids that They contain live bacteria. They are very convenient for maintaining a healthy immune system.

Too sweet fruits

If the problem is gas and bloating, you will likely have to reduce your intake of fructose, the natural sugar in fruits. However, Pears, apples, mangoes and the like should be replaced by less sweet ones such as bananas, red fruits and citrus.

Smoke

Apart from many other health problems in general, digestion is also affected by this habit. For example, heartburn, gastrointestinal reflux, peptic ulcers, and some liver ailments are caused by smoking. However, some studies warn that it can change the composition of the intestinal microbiome.

I was not eating enough green leafy vegetables.

Green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals vital to nourishing the intestines with good bacteria and editing the number of harmful ones that also reside in the digestive system. For example, in 2016, scientists from Australia and the United Kingdom discovered an enzyme, YihQ, used by bacteria and other organisms to absorb a type of sugar in plants containing sulfur. This discovery, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, has opened the door to possible new antibiotic treatments that do not harm the beneficial bacteria in the intestines.

Poor sleep position

Experts on the subject recommend sleeping on your back oYourck, your whole body is aligned in a neutral by lying on your back position, and you are unlikely to regurgitate stomach acids.

Chew gum

A food additive used to whiten chewing gum, among other products, can cause inflammation in the intestines. However, the authors of an investigation on the subject say that there is increasing evidence that continuous exposure to its nanoparticles significantly impacts the composition of the microbiota that affects health.

Inappropriate postures

Stooped most of the time can put your joints out of alignment, causing tightness and pain in your neck and back. But it also has adverse effects on the digestive system. The reason is that the internal organs are compressed, including the tract. The constriction of the abdomen causes symptoms such as discomfort and acid reflux.

Take little fibre

When most foods are refined, there is a good chance that too many carbohydrates are taken without compensating them with finer thread. However, many studies carried out over decades indicate that if you include good doses of foods with indissoluble fibre, such as whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, the volume of the food bolus increases, digestion slows down, and that leads to a greater reserve of energy, in addition to facilitating the processing of food. But it is also advisable to take soluble fibre, which absorbs water and helps prevent diarrhoea. It comes from nuts, seeds, and legumes … Thanks to all of them, ailments such as constipation, haemorrhoids, diverticulitis or irritable bowel syndrome.

Do not take probiotics and prebiotics

The former contains the same bacteria and moulds present in the digestive system, which is why they help combat the effects of an unbalanced diet, recover the intestinal flora after taking antibiotics, and combat stress. They also improve the absorption of nutrients. Yogurt and kefir, taken daily, are a good source of probiotics. Prebiotics act as food for probiotics and help them maintain healthy bacteria in the intestines. They are found in fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, onions, legumes, and oatmeal.

Carbonated soft drinks

We know that carbonated drinks with sugar are not the best way to stay healthy, but we may not be aware of their damage to our intestinal health. For example, a study carried out in Europe over 16 years, with the participation of more than 400,000 people, showed that those who consume this daily ink daily are 59{9b167e71df3ef3e4d7f8d89d36af9aad903ff54819cc756195bfcab806d12e7b} more likely to suffer from digestive disorders.

Another conclusion of this study is that drinking two or more carbonated drinks daily has a 17{9b167e71df3ef3e4d7f8d89d36af9aad903ff54819cc756195bfcab806d12e7b} higher risk of death than consuming these types of products less than once a month.

Do not rest after eating

The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders recommends avoiding all types of physical activity after eating, especially movements that require bending. It can interfere with the digestive process by contracting the abdominal muscles and forcing food through a weakened sphincter.

Overweight

Excess body fat means a significant risk of stomach ailments and disorders. For example, a medical report published in the journal Gut and Liver (guts and liver) revealed a connection between excess weight and obesity with diseases related to the intestines, such as pancreatitis or gallstones. For its part, the Langone Medical Center in New York has established that being overweight can cause metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease.

Sedentary life

Exercising is beneficial for the body in general and also for the digestive system. For example, the University of Illinois did an experiment that analysed the microbes from the intestines of 32 sedentary people. Of these, 18 were lean, 14 were obese, and all were asked a week thrice to go to the gym. Testing revealed that their butyrate levels, a short-chain fatty acid that promotes gut health, had increased and decreased again when the volunteers resumed their sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, it is helpful to set a weekly routine and stick to it.