Digestion helps the body break down food into nutrients, providing the needed proteins, fats, calories, minerals, and vitamins. Your body needs those nutrients for cell repair, growth, and energy. It’ll also help clean out substances that your body doesn’t need.
Most people don’t think about their digestive system unless it starts putting them in danger, but you can find different ways to minimize that problem.
Make sure to eat well-balanced meals from dinner restaurants. Consume the right amount of calories and combine that with exercise. You can try exploring options like:
- Eggs, soy products, peas and beans, seafood, poultry, or lean meat
- Whole grains, seeds, unsalted nuts, vegetables, and fruits
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products
Below are other options that you can explore if you want to improve your metabolism.
Dairy Products
Fermented milk is the main ingredient of yogurt, filling the product with lactic acid. On top of that, it’s rich in probiotics – the good bacteria that stay in your digestive tract to improve digestion. That also keeps your gut healthy. Increasing your intake of probiotics through dairy products will help improve digestion.
It can also help with conditions like diarrhea, constipation, and bloating.
One study also shows that probiotics can help in quickly digesting lactose. However, not all dairy products have probiotics. On your next grocery shopping, make sure to check the ingredients list to see if they included “active and live cultures” in the packaging.
Fennel
Fennel refers to a plant with long green stalks and pale white bulbs. Most people use it to make their food more flavorful. It’s also rich in fiber that prevents constipation. Thus, it fortifies digestion. It also has antispasmodic agents that ease the smooth muscles in your digestive tract, reducing conditions like cramping, flatulence, and bloating.
Chia Seeds
Mixing chia seeds in your drinks or foods is another excellent source of fiber, allowing them to produce substances that resemble gelatin in your stomach after eating. It further fortifies your digestion. It also has similar functions to probiotics, aiding in the overall production of healthy bacteria in your gut.
Its fiber content is also helpful if you want to improve bowel movement.
Papaya
Papaya is another source that’s rich in papain. It’s the digestive enzyme that aids in breaking down protein fibers. You might not have to consume them daily, but they can indeed with breaking down protein. Besides, it can alleviate particular symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, such as bloating and constipation.
Papain is also rich in substances that supply your body with gastrointestinal capacities.
Tempeh
Fermented soybeans are the main of tempeh. In the fermentation process, it helps break down the sugar through yeast and bacteria. It also breaks down an antinutrient you can find in soybeans, called phytic acid. It’s harmful because it interrupts the consumption of specific nutrients. Hence, you can improve digestion and quickly absorb the required nutrients with the help of the fermentation process.
Fermented foods are also rich in probiotics that build a protective lining in your digestive system, protecting them from harmful bacteria.
Miso
Miso is another food made from fermenting soybeans with a specific kind of fungus, koji, and salt. Like other fermented foods, it’s also rich in probiotics that fortify digestion by increasing the good bacteria in your digestive system, minimizing the harms caused by intestinal conditions like diarrhea.
Kimchi
Fermented cabbage filled with other fermented vegetables is the main ingredient used to make kimchi. It’s also rich in probiotics that will improve digestion, strengthening the supply of good bacteria in the digestive system. Kimchi will also have a higher amount of probiotics if you let it ferment for a long time.
It’s also rich in fiber that strengthens your bowel movement.
Natto
Natto is another dish made from fermented soybeans. You can eat it plainly, but others opt to eat it with popular toppings like raw eggs, green onion, soy sauce, or kimchi. It’s also rich in probiotics that increase healthy gut bacteria, aiding in further improving your digestion. Its fiber content also aids with constipation and bowel movement.
Salmon
If you’re looking for a dish that contains omega-3 fatty acids, go with salmon. It can help alleviate the inflammation your body is suffering from. For example, those with food intolerances, bowel disease, or digestive conditions often have inflamed guts.
Eating a considerable amount of omega-3 fatty acids reduces this inflammation; hence, it’ll strengthen your digestion.
Peppermint
Did you know that the essential oils extracted from the peppermint leaves are the main ingredient used to produce peppermint oil? One study shows that peppermint oil can also aid with digestive problems because it contains menthol, which can alleviate IBS symptoms.
Those include bowel movement issues, stomach discomfort, and bloating. It also puts the muscles of your digestive system at ease, further strengthening your digestion by accelerating the food’s movement through your stomach.
It’s challenging to find the proper treatment for digestive conditions, but eating suitable dishes helps alleviate their related symptoms. If you want to relieve the problem you’re dealing with, try eating the options listed above.
