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Foods That Help The Digestive System

Your digestive system is made up of an intricate system that involves a series of hollow organs, joined together by a long tube that travels all the way from the mouth right to the anus.

Many organs along the way contribute to help break down the food, absorb the essential vitamins and minerals, and proceed to prepare the rest for excretion. The walls of the digestive organs all have their walls lined with mucosa which aid the slimy ball of chewed up food morsels to travel down the length of the digestive system. All along the way, the food is acted upon by digestive juices secreted by the different organs.

The liver, the pancreas and the gallbladder play an important role in the process of digestion. Your body takes in food that by itself cannot be a form of nourishment. It needs to be broken down into small molecules of nutrients and absorbed into the bloodstream so that it can be carried to all the cells in the body. These cells help to nourish and provide energy. There are some foods that take longer and are a lot more challenging to break down, while other foods are easier on the digestive system.

All of us may have encountered digestive problems at some time or another. Gas, an upset tummy, diarrhea, constipation or heartburn all constitute minor gastric problems. These issues are usually not serious, don’t last very long, and can be easily treated. But sometimes, the most common of digestive conditions can be a sign of a more serious problem. Whatever the issue is, your doctor will recommend a change in diet for the digestive problem that you have.

There are certain foods that help with digestion and constitute what nutritionists refer to as 'healthy eating habits':

• Fiber – Foods rich in fiber are great for your digestive health. A diet rich in it, can prevent constipation and aids digestion. Fibrous food includes whole-meal breads, oat bran, corn bran, rice bran, all bran cereal, fiber one bran cereals, beans of all kinds, wholesome grains, sweet peas, dark leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, bananas, pears, oranges, apples, peaches, figs, raisins and prunes.
• Proteins - Proteins, although a great source of nourishment, and very important in building and strengthening muscle, can take a fairly long to digest. Some protein rich foods that are relatively easier on the stomach, are egg whites, cottage cheese, soybeans, yogurt and lean meat (in adequate proportions)
• Carbohydrates – This food group can be most easily digested provided they are simple carbs. Some simple carbs that aid in digestion are brown rice, apples, dried figs, whole orange, grapefruit, almonds, peanuts, raspberries, baked beans, cornbread and watermelon. Although simple carbohydrate foods are easy to digest, not all of them are good for you as many contain refined sugars and lesser important vitamins and minerals.

A balanced and a healthy diet made of up the vital foods types can go a long way in assisting and improving your digestive system. There are other things that you can do, along with maintaining a good diet, to improve your digestive health.

• Cooked versus raw foods – Cold or raw foods weaken and dampen digestion. Although it is believed that foods lose some of their nutrients in the cooking process, the digestive system deals with cooked and heated foods much better than cold and raw food.
• Chew – The more you break down your foods into smaller particles, the better you make it for your digestive system to process it. A rule of the thumb is that you should chew every mouthful about 30 times before swallowing.

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