The food you eat plays an important role in your gastrointestinal health. Some foods can be difficult to digest and lead to bloating and heartburn while others increase the healthy bacteria in your gut and make digestion easier. 

Here are ten things you should include in your diet for a healthy digestive system.

1. Bananas: Bananas help regulate bowel movements and help bind food waste together thus helping with irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea. They also help restore the electrolyte and potassium balance in the stomach.

2. Oats: Oats are rich in fiber and low in calories. It is also a rich source of phosphorus, vitamin E and Zinc. Oats helps with the proper functioning of the digestive system and the extraction of waste.

3. Curd: Curd rice is the most well known home remedy for an upset stomach. Curd is a rich source of probiotics that helps restore the balance of healthy gut bacteria and eases digestion.

4. Coconut oil: Coconut oil is an excellent substitute for normal cooking oil or butter. Coconut oil has antimicrobial properties and fatty acids that ease the digestive system and boost immunity and energy levels.

5. Lentils: Lentils are rich in prebiotics and fiber. These prebiotics promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria and prevent harmful bacteria from causing stomach infections.

6. Ginger: Herbs and spices are very helpful with digestion. Amongst these, ginger is foremost. It can be used to treat a number of stomach infections such as bloating, nausea and diarrhea. Ginger also helps 
speed up the movement of food from the stomach to the intestines.

7. Vegetables: Vegetables are rich in fiber and probiotics. While beetroots help relieve constipation, sweet potatoes help treat ulcers and bowel problems. Other vegetables that aid digestion include cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots.

8. Brown rice: A certain amount of carbohydrates are essential for a well balanced diet. Brown rice has a high calorific value but is less fattening. Brown rice helps food move smoothly through the digestive system and hence promotes regularity.

9. Peppermint: Peppermint helps ease indigestion and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Peppermint can be had on its own as a flavoring agent in salads and on fruits or taken as a supplement.

10. Water: Water is crucial to healthy digestion. It helps smooth the movement of food through the digestive system and out of the bowels. Inadequate water is one of the most common causes of constipation. Ideally, you should have a minimum of 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.

10 Foods That Support Your Digestive Health

After eating a meal to your heart s content, it is very normal to burp or belch. However, it is normal only when it happens occasionally, or after a meal, for someone used to a contented meal every single time. On the other hand, excessive burping or belching can happen due to two reasons.

Excessive air intake: There are multiple ways that excessive air can reach the food pipe. Sucking on straws, chewing gum constantly and ill-fitting dentures are some common reasons for burping.
Digestive problems: Ulcers in the stomach, prolonged gastric, gallstones and rarely, esophageal or stomach cancers can also cause burping.
When to see a doctor
Check with a doctor if you have persistent burping, followed by a meal or otherwise, and accompanied by the following symptoms.

Nausea
Bloody stools
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Weight loss
Fever
Preventing belching



Go slow when eating and/or drinking: Most of us are pressed for time and eating and/or drinking has now become a task that needs to be finished quickly. Eating fast causes air to be swallowed, and therefore one of the best ways to stop burping is to eat slowly. Sitting in a calm, relaxing environment when eating also allows one to enjoy the food and avoid or stop burping.
Avoid talking while eating: There is always so much to catch up, whether at home or outside. So, talking while eating is a common practice. This is not just bad manners, but there is also a lot of air that is swallowed, which leads to burping. A solution is to chew the food properly, which not just helps stop burping, but also aids in better food digestion by mixing it adequately with saliva.
Substitute coke with water: Carbonated drinks are another reason for belching. Replacing them with water, tea, or anything noncarbonated is advisable, not just from burping perspective, but also from the excessive sugar consumption. Carbonated drinks are just sugar solutions, and are absolutely of no nutritive value.
Avoid straw: When possible, drink from a glass and avoid straws. This reduces the amount of gas taken in and helps stop burping
Quit smoking: Quitting it has multiple health benefits, and getting rid of smoking is just one of them.
Dentures: Ill-fitting dentures can be a reason for belching, and so they should be checked and corrected, if required, in a person who has persistent burping.
Chewing gum: Constantly chewing gum contributes to burping, and so avoiding chewing gum or sucking on hard candy is another way to control burping.
Avoid certain foods: Foodstuffs like broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, sprouts, and lentils can produce excessive gas and should be avoided in people who have persistent burping.
Follow the above steps in your daily routine; still if your burping problem persists, it is time to consult your physician.

Burp A Lot? 8 Ways You Can Prevent It!

Bloating isn't a medical condition. It doesn't necessarily mean that a person has eaten too much. It can be a case of eating wrong food which has not been digested by the body. Bloating occurs when air and water get trapped inside the stomach or intestine. As a result, the stomach gets swollen well past its normal level.

Culprits of bloating:
Bloating can result from a number of cases. Fatty or junk foods are one of the biggest culprits of bloating. It hinders the digestion process and doesn't let the stomach empty on time. Carbohydrates too can cause bloating. Even carbonated drinks can play spoilsport. It creates bubbles in the stomach leading to indigestion and bloating. Some food items related to gas include cauliflower, lettuce, hard candy, beans, Brussels sprouts, broccoli etc. Apart from this, consumption of excessive junk food and soft drinks can lead to bloating.

Steps to avoid bloating:
The best way to avoid bloating is to refrain from bloat causing foods as mentioned earlier. If you wear dentures, it should be ensured that it fits properly. There are instances when excess air gets inside the stomach due to an improper fixture of denture leading to bloating. Eating or drinking slowly is another good way of staying away from bloating. When you eat slowly, there are fewer chances of extra air getting inside the stomach. In the case of beverage consumption, avoiding the straw is a good idea. This way the unwanted air cannot make their way inside the tummy and play foul.

Taking a small walk after every meal is another good way of staying away from bloating. This way the gas inside the tummy cannot rise above the surface. The practice of calming technique such as yoga, deep breathing and meditation also goes a long way in giving relief from bloating.

Some home remedies to get rid of bloating include:
a. A cup of ginger, lemon and honey in a cup of hot water once everyday
b. 1 cup of herbal peppermint tea freshly prepared in boiled water
c. In the case of regular stomach bloating, intake of one caraway seed on a daily basis fetches immediate results
d. Consumption of a cup of baked pumpkin twice a week
e. Consumption of warm lemon water before you start your day is another good way of keeping bloating at bay.

Bloating can also be a symptom of other intestinal related problems as well. If the general method of control and measured diet doesn't suffice, it is time to visit a doctor to find the underlying cause of your problem. Doctors perform a series of tests to understand the problem and prescribe the required medicine to control or cure the problem.

Bloating: The Causes & Solutions

Acidity - gastritis: understanding the symptoms and causes

Gastritis/acidity is a group of diseases or symptoms where there is excess secretion of acid by the gastric glands of the stomach.

If you have upper abdominal discomfort or pain, stomach fullness, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, belching, waterbrash or irregular bowel movement, then you must be suffering from acidity or gastritis. It is a problem which becomes worse when an individual has poor eating habits and improper lifestyle.

Gastritis: swelling of stomach lining

Various factors like spicy food, medicines, tobacco, alcohol etc. Can cause increase in gastric acid production and disturb, weaken or damage the normal stomach lining. Gastritis occurs when there is an imbalance between the acid production and damage to the stomach lining, resulting in swelling of the stomach lining.

Gastritis a very common disorder of all age groups

Gastritis is of two types - acute gastritis (which occur suddenly) and chronic gastritis (develops over a period of time). In India gastritis is a very common disorder which occurs at any age but is more widespread in the adolescent age group (12-17 years). Adolescence is a change from childhood to adulthood, the period in which a lot of physical and psychological changes occur increasing the risk of gastritis. 

Multiple factors cause gastritis

Various factors like spicy food, medicines (pain killers), tobacco, alcohol, emotional disturbance, psychological stress, smoking, alcohol intake and bacterial infection lead to gastritis.

Besides these, the three most important factors include helicobacter pylori infection (bacterial infection), use of painkiller medicines and autoimmunity (body loses its own immunity and attacks itself). These factors in the long term may even cause an ulcer (permanent breakage of the stomach lining), acid reflux disorder (food coming back to mouth after swallowing) and stomach cancer.

What does Ayurveda suggest?

In Ayurveda, agni refers to fire like activity in alimentary canal responsible for digestion of food which is influenced by the status of doshas. When samana-vata associates with kapha in turn produces weak digestive power (agni-mandya). Consuming food against the code of dietetics i. E. Ahara-vidhi vidhana and ahara-vidhi-visheshayatana (method of taking food) lead to a number of diseases related with food. Eating food before the previous food is digested, untimely food, eating too much of spicy or oily food, eating when not hungry, drinking too much water during food and at a time unless required, very hot high fatty-fried food, stale food, heavy diet, excess consumption of horse gram, vitiate all the three body humours (tridosha) also contribute to the symptoms of gastritis.

Due to the sourness of consumed food the liquidity of pitta increases further decreasing the capacity for digestion (agnimandya). Hence, rasadi-dhatu is not formed in a proper manner. This, after a certain period, manifests as amlapitta (hyperacidity).

Symptoms of gastritis vary among individuals

Symptoms of gastritis vary among individuals, and in many people even there are no symptoms. It also depends on the duration of disease, whether it is of acute (coming on suddenly) or chronic (causing symptoms over a long period of time) type.

The most common symptoms of acute gastritis include:

Abdominal bloating or stomach fullness,

Belching (expelling air from the stomach through the mouth)

Waterbrashes (sour fluid or tasteless saliva into the mouth)

Upper abdominal pain or discomfort

Nausea/vomiting feeling

Irregular bowel movement

Recurrent indigestion,

Chest burn or gnawing feeling between meals (heartburn)

Hiccups etc.

In addition to this, symptoms of chronic gastritis may include weight loss, continuous flatulence, black stool, loss of appetite and even anemia.

How to diagnose gastritis?

To diagnose gastritis, performs a thorough physical evaluation, and may recommend a blood test for h. Pylori screening, stool test for blood in the stool. Abdominal x-rays or barium studies (upper or lower) may demonstrate the presence of thickened stomach lining and folds that are signs of inflammation in the stomach.

Sometimes, an endoscope, a thin tube containing a tiny camera, is inserted through the mouth and down into the stomach to look at the stomach lining (endoscopy). The doctor will check for inflammation and may perform a biopsy, in which a tiny sample of tissue is removed and sent for analysis of gastric lining.

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Related Tip: 10 Things You Must Correct to Fight Acidity And Heartburn

What Causes Acidity?  Understanding its Symptoms and Causes

Also known as flatulence, gastric problems do not really mean any kind of disease. Rather, these occur as a result of some underlying condition or some distress affecting the digestive system. Gastric problems generally take their toll on the health of the person by showing their effects either as stomach pain or by making the person lose his appetite. These gastric problems generally come along with some of the serious health conditions like diarrhoea or problems like indigestion. It is now easy to treat flatulence by using the remedies that are readily available in households. 

Forms of gastric problem
Gastric problems do not generally occur alone and they usually come along with other conditions like digestive distress, diarrhoea or even cramps. Commonly this condition can be seen in three forms in a person. One is burping, the second form is belching and the third is flatulence. Each has their own magnitude of impact on the person. All three causes annoying effects to the person and can be taken care of with the help of some home remedies. The gastric problem can be of two types. One is the acute gastritis and the other is chronic gastritis. The first problem can be cleared off within few days time and the second problem needs some extra care and treatment. 

Symptoms of gastric problem
Some cases of gastric problem can be minor and can be taken care of easily. These problems can be resolved in a matter of one or two days. Other forms of flatulence can be severe and can cause other weaknesses in the body. Doctors say that gastric problems can be identified with the help of few easily comprehensible symptoms. 

Some of the common symptoms of the gastric problems are: 
- Constant pain in the abdominal region
- Indigestion
- Loss of appetite 
- Repeated vomiting and nausea
- Increased pressure and pain in the chest area
- Persistent headache
- Sudden dizziness during work

Solution for the problem: 
There are some common home remedies for gastric worries which include: 
- A little cinnamon powder can be mixed with a glass of warm milk and can be taken along with honey.
- 2 spoons of apple cider vinegar must be mixed with a glass of warm water and cooled to the room temperature and drunk.
- Equal amounts of fennel, ginger and cardamom must be ground together and a pinch of hing must be added to it and mixed with a cup of water. It must be taken twice a day.
- 1 spoon each of carom seeds and black salt must be added to buttermilk and the solution has to be drunk.

Treat Gastric Problems Naturally

One of the most common health problems people have is indigestion. As per ayurveda, the accumulation of Ama or toxins leads to an imbalance in the way the small and large intestines functions along with various other participating organs like the liver and more. And this is the rootcause for indigestion.

The digestive tract or system is one of the most important organs of the body. Ayurveda relies on the rhythms and functions of the body to find the rootcause of ailments. Indigestion usually occurs because of bad daily habits & less physical activity.

There are many ways to treat to indigestion in an ayurvedic way. Let us look at the top tips for the same:

Timely intake of meals: For better digestion, one must take meals at the same time everyday. Also, do not sit down for the next meal before the previous meal has been digested properly.
Sleep: Sleep is a major factor that cure stress and creates a balance of sorts in one's routine, thus aiding proper digestion.
Exercise: Some form of movement and exercise is imperative to keep the digestive system in prime working condition. Walk and yoga especially are ideal to boost one's digestive health.
Aloe vera: An ounce of aloe vera a day will keep indigestion away. Break off, a leaf and scoop some gel into a smoothie for smooth digestion.
Turmeric: Haldi or turmeric helps in reducing bloating and is one of the most commonly used spices found in ayurveda. This spice is a staple in indian cooking as well, where pretty much all dishes are seasoned with cooked turmeric.
Meditation: This is one of the best ways to give digestion a positive push with a good dose of mindfulness and awareness for better balance in the body.
Avoiding unhealthy food: One must avoid unhealthy food that are excessively fried, fatty, sweet or cold so as to aid the digestive fires in doing their job effectively.
Triphala: This combination of three fruits ensures that your digestive system remains in good working condition.

Digestion Problem? Know The Simple Ayurvedic Remedies to Cure It!!  

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