If you are someone who eats healthy and clean to stay fit, but if you don’t find that the nutrients from food aren’t being absorbed correctly, then this blog is for you!
One has to understand that just including foods that are power packed with nutrients does not guarantee that the nutrients will be absorbed by the body properly. It is essential to improve gut health to absorb nutrition, or your efforts might bear no fruit.
Our body needs nutrients to function correctly. Our body gets the required nourishment and energy when food is broken down during digestion. It requires carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and micronutrients like minerals and vitamins. During this process, macronutrients like carbohydrates break down into glucose for energy and proteins into amino acids. We get nutrients from various foods to function well. And to absorb nutrition, we need a healthy gut.
You must put in some extra work to ensure optimum nutrition absorption. Here are 5 Secrets to Superior Nutrient Absorption and Unbeatable Gut Health:
Variety in Food is always the key!
Have meals or snacks that blend different kinds of food groups, such as vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, and dairy products. This is known as food variety. Consider having a diverse diet to prevent yourself from being dependent on a single nutrient or having nutrient deficiencies. Eating a wide variety of foods is beneficial for improving gut health as they help absorb nutrition.
Ensure that your diet has at least five colours of fruits and vegetables. Pair your iron foods, such as spinach, dried fruits, and nuts, with foods rich in Vitamin C to increase Iron absorption. Wine can be paired with meats(proteins) for better Zinc absorption. Consuming Vitamin-D-rich foods help for better Calcium absorption. Include healthy fats in your diet to utilise fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. Add digestive enzyme supplements to your daily routine for an extra boost. Remember that food combinations play a vital role in nutrition absorption. And a well-balanced diet from different food groups is essential for good gut health.
Probiotics and prebiotics work wonders!
The gut is home to many millions of good bacteria. These living microorganisms are called Probiotics. Nurturing your gut with probiotic food containing good bacteria produces enzymes for better digestion. Good bacteria help to break down food particles for better absorption. Probiotics help build immunity, strengthen bodily functions, regulate inflammation, and relieve constipation. Whereas, Prebiotics are the non-living plant fibres that are food for probiotics. All fibrous foods are rich in prebiotic foods.
A few probiotic Indian foods are yoghurt(curds) made at home, cottage cheese(paneer), buttermilk, pickles, Idli, and dosa. Fruits like apples, bananas, watermelon, and papaya are the best probiotics for gut health. Papaya is a highly beneficial fruit, producing high amounts of required digestive enzymes. It calms the gut and assists in the digestion of fats and proteins. Dark chocolate is an excellent source of probiotics too. A few Prebiotic foods are bananas, onions, apples, garlic, lentils, barley, oats, flaxseeds, and coffee. Apple cider vinegar is another great prebiotic food that helps with gut health. Try apple cider vinegar gummies as gut health supplements.
Bring balance in your life!
We all have stress in our lives. We have goals we want to achieve, which leads to unnecessarily stressing out. Stress is known to damper the digestive process and can have a determined effect on nutrient absorption. Stress releases cortisol, a hormone that slows digestion and causes gas, bloating, stomach ache, and weight gain. Skip drinking tea or coffee close to or during meal times as it interferes with absorbing nutrients like iron. Also, antibiotics can wipe out the good bacteria along with the harmful bacteria.
Work on lowering stress levels by changing the nature of how you respond to stress. Invest time with friends and family, try squeezing in more sleep, and increase your intake of micronutrients through diet and gut health supplements. Always consume vitamin B12 rich foods; vegetarians can add dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, and cheese to their diet. Dry fruits such as peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and dried figs have vitamin B12, but the amount is next to nothing.
Stay away from highly processed foods!
Processed foods are foods that have been transformed from their natural state to another state. It can be anything, such as wheat flour or home-cooked meals. Highly processed foods contain high amounts of fat, sodium (salt), sugar, and additives. These foods can throw you off your diet as you will eat more than usual because of the additives. But using preservatives to make them look appealing, taste better, and lengthen their shelf life will make foods highly processed.
Processed foods are easier to digest than in their natural state. Hence your body burns fewer calories when it digests processed foods. Examples of highly processed foods are fast foods, canned foods, frozen foods, sugary drinks, syrups and jams, potato chips, ice creams, and frozen desserts. Highly processed foods can cause many life-threatening diseases like cancer, heart attack, and high blood pressure.
Drink up and Stay Hydrated!
Did you know that water makes up the majority of your body weight? And that it is involved in many vital functions. Water is an essential part of our digestive system as it is required to flush out body waste and regulate body temperatures. It helps with digestion by improving gut health. It also plays a role in brain functioning. Water is an essential component in saliva as it helps to break down solid food and keep your oral health good. It also helps to dissolve vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from the food intake.
Staying Hydrated is essential in maintaining body temperature. Our body loses water as sweat during physical activities in order to cool our bodies down. If you don’t drink enough water to replenish the water you lose, your body will be dehydrated as it loses electrolytes and plasma, making you faint or dizzy.
Pro Tip: if you are sweating more than usual, make sure to drink more water at regular intervals to avoid dehydration.
In the end
For better gut health, ditch highly processed foods, have a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, and drink plenty of water. Increase the consumption of probiotic and prebiotic foods, and try adding acv gummies or digestive supplements to improve your gut health. Just Small Things have the best digestive enzyme supplements.
