Natural Health September 2017

HEALTH & Wellness
Tips for Good
Digestive Health
Good digestive health starts with making
healthy food and lifestyle choices. Here
are some effective tips to improve your
digestive health:
• Eat a high-fibre diet: Consuming
a diet that is high in fibre will keep
foods moving through your digestive
tract. It can also help prevent a
number of common digestive issues
such as constipation, IBS, and others.
Fruits like passion fruit, pomegranates,
pears, persimmons bananas, apples
and oranges are one good way to
add to the fibre. One downside to
some fruits is that they contain a lot of
fructose – fruit sugar – that can cause
gas. One way to avoid this is to
consume high-fibre, lower-sugar fruits
that don't bring on the bloated tummy,
like kiwi. One cup of kiwi offers 5
grams of fibre, plus you'll get other
good-for-you nutrients, like more than
double your daily vitamin C quota.
• Stay hydrated: Always drink plenty of
water. Water helps your body dissolve
fats and fiber and helps things move
through your system more efficiently.
• Add probiotics into your diet:
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that
exist in your digestive tract. Adding
more to your diet through food and
supplementation will help keep
your body healthy. Low fat yogurt,
sourdough bread, sour pickles and
kimchi are a great source of probiotics.
• Cleanse and detox: Performing a
cleanse on occasion will help your
body refresh and recharge, and allow
your digestive system to reset.
• Limit consumption of processed
foods: It's always best to choose fresh,
high quality food sources such as
fruits, vegetables, and lean meats over
processed and high fat food options.
• Exercise regularly: Exercise helps
keep food moving through your system
as it uses the food you consume for
energy. It also helps you maintain a
healthy weight, something else that
will improve your digestion.
• Eat on a schedule: Your body loves
routine. Eating frequent, smaller
meals and snacks will keep your
digestive system working effectively
and efficiently.
Getting the Fibre Your
Body Needs
Certain grains, raw vegetables, and
fresh fruits are excellent sources of dietary
fibre. Unfortunately, in most cases unless
you buy organic food, not only are you
getting fibre, but you are also getting a
lot of chemicals from pesticides – and
possibly even heavy metals from areas
where there is high pollution, making the
fibre you do take in less than healthy for
your body and your digestive system.
Good digestion is vital for good health.
A stomach that has the correct level of
good and bad bacteria is a healthy one.
Also, the right level of fibre and water
are excellent for assisting the body in
eliminating waste. While getting the
fibre your body needs is important for
your health, it isn't as easy to get good
sources of fibre as you might think.
Certain grains, raw vegetables, and
fresh fruits are excellent sources of dietary
fibre. Unfortunately, in most cases unless
you buy organic food, not only are you
getting fibre, but you are also getting
a lot of chemicals from pesticides - and
possibly even heavy metals from areas
where there is high pollution, making the
fibre you do take in less than healthy for
your body and your digestive system.
Taking a good fibre supplement can
help give you the good fibre your body
needs, without the chemicals you may
be getting from those ‘in
store’ fresh foods.
However, you do
have to be careful
in choosing
a good fibre
supplement
with probiotics
and look at how
the supplement is
manufactured before
purchasing it.
12 Natural Health * September 2017 VOL 83