Our body consists of various systems working in harmony, and each is responsible for its health and survival. However, one system is in charge of providing your body with the necessary nutrients: the digestive system. A healthy digestive system is a key to a healthy life. But first, you must know more about it.
The Digestive System
The digestive system is one of the most critical systems in your body. It’s responsible for nutrient intake, food breakdown, and the excretion of waste. Other systems in your body will cease to function without the digestive system. Just like other systems, it has multiple parts.
Your mouth is the first part of the digestive system. It’s where the first stage of nutrient intake starts. Whatever broken down food comes down from your mouth and into your esophagus. Your esophagus is the second part of your digestive system. It’s filled with bodily mucus that helps ease food down your throat.
After the esophagus comes to the stomach, the small intestines, and the large intestines, these organs are responsible for two things, getting as many nutrients from the food you ate and excreting waste out of your anus. These are various parts of your digestive system, and one part can’t function without the other. Now that you’re familiar with them, let’s talk about you can take care of them.
Changing Your Diet
If you’re experiencing exhaustion and constipation almost every single day, then it’s time to change your diet. These are signs that your digestive system isn’t functioning optimally, and this is partly because of your diet.
Your digestive system and every other part of your body rely on the food you eat. A diet that’s high in trans-fat and carbohydrates, such as ones found in fast food, can lead to various problems in your digestive system. Although this kind of diet is decent if you can burn them through constant physical activity, it’s hard to digest if you stay inactive.
If you’re not the most active person, you must change your diet to take care of your digestive system. A diet that’s high in fiber can help it function more efficiently. It can also help take care of constipation. Moreover, it can alleviate the pain from hemorrhoids and stomach ulcers. Changing your diet is the first step into a healthier digestive system. The next up is to create an eating schedule.
Make a Meal Schedule
Your body needs to prepare itself before you take in food. It does this automatically through salivation and stimulation. However, it can’t keep doing it every time.
Eating at random moments every day can be unhealthy, and it can lead to your digestive system functioning less optimally. It can eventually lead to obesity if you don’t follow an eating schedule.
The standard practice is eating three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, there are now more diverse eating schedules, such as eating only two meals a day. This can depend on your culture and where you live. For example, it might be essential to eat smaller meals but more frequently in colder and hotter areas of the world since your body burns calories fast.
You can follow the standard eating schedule in your culture, and if you don’t want to gain weight, avoid snacking and eating at random times every day.
Drink Plenty of Fluids
Drinking plenty of fluids is essential for every system in your body. It keeps these parts well lubricated and helps them function optimally. For the digestive system, water can help with the breakdown of food and the distribution of nutrients. A dehydrated body is more likely to experience constipation due to the lack of fluids.
The right fluids you should be consuming are water and organic juices. Avoid constant consumption of sweet and carbonated drinks, which can hurt your digestive system more than anything else.
Keeping Your Mouth Healthy
As stated earlier, your mouth is the first part of your digestive system. It is responsible for food intake, so you should be taking care of it. For example, if you’re having difficulty breaking down your food because of problems with your wisdom tooth, it’s better to get it extracted. Wisdom tooth extraction is one of the most common oral surgery procedures. It’s cheap, and almost every dentist offers it. Once the wisdom tooth is removed, you’re free to consume food again.
This is just one example of how you can keep your mouth healthy. Make sure to adopt a healthy dental regime.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to take care of your digestive system, especially if you want to reduce weight. So follow these tips for a healthy digestive system.
