How you feel can be a direct result of your gastrointestinal health. Your physical and emotional well-being, level of energy, and ability to perform your daily activities are directly linked to how effectively your digestive system is performing its job of flushing waste and toxins out of your body. Without a properly functioning digestive tract, the human body becomes a sluggish mess. If left untreated, all those toxins can cause serious complications to literally every organ and every system of your body. The fact is, though, that maintaining proper GI health often is a matter of making just a few adjustments to your lifestyle. If you’re feeling listless, heavy, and unable to enjoy everyday activities, your digestive system may need a little assistance. Following are some tips from GI doctors in Queens that can help you maintain proper GI health in order to get back to your regular, energetic self.
Water
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Water is the miracle liquid that keeps your gastrointestinal system working in peak form. Without the proper amount of H2O, your colon is crying, “Foul!” Imagine trying to unclog a drain in your home without water. You drop in a couple spoonfuls of a powdery substance made especially to unclog drains, but you don’t follow it up with water. You’d never do it! Then why would you ever consider that your own pipes can unclog themselves without sufficient amounts of water? GI doctors recommend drinking at least 6 to 8 glasses of the crystal clear stuff every single day in order to keep your drains unclogged and functioning optimally.
Exercise
Because moving is what your bowels need to do, moving is what you need to do! Seriously, you can’t expect your intestines to move while you’re lounging and lazing around the house all day. Does that sound fair? No way! Find something you enjoy doing and spend 20 to 30 minutes daily in exercise. Look, exercise doesn’t have to be drudgery. There are tons of activities that get your body moving, and you’re bound to find one you’ll find enjoyable.
Unhealthy habits
It’s no surprise that smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are bad for your health. Every organ in your body needs the proper amount of nutrients to keep your body functioning properly. The problem with tobacco products is that they rob your body of the vitamins and minerals it needs to perform. By the same token, drinking too many alcoholic beverages is equally bad for your organs; it’s important to limit alcohol consumption in order to maintain proper function of every organ in your body.
Massage
Believe it or not, massaging your belly aids digestion! That’s right, spending just 2 or 3 minutes a day in a good belly massage helps to break down food and advance it to where it needs to go.
Nutrition
Is it shocking to learn that good nutrition is vital to your digestion? Of course it isn’t. So what is proper nutrition? And how much does your body need of the good stuff to keep your digestive system functioning like a well-oiled machine? First, your body needs at least 3 to 4 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Raw, crunchy vegetables are especially good for the body because they contain fiber that aids digestion. Whole grains, too, are important because of their high fiber content that cleanses the colon. On top of that, try eating low-fat protein that doesn’t tax the digestive system. Chicken is good, and fish is great because of the essential oils it contains that also aid in proper digestion. But that’s not all. If you’re going to keep your GI system in optimal form, you have to limit processed, starchy, and sugary foods that can wreak havoc on your GI tract. Naturally, avoiding these poor excuses for food is best, but if you’re sad about saying ‘so long’ to sugar or starch, limit these foods to one per day at the most for best results when it comes to maintaining proper GI health.
A well-functioning digestive system is vital for total body well-being. If you’ve been feeling sluggish, weak, and tired lately, you may need to make a few changes in order to get your digestive tract back on track. Oftentimes, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to restore and maintain proper GI health. If you’ve taken some of the above steps and you still feel irregular, contact a gastroenterologist to schedule a consultation.