“Your gut is not Las Vegas and what happens in the gut does not stay in the gut!” That’s a funny quote I read somewhere, which is completely true. GUT seems to be a short and sweet three letter word but in reality Gut is the core of the body. It is the major topic for a nutritionist/dietitian for conducting research and also to diagnose and resolve any metabolic disorder. Stomach and the intestines along with your liver and pancreas combine to give you a healthy metabolic output to your body. Stomach problems can alter the entire functioning in the body. And hence, I always stress on how to prepare your tummy prior to the meals and also after the meals. If this concept is new to you, let me try to explain this in a simple way.
Stomach consists of healthy acids that break down your food and help in better absorption of nutrients. This gut space is sacred in my view and is to be safe guarded from any acidic alteration. Improper food intake or imbalance can cause to alter the acidic state of the stomach that becomes dangerous in the long run. Most of the people from the age 40 and above suffer from common stomach and intestinal issues. Any negligence in this regard can route towards tumors in most cases.
Most of the times, in a clinical setting we get to see cases where patients with Gastro-intestinal problems suffer a lot due to pain, nausea, diarrhea, constipation and malnutrition. These are the critical cases where we see the patient is unable to eat a normal diet and this makes them weak with lots of energy and muscle loss. These patients are also carefully treated with supplemental nutrition to maintain their nutritive balance and to preserve their health. It is always heart-wrenching to see people not able to eat, especially elderly patients.
The world is filled with detox diets and supplements. People are lost in the world of weight loss and fad diets. There are more products in the market that are brought for a quick fix. Research also found that people show less interest in consuming foods like rice products, cashews, potatoes, ghee, fruits like bananas, watermelon and mangoes (especially diabetic people) in the fear of weight gain. If this seems like a quick fix to all the weight issues, you may be in for a serious health ride after you hit the age of 40.
It is always a balanced diet that helps in gaining the best health. Avoiding and omitting certain food products might not always help. I can give you an example of a diabetic patient who takes their medication (metformin) on time. They never consumed fruits like bananas, melons and other healthy fats (nuts) into their diet in a fear of weight gain. There are long gaps between meals and the concept of healthy snacking (in between meals) was never introduced to them. The focus was on weight loss and reduction in the blood sugar levels. This person eats sugarless whole wheat biscuits as a snack and omits consuming fruits. A fruit consists of natural sugars that help in triggering a stable insulin. And a fruit is always more nutritive than a sugarless whole wheat biscuit. This small modification in the lifestyle of a diabetic person will reap huge benefits. Because, a fruit will maintain healthy acidic state of the stomach and as well prepares the stomach for the next meal. Simple habits will help in reducing blood pressure issues.
In the name of weight loss, people starve themselves which in turn alters their stomach acids and can also lead to gastric related issues. If you think gastric issues can be treated easily with antacids, please think again, sometimes gastric issues can also lead to tumors in the gut and food pipe (Oesophagus). So, the next time when you feel hungry, do not starve and do not curse your appetite. Hunger is the body’s way of letting you know it’s time to prepare your stomach for the action.
Tips to maintain a healthy gut:
Having water on an empty stomach in the morning prepares and soothes your stomach.
Starting your day with coffee or tea may not be suggestable.
Healthy snacking in between meals is essential to maintain the acidic balance in the stomach.
Consume more fruits ,vegetables and nuts as mini snacking.
Short meals like one slice of toast, a cup of cornflakes with milk, one egg/omlette, a small bowl of poha/upma, 1 or 2 dosas/idlis, one roti with curry or scrambled eggs, soups, a cup of milk, in between meals can be consumed by healthy individuals.
After you eat fried foods or heavy meat always hydrate yourself with healthy drinks like water, buttermilk, soups and complement your diet with fiber rich foods during the rest of the day.
DO NOT treat yourself with self medication in case of gastric regurgitation or gastritis.
Chewing betel nuts or tobacco must be avoided.
Do not starve as it agitates your acidity.
Never completely stop consuming staple foods that your body is used to since your childhood.
Burning sensation in your chest/stomach and pain is a sign that you have to take care of your lifestyle.
Lack of physical activity, foods high in caffeine, extremely spicy foods, lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet, and less water intake can be a recipe for disaster.
Consult health experts to observe, diagnose and treat the problem.
Rice konji, buttermilk,coconut water, vegetable/dal soups are soothing and filling for gut related issues.
Gut issues most of the times lead to acidity, constipation, oesophageal issues, insulin resistance, intestinal infections/tumors, anal fistulas, rectal bleeding, pancreatic issues, gall bladder stones, kidney diseases which further gives rise to other related health disorders.
The ultimate goal is to take care of your body in the long range as quick fixes might only fix the problem temporarily to give rise to a long range disaster.
Please write to nutreboot@gmail.com
Author Manisha Bhavana
Nutritionist and Mental health coach Founder: NUtreboot (Food&Fitness)
AdvertisementsOccasionally, some of your visitors may see an advertisement here,
as well as a Privacy & Cookies banner at the bottom of the page.
You can hide ads completely by upgrading to one of our paid plans.
Comments