Top 10 Foods That Help Digestion

We need our digestive organs to feed ourselves and get the necessary nutrition from food. How about feeding the digestive system itself? There are certain foods that help digestion and support digestive health for certain reasons. We will take a closer look at the role of high fiber foods, probiotic and prebiotic foods in digestive health here. Then you can find a nice top 10 selection of foods from these certain groups!

Crucial Food Groups for Digestive Health

Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods

Probiotics are foods containing beneficial live bacteria that live in our bowels, defined as our second brain in our body. Probiotics facilitate digestion, support our immunity, regulate our intestinal functions, protect us from gastrointestinal diseases, and have significant contributions to our health in many areas. Probiotics remove toxic and harmful substances in our foods, fight allergens, and recognize carcinogenic factors and make them harmless. Therefore, getting these bacteria into our bodies as much as possible will help protect our health.

Yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tempeh, and pickled vegetables are rich in probiotics that you can add more to your diet. Prebiotic foods are friendly to our gut that encourage the growth and/or activity of probiotic bacteria. The prebiotics is all dietary fibers, they are necessary for probiotic bacteria population since they feed on prebiotics. They are very effective in regulating intestinal functions, facilitating digestion, and increasing our benefit from food. They increase the absorption of calcium and magnesium from foods.

In this case, it is crucial to consume more prebiotic foods. When we are deprived of prebiotics, the beneficial bacteria in our bodies may decrease. Remember, there can be no prebiotics without probiotics, and probiotics cannot fulfill their duty without prebiotics. Regular intake of both is vital in terms of protecting our immune system. Foods that help with digestion with prebiotic properties include:

• Vegetables: Leek, Jerusalem artichoke, okra, artichoke, celery, tomato, onion, garlic, chicory, asparagus, mustard plant
• Legumes: Beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas.Whole grains: Whole wheat, oats, buckwheat, barley, brown rice
• Oilseeds: Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, flaxseeds
• Fruits: Olives, bananas, grapes, strawberries, apples
  
  

Vegan Sources of Probiotics

While vegan products are becoming increasingly available, many popular probiotic foods and supplements are not dairy-free. This poses a problem for vegans and lactose intolerance, even for others, as some animal products may cause inflammation. Therefore, it’s best to choose a vegan source of probiotics to fully improve your gut health and overall well-being. The best vegan probiotic foods that help digestion include:

• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Pickled vegetables
• Kombucha
• Water kefir
• Tempeh
• Sourdough bread
• Miso
• Fortified dairy alternatives
  
  

High Fiber Foods

It is common knowledge that fiber is beneficial for good digestion as they regulate bowel movements. Fibrous foods prevent constipation and digestive system illnesses by softening the stool and increasing its weight, facilitating movement in the intestine and its excretion. Furthermore, findings show that low-fat and high-insoluble fiber diets prevent colon cancer by increasing the amount of stool, removing carcinogens this way, and allowing them to be rapidly expelled from the intestines.High-fiber foods are also beneficial for cardiovascular health and help balance blood sugar.

Soluble fibers bind cholesterol in our intestines, preventing it from being absorbed to decrease blood cholesterol levels. In particular, soluble fiber foods such as oat bran, legumes, nuts, and seeds reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes by reducing the absorption of sugar by the blood and insulin secretion in diabetic patients; it’s certainly a plus that they have low glycemic indexes. Fibrous foods that help digestion include vegetables, whole grains, and wheat bran. A high fiber diet could reduce the risk of digestive conditions, including ulcers, reflux, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and IBS.

Top 10 Foods That Help Digestion

Here are ten foods that help digestion and help you avoid common gastrointestinal symptoms.

1. Apple Apples are high in pectin. Pectin, an insoluble fiber, skips digestion in your small intestine and is then broken down by friendly bacteria in your colon. It increases stool volume and is therefore widely used to relieve constipation and diarrhea. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of intestinal infections and inflammation in the colon.
2. Fennel Fennel is a fresh herb high in fiber that helps prevent constipation and improves digestive regularity. It also has a spasm-relieving quality that relaxes smooth muscles in your digestive system. This action can reduce negative digestive symptoms such as bloating, bloating, and cramping.
3. Chia Seeds Chia seeds are rich in fiber that causes them to form a gelatin-like substance in your stomach after consumption. They work like a prebiotic, support the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut and contribute to healthy digestion there.
4. Kombucha Kombucha is a fermented tea made by mixing certain bacteria, sugar, and yeast with black or green tea for a week or more. Kombucha’s high probiotic content improves digestion and gut health. The drink can also help heal stomach ulcers.
5. Papaya Sweet tropical fruit papaya contains a digestive enzyme called papain, which helps the digestive process by helping break down protein fibers. If you have issues digesting protein, make sure to include papayas in your diet. Papain may also alleviate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms such as constipation and bloating.
6. Tempeh Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans. The fermentation process improves the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Fermented foods are a good source of probiotics, and you can find many vegan options too!
7. Beet One cup of beets contains 3.4 grams of fiber. You could roast beets, mix them in a salad, pickle them or mix them in a smoothie. The nutrients of beets can help improve digestion by helping feed gut-friendly bacteria and adding weight to your stool.
8. Ginger Ginger is commonly used in traditional eastern medicine to treat digestive issues and accelerate cleansing of the gastrointestinal tract. It also reduces your risk of heartburn, nausea, and stomach upset by moving food from your stomach to your small intestine faster.
9. Dark Green Vegetables Leafy greens are rich in magnesium and insoluble fibers. Insoluble fibers pass through the digestive tract faster by adding weight to your stool. For similar reasons, they help relieve constipation. Try consuming more spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, collard greens, or swiss chard and see how they affect your digestion.
10. Peppermint Oil Peppermint oil is made from essential oils found in peppermint leaves and improves digestive issues. Peppermint oil can also alleviate indigestion by speeding up the movement of food through your digestive system. It can ease IBS symptoms and push food into your digestive system faster.
    
    

If you’re looking to build new habits and enhance your health, then it’s time to start thinking about what you should be doing differently in your life. The good news is that there are many ways to make changes to your lifestyle that can improve your health and lead to better overall wellness. If you want to learn how to live a healthier lifestyle and find recipes with foods that help digestion, download wannawell app for free.