Lack of Healthy Eating Habits can lead to Digestive Problems

Is your lack of healthy eating habits causing intestinal discomfort and leading you to poor health?

 Do you ever have a bloating feeling in your stomach or annoying gas and pain that give you discomfort? There are many causes of these symptoms and they should be a red flag to you that you need to monitor your eating habits and change those eating habits. Antacid tablets are not the answer, they only treat the symptoms, and you need to attack the cause, which is your bad eating habits

Here are a few quick tips you can follow to improve your digestion and start eating healthier:

Chew your food well. Start with the practice of chewing each bite of food 30 times. It may seem excessive at first but, saliva starts the process of digestion in your mouth and chewing well mixes the saliva with the food so it gets a start before it gets to your stomach.

One of the causes of bloating and indigestion is excess stomach acid which is partially caused by your stomach working overtime trying to digest large pieces of food. Chewing your food well necessitates slowing down and taking your time when you eat.

Do what I call “eating mindfully”. Eating mindfully is planning enough time for your meal so you are not eating in a rush. Sit down, relax, and enjoy your food. Chew each bite thoroughly, paying attention to the colors, flavors and textures of what you are eating. For some, this may be a difficult task, but you need to do it until it becomes a habit. It takes 21 days of doing something before it becomes a habit but once it does, you never have to think about it again, it will be just like walking or driving a car.

You will receive several benefits from this new habit of chewing your food well:


1) You will get enjoyment from eating, actually tasting and enjoying your food.
2) In our fast-paced lives we all need habits of slowing down during the day. Stopping yourself and slowing things down several times a day will allow you to re-energize and re-focus.
3) You will have a healthier digestive system which will lead to better long term overall health. A lot of disease starts with the foods you eat and your digestion system.
4) You will have more energy because digestion takes a lot of energy especially when your food is not well chewed.

Eat foods that are rich in fiber. Fiber flushes bad toxins out of your body, absorbs and flushes out fat, and helps keep your intestines clear of buildup. Think of fiber as scrubbers that clean the insides of your intestines keeping them clean of buildup. Good fiber foods are whole grains, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes and vegetables. Eating plenty of these foods will keep you “regular” and regularity is a key indicator of intestinal health. Here are a few more tips to aid you in maintaining your digestive health:


· Avoid processed food, fatty foods and fried foods. Fats are hard to digest and they leave residues in your intestines leading to constipation and other digestion problems.


· Eat smaller more moderate meals 5 times a day. Do not feast for each meal, eat just enough to fill your stomach for the next several hours. Smaller, well chewed meals will keep your stomach acid at a good level and you will avoid over-working your digestive system.


· An easy habit to start is to plan your daily snacks ahead of time. Eating light snacks of dried fruit, nuts or whole wheat biscuits in between meals will get you in the habit of eating healthier, fiber rich foods and you will not reach for the easy processed snacks


· Drink plenty of Water. Water is essential to good digestion and it is essential your overall well being. Water helps flush toxins out of the body through urination and is critical to the health of every cell in the body especially your brain cells. Since our bodies are made up of about 70% water, staying fully hydrated is key to maintaining good health. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already in a state of mild dehydration. You should aim at drinking one eight ounce glass of water every hour of the day.

Remember, poor digestive health is a sign of poor overall health, so follow these simple steps to better digestive health.