Over the years, the lifestyle of people has changed a lot. Junk food has replaced fresh fruits as snacks, fast food has substituted veggies, sleeping hours are spent binge-watching, eyes stay glued to laptop and mobile screens, and fad diets have become a common trend. These lifestyle changes have made people vulnerable to several physical disorders, most prominently gastric disorders.
If your lifestyle also comprises these unhealthy habits, making minor lifestyle tweaks can save you from falling prey to gastric problems. All you need to do is avoid making the mistakes mentioned below.
Mistake #1: Not taking enough fiber in your diet
Lack of fiber intake translates into digestive issues. Doctors and nutritionists recommend 38 grams of fiber a day for men and 25 grams of fiber a day for women. Not taking the recommended amount leads to digestive issues like constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticulosis.
Include fiber in your diet: eat fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lentils, nuts, and seeds to fulfill regular fiber needs.
Mistake #2: Not drinking enough water
No points for guessing -not keeping yourself hydrated can lead to numerous problems, including digestive issues. Water facilitates the movement of food through your digestive tract and also softens the stools, thereby preventing stomach cramps and constipation.
Doctors recommend drinking two to three liters of water every day. But, make sure you don’t drink excess water as too much of it can also cause issues like disturbances in sleep, which subsequently lead to digestive issues. Balance is key.
Mistake #3: Not chewing food properly
Eating too fast without chewing properly is linked to several health problems like stomach pain. It also makes you susceptible to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Also, eating too fast does not send signals of fullness to your mind and you end up overeating.
Chew slowly. The best trick is to count to 36 before ingesting your food. Chewing food properly won’t just keep you away from digestive issues but also help you in maintaining a healthy waistline.
Mistake #4: Eating fruits with the main course
Mixing fruits with your main course can cause more digestive issues than you anticipate.
The digestive system breaks down your food at a much faster rate as compared to other food items. If you mix fruits with meals, your digestive juices will break fruits quickly, while they will take some time to break meals. The broken fruits will start fermenting, causing problems like stomach ache, flatulence, and bloating.
If you wish to eat fruits with a meal, it’s recommended to have them thirty minutes apart.
Mistake #5: Consuming too many sugar-free products
The modern world swears by “sugar-free” products. If you are blindly following this trend, stop right now as consuming too many sugar-free products can lead to digestive problems, like gas, constipation, bloating, and diarrhea.
Sugar-free products contain substitutes, like mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol that are hard to digest and hence, cause digestive issues.
Mistake #6: Taking medications frequently
If you are habitual of popping medications, like painkillers and antibiotics, you better prepare yourself to face digestive issues. Top gastroenterologists warn people against taking too many medications as they have ill effects on the GIT (gastrointestinal tract).
While painkillers irritate the lining of the digestive tract and invite several digestive issues, antibiotics like clindamycin and penicillin cause diarrhea. Furthermore, drugs that treat COPD, hypertension, high cholesterol, and asthma cause constipation.
Before you take any medication, discuss the potential side-effects with the doctor.
Conclusion
Having an irregular sleeping pattern, mental stress, leading a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and consuming alcohol also lead to digestive issues. So, keep yourself from committing the above mistakes and lead a healthy lifestyle to keep your gut trouble-free.