The discomfort of having to deal with gastric issues on the regular can be a thorn in your side when you’re trying to go about your day. If you are one to suffer from symptoms of bloating, acid reflux, stomach aches and irritable bowels, you are not alone. Gastrointestinal disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affect nearly 430,000 Malaysians. It’s more common than you think.
Look into what your meals are missing
When suffering from digestive ailments, the most telling cause to consider is your diet. Deficiency in certain foods and nutrients can bring about an imbalance of good and bad bacteria, which is known as dysbiosis. This can be countered by eating more foods and drinks that contain good bacteria such as cultured milk drinks, yogurt and fermented vegetables.
In addition to this, fibre-rich foods can improve intestinal transit time (ITT), which is the amount of time needed for food to travel from your mouth through your digestive tract until it is ready to be expelled from your body. Smoother digestion ensures a less troubling stomach.
Listen to your body
If there is still no noticeable improvement, food intolerances could also be a culprit. Keeping a food diary would help you track what foods don’t sit well with your stomach. Through the process of elimination, you can narrow down the foods that you cannot digest adequately. By cutting these foods out and replacing with it other healthy substitutes, your gut can handle digestion better. For instance, some people may have lactose or gluten intolerance.
Keeping a food diary would help you track what foods don’t sit well with your stomach.
Develop healthy habits
Going hand in hand with what you eat, is when you eat. We may have heard this time and again, but how much importance do we actually give it? Often, the solution to your troubling gastric issues is eating regular meals on time. And the worst habit you can have is to skip meals, as this may lead to more unhealthy snacking and aggravate your gastric issues. No matter how busy you are, set aside time for regular, well-balanced healthy meals. Your gut and body will thank you.
Be in better control of your health
Though it can be quite taxing to deal with gastrointestinal problems, the good news is that most of the common, less serious ones are preventable. Paying attention to your diet, mental wellness and daily routine can bring a world of difference to those suffering from gastric issues.
