The Importance Of A Healthy Digestive System
Your digestive system is an extremely important part of your body. Without it, you wouldn't be able to get all of the nutrients from the foods you eat, which play a vital role in keeping you healthy.
Unfortunately, busy lifestyles and easy access to unhealthy foods can make it difficult to look after your digestive system. This is where we can help. This guide will take you through the importance of a healthy digestive system, including how to keep it healthy.
How Does The Digestive System Work?
Your digestive system is essentially one long tube that starts at your mouth and ends at your anus. It consists of the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.
As soon as food enters your mouth, it begins its journey through your digestive system. Once you've swallowed the food, your oesophagus slowly squeezes it through towards your stomach. The stomach then gets to work on churning the food, breaking it down into a liquid mixture.
Once the stomach has churned your food, it makes its way to your small intestine. Your small intestine continues to break down the food and absorbs any vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fats found. This is made possible with assistance from liquids secreted by the pancreas, liver and gallbladder.
After a few hours in your small intestine, your food should be nothing more than a super watery mixture. It is now up to your liver and large intestine to determine if any more nutrients can be absorbed by your body.
As the remaining waste product travels through the rest of your digestive system, it loses water and starts to harden; forming into stools. Your large intestine pushes the stool to your rectum, which will leave your body when you go to the toilet.
How To Keep Your Digestive System Healthy
Your digestive system is tough; it does a great job of putting up with the foods you eat. However, just like any other part of your body, it needs to be looked after. It can only endure the wrath of a poor diet for so long. According to the NHS, common digestive problems include:
● Stomach ache
● Changes in bowel movements (constipation or diarrhoea)
● Indigestion
● Heartburn
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to reduce your chances of experiencing the above problems. Read on to discover how to look after your digestive system:
● Eat a high-fibre diet (plenty of fruits and vegetables!)
● Drink lots of water
● Reduce caffeine intake
● Exercise regularly
● Manage stress levels
If you frequently experience poor digestion-related problems, consider adding turmeric supplements to your routine. Turmeric contributes to the normal function of the immune system, meaning taking it in a supplement form will safeguard your intake.
Look After Your Body And It Will Thank You
As you can see, your digestive system plays a huge role in the normal functioning of your body. However, if you are experiencing uncomfortable symptoms and the above changes do not make a difference, visit your doctor for further guidance. They may be able to pinpoint exactly where your discomfort is coming from, ruling out any serious illnesses.
