What steps can you take to help your GI tract function at its best?

Answer 1

These are the most effective ways that I have found have improved my own digestion. Digestion is both a chemical and a mechanical process in which our bodies take in food and break it down so it can be absorbed by the cells as nutrients and other usable ingredients, like water, from the food and drink we consume. After these ingredients are removed for our use the waste products are eliminated through obvious means. In order for our digestion to work efficiently then the organs used for digestion (stomach, intestines) even elimination (urinary bladder, kidneys, colon etc.) need to be kept healthy. Here are a few ways to do that.

- - Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water.(avoid drinks with excess sugar, caffeine, or other unnecessary stimulants or supplements like found in energy drinks). Pure clean water, even from the tap, is the best. Throughout your day drink 48 to 96 ounces (about 1.5 to 3 liters). You should be urinating frequently and it should be clear-ish (not cloudy or dark yellow/orange.) Remember, water is not only absorbed and excreted in the urinary tract. The intestines also remove water and it helps "lubricate" the intestine as well.

- - Increase, and balance your fiber intake.There are two kinds of fiber, soluble and insoluble, both help "scrub" fat and bad cholesterol from the blood vessels. Soluble fiber is broken down in digestion and you can supplement it easily with over-the-counter products. Insoluble fiber, also known as "roughage" is not completely broken-down by digestion. The rough qualities of husks, skins, cellulose etc. scrubs-down the walls of the stomach and intestinal linings, taking the waste with it as it passes almost whole out of the body in fecal material. Raw vegetables, whole grains, heavy-skinned fruits all are forms of insoluble fiber and are extremely good for "bulking-up" your intake, working digestive muscles, and "cleaning your pipes" so-to-speak.

- - Add pro-biotics, or macrobiotics to your diet. Either through supplements or through the intake of the live active bacteria found in most yogurts, you should supply your body with these on a regular basis. Our bodies contain live healthy bacteria in our digestive systems. These need to be replaced to return our digestive system to natural health. DON'T BE FOOLED by yogurt products that make a big hooplah about having ONE culture like Bifidus Regularis, for instance when the really good products have several necessary cultures. Either take a natural supplement with pro-biotics in it or buy a yogurt of your liking with at least some of the following: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus casei, Casei Immunitas, Bifidobacterium or bifidum (Bifidus Regularus). Ask your local pharmacist if he/she has a brand of pro/macro biotic supplement or yogurt that they like or recommend.

Keep your meat consumption well-balanced with other foods. Meats are a great source of protein, but they are also a high source of saturated fat and chlorestorol. Lean meats are better, but meat does not digest easily and so needs to stay in the stomach long enough for acids to help break it down. Keep consumption of meat in moderation with other protein sources and choose in the following order: Fish, chicken (white meat), lean red meat, chicken (dark meat) and then the rest. Ground beef, pork, fatty meats all may taste good but are not particularly healthy.

Although there are certainly more ways to help improve digestion and create a healthy digestive tract, these are the most effective and I can back them from personal experience. You know that these things are working when you become more "regular", with less constipation or diarrhea. You will also generally feel better, can loose or gain weight as needed, and will have more energy and less fatigue. Keeping a well balanced intake with water is always better that messing with the latest health fad.