The digestion system is one of the most complex yet very useful system in the human body. As we nourish ourselves everyday through eating, digestion is an act to process the food, enabling us to use it as a fuel to be transported throughout the body. However, our eating habits can also determine how healthy our digestive system is. On this week's journal, we will be sharing a few tips on how to take care of your digestion, especially when it comes to the matter of reducing gas. Read on!
1. Consume meals at regular intervals
No matter how packed your daily schedules are, your busy lifestyle should never interfere with your eating habits, as this may cause a number of health problems. One of the simplest by-product of this habit is excess gas in your digestion, which may cause uncomfortable feeling in your abdomen as well as a tendency to pass on gas frequently.
2. Mind your portion when eating
This point is closely related to the previous tip. When you feel really hungry, you may tend to stuff yourself with food and this may cause the feeling of being bloated, although the problem is that you simply ate too much. Therefore, it's beneficial to slow down your eating pace, cut down on big meals and opt for slightly smaller but more frequent meals instead. Bloating may cause discomfort for most people, as you feel like gas is trapped inside your digestion tract and temporarily not able to be let out.
3. Avoid swallowing too much air
You may be thinking: how exactly does one swallow air? This common occurence is categorized as upper digestive gas, where you would've possibly done it without realizing as you eat your food while talking or drink through a straw. Consuming chewing gum and drinking carbonated beverages may also increase your upper gas production, as this will usually be passed on in the form of burping. When people experience regular belching, it is due to swallowing excess amounts of air. Therefore, improving your chewing and swallowing habits may help reduce the amount of upper digestive gas and burping.
4. Don't eat foods that can trigger gas production
Be aware about the food you eat, as some foods may cause you to produce more gas than the other. This occurence is known as lower digestive gas. It is a by-product of digestion and is caused by fermentation of foods in the intestinal tract. Lower intestinal gas will then be expelled out the anus and is called flatus (farting). Therefore, the foods we eat have a lot to do with how much gas we produce, and how it smells.
Some vegetables and high-fiber foods like cabbages, can make people produce large amounts of gas. Carbohydrates, like beans, contain natural sugars that may cause gas, whereas proteins and fats typically do not. This happens because sugar ferments contents in the digestive tract and produces gas. Fatty foods can also slow down digestion and the emptying of the stomach, as well as trigger bloated feeling.
5. Consume supplements that may improve digestion
Last but not least, aiding your digestion with natural supplement is more than often necessary to ensure a healthy digestive system and optimal processing of the foods you consume. Therefore, taking a step further in managing your digestive health is definitely not to be missed. A number of natural supplements, like Relief Sari Kunyit from Herbana, is made out of herbal extracts that can be consumed daily and is safe from various side effects that may be present when you consume synthetic supplements.