Keep your digestive system healthy
The digestive system is a complex eco-system, which includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine, colon and rectum.
This ecosystem breaks down the food we eat into the nutrients our body needs. If your digestive system is not happy and healthy, your body could run into problems absorbing those nutrients.
Among the signs of an unhappy and unhealthy digestive system are fatty liver diseases, an upset stomach or constipation. These could all be eased through a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and regular consultation with your doctors.
The world’s leading digestive health products — Essentiale Forte P and Dulcolax — join hands in a campaign to make our digestive systems happier and healthier. Together, the two brands took action on World Digestive Health Day held last May 29 to remind people about the importance of keeping their digestive system in check.
Here are tips on how to keep your digestive system healthy.
• Ditch heavily processed carbohydrates like white rice and white bread as they can cause inflammation. Opt for whole grains like oats and quinoa.
• Try to remove refined sugar from your diet. Refined sugar is believed to cause constipation and slow down food transit time in the digestive system.
• Snack on raw almonds instead of chips. Nuts, along with vegetables, seeds and beans are healthy, natural sources of fiber.
• Instead of getting coffee or bubble tea (both of which contain caffeine), drink more water. Water helps keep your intestines smooth and flexible, so that your stools will be soft and easy to pass.
• Natural sources of probiotics like cultured foods such as sauerkraut,
kimchi and atchara are all rich in organic acids, which support the growth of good bacteria. Miso is rich in probiotics. Yogurt, of course, is the most popular source of probiotics.
• Instead of steaks and fried chicken, go for salmon, which is rich in good fats, to skip on the bad fats that can lead to having too much fat stored in the liver. Keep your liver in check with Essentiale Forte P, which contains essential phospholipids that repair damaged liver cell membrane, regenerate lost phospholipids and restore normal functions of the liver.
• Your gut is filled with good and bad bacteria. However, poor food and beverage choices, antibiotics and stress are killing off good bacteria. Take a daily probiotic supplement, which can help with digestion and stimulate the immune system.
• Consult your doctor to learn more about probiotics.
• Aloe vera, olive oil, coconut water, figs, prunes and dates are laxativerich foods. You can also take Dulcolax, which stimulates bowel movement and treats constipation and other bowel irregularities.