Complete Guide for Healthy Stomach

Sagarika Patil
8 min readJun 11, 2021

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A subject of both growing concern and research in the recent medical history is the immense complexity concerning the human gut or stomach and its relevance to our wellness. Several studies have shown correlations between stomach condition, mental health, and the immune system. Other numerous physical complications like behavioral issues, skin conditions, and the spread of cancer in the last few decades have become a cause for concern and are closely associated with the stomach.

The human digestive system was once attributed to a comparatively simple anatomy. It invariably consisted of a long tube helping to pass through external food particles that subsequently consumed and, in turn, excreted. In reality, the word gut microbiome applies to the microorganisms living in our intestines. In their digestive tract, all individuals do have around 300 to 500 distinct bacteria species. Some microorganisms are injurious to human health. However, most of them are highly beneficial to healthy well-being, necessary for smooth survival in the long run.

The food you consume gets broken down by the digestive system into the nutrients that your body takes in. Your body could run into trouble, absorbing those vital nutrients if the digestive health is overlooked. Human digestive health is directly related to food intake and the adopted lifestyle. It can assist your digestive system function more smoothly and improve the overall health condition and feeling of well-being by taking adequate steps to organize your digestive health.

HOW WILL YOU KEEP A HEALTHY STOMACH ALL YEAR ROUND?

Following are some important guidelines to acquire better digestive health:

1 Consumption of High-Fiber Diet:
Consuming a high-fiber diet that is commonly found in whole grains, fruits, legumes, and vegetables will boost your digestion. A high-fiber diet content helps keep food particles easily pass through the digestive tract, making people stay away from the sufferings of constipation. A high-fiber diet will also prevent from drawing different digestive disorders, such as diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, and inflammatory bowel problems. Moreover, it will assist you to reach or maintain a proportionate weight (reduction of obesity).

2 Both Soluble and Insoluble Fibers Are Essential
Eating both types of fiber (soluble and insoluble) is essential, as they support the human digestive system in varying manners. Our body often can’t take in insoluble fiber, termed as roughage, and it subsequently adds bulk to the subsequent residual excretion. Soluble fiber pulls in water and can help you avoid discharging watery stools. Vegetables, whole grains, and wheat brans are excellent sources of insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber can be had from nuts, legumes, oat bran, seeds, and pulses.

3 Avoid Consuming Fatty Meat
Protein is considered to be an integral part of a healthy diet, but digestive distress can result from fatty meat products. Therefore, you must choose lean cuts, including skinless poultry and thinly sized bacon, and consume reduced size of meat. It is preferable to focus on fiber content like fruits, whole grains, and vegetables. Sometimes, fatty foods may probably slow down the all-important digestive process, making people more inclined to constipation. However, the intake of a reasonable amount of saturated fat is crucial. Fatty foods with high-fiber content help things move smoothly along the entire digestive system.

4 Inclusion of Prebiotics and Probiotics Is a Bonus
The probiotics are regarded as identical elements of friendly bacteria and yeasts naturally found in human digestive tracts. They can maintain a healthy body by countering the impact of bad nutrition, stress, and consumption of antibiotics. Besides this, probiotics can also improve the absorption of nutrients, may disintegrate lactose, boost the immune system, and may even cure irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Medical experts advise that individuals should eat healthy supplies of probiotics regularly, such as low-fat yogurt. Apart from probiotics, Prebiotics will also assist digestion. As maintained by nutrition and dietetics specialists, prebiotics serve as a food supplement for probiotics, helping individuals to sustain healthy bacteria in the stomach.

5 FODMAP Diet to Cure Digestive Disorders
It may be difficult for certain individuals to digest the FODMAP category of foods, which are varieties of carbohydrates. If you realize you are suffering from IBS, or merely struggling with symptoms like abdominal cramping, stomach wind, diarrhea, and bloating, you may get some relief by consuming a low FODMAP diet. It is most suitable in the short term process and intended to define the tempting and tasty foods you can avoid for better digestion. One should work closely with a registered dietitian or nutritionist who specializes in this field to make sure that your diet is safe and hygienic.

WHAT ARE DIGESTIVE BITTERS?

bitter herbs

Bitters are an extract made from mainly bitter herbs, as the name suggests. Aromatics and botanicals that may include any mixture of plants, roots, bark, berries, flowers, or seeds are the main constituents. You have probably observed additions such as Angostura bitters on the blended drink menu served in a cocktail lounge. However, digestive bitter recipes do exist everywhere, from hotel bars to medicinal cupboards. Bitters have gained immense popularity for sustaining digestive health conditions, curtailing cravings for sugar, improving the immune system, and even relieving stress with the advent of distinct medical technologies.

HOW THEY HELP KEEP A HEALTHY GUT?

Scientists honestly tag digestive bitters recipe as one of the seven tastes that are fundamental for upkeeping general health. The human body contains lots of receptors, giving space to bitter compounds in different body parts like our intestine, liver, stomach, and pancreas apart from our mouth and tongue. Bitter is mostly used to protect the digestive system. Bitter receptors act as alarms to our body to draw our attention towards the presence of the most hazardous and toxic substances.

By raising the level of digestive secretions, the activation of these bitter receptors encourages healthy digestion. It leads to greater nutrient absorption, natural hepatic detoxification. Besides, bitter herbs may also have a positive impact on both physical and stress due to the brain-stomach coordination.

However, one must remember that it is not a final remedy for digestive disorders. You should take them as an intermediary for keeping hale and hearty. Any medication from a recognized doctor should not be substituted. Besides, proper diet charts, timely food intake, staying away from alcohol and smoking, and reasonable workouts are also crucial.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS?

Bitters can trigger stomach acid and act as a digestive agent when your stomach needs a little help. It gives relief from indigestion, nausea, heartburn, bloating, cramping, and also wind formation. Bitter herbs are regarded as fighting elements working against stomach inflammation. They can become an immune-boosting weapon, combined with common additives, such as turmeric and ginger. To protect the body from autoimmune disorders, the anti-inflammatory compounds inherent in these components have enough potent antioxidant effects.

Digestive bitter herbs can foster overall healthier eating rituals and regulate overeating. The consumption of bitter foods induces the development of hormones like GLP-1 and PYY that helps regulate and control the desired appetite. By helping to eliminate body toxins, regulating the synthesis of sugar and fats, and helping to release gallbladder-related hormones such as CCK (cholecystokinin), bitters provide the liver a much-desired boost in the long run.

WHAT ARE AYURVEDIC CONCEPTS OF BITTERS?

When you consider maintaining a healthy stomach, your eyes automatically turn to the aspects of Ayurveda. Ayurveda always stresses the fact that a healthy stomach can digest food within six hours after consumption. According to Ayurveda, bitter consumption is more productive than adopting any other measures while restoring your ailing stomach.

The bitter flavor stimulates breathing and refreshes body metabolism. A team of scientists has recently discovered the presence of bitter buds in the lungs. Also, current research has revealed that humans have generated specific bitter taste buds in the lungs.

Usually, people neglect the use of bitters in their diet chart. But the fact of the matter is bitters tend to dry up in the body, leading to a rise in metabolism level and release fat. The elements purify the body by drying up all secretions. They also revamp the digestive system and minimize frequent food cravings.

As maintained in Ayurveda, bitter constituents are light, cool, and easily dry up. They ideally remove bile and cough and every bit of body toxins. Regular addition of bitters in food consumption gets rid of physical sufferings like fever and dizziness. They remove impurities collected in blood plasma and the impact of sweet taste. Routine use of bitters also heals wounds and rejuvenates the skin and muscle tissues.

Besides, Ayurvedic concepts also stress the consumption of digestive bitters, which embraces a popular Joyful Belly constituent that has plenty of bitter taste. A majority of leafy greens, orange peel, and coffee are live instances of the bitter category.

WHAT ARE THE BITTER INGREDIENTS?

There are two elements in bitter herbs: bitter additives and a medium that is usually a bit of alcoholic substance. Bitters can also be applied to aromatic products and spices. Following are some types of common bitter agents:

  • Atrichoke leaf
  • Dandelion root
  • Burdock root
  • Angelica root
  • Gentian root

Sometimes aromas spices and herbs are included for flavor and additional relief such as lavenders for stress relief. These constituents are as under:

  • Vanilla
  • Ginger
  • Turmeric
  • Sariva
  • Peppercorns
  • Mint
  • Cinnamon
  • Dries fruits

AYURVEDIC HERBS AS BITTER INGREDIENTS

  • Spices
  • Legumes-Beans
  • Greens
  • Vegetables
  • Roots
  • Fruits
  • Sweeteners
  • Ferments
  • Oils

WHO SHOULD AVOID BITTERS CONSUMPTION?

Consumption of digestive bitters recipe should be avoided by individuals who are in the process of giving childbirth or suffering from any complicated health ailment. Bitters are also prone to react with some life support drugs, and it is better to keep children away from using any dosage. Besides, you should talk to your family doctor about potential medicinal herbs and plant combinations together with your prevailing prescription. Bitters are very strong, and the using techniques can differ in dose and frequency. Just a few drops in a day might serve your purpose. One can either put a few drops of a tincture on the tongue directly or blend them with another liquid like cocktails.

ARE BITTERS THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR A HEALTHY STOMACH?

Whole grains and fresh vegetables in the diet are a must for you, and refined red meats, carbohydrates, and saturated fats are considered harmful for weight management and a heart condition. The stomach is harmed by high intensity of fat, sugar, and salty and spicy foods. You should go for them for occasional delicacies.

The application of the digestive bitters recipe should not be taken for granted for stomach relief. You may take it as a supplementary intake along with routine processes such as a nutritious diet, proper workouts, adequate sleep, regular medical checkups, lesser use of antibiotics, and so on.

THE TAKEAWAY

Every aspect of human health is influenced by an invisible and unknown ecosystem, which exists in our stomach. Now, people need to think more about the microbiome and the role it can play in monitoring those health issues when there is an alarming propensity of obesity and type 2-diabetes across the globe. However, we are fortunate enough because the issue is not so complicated. We can definitely take care of our physical health with the help of proper guidance and medical attention.

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