Improve Digestion Naturally: Learning A Little More About Your Gut Can Improve Digestion Naturally

The body is a bit like a stretched-out donut, with a frame and layers of skin on the outside, and a hole through the middle. That hole is the digestive tract. Unlike a donut hole, it has lots of twists and turns, so it is impossible to see straight through it.

But if you could see through it, you would see that the skin that lines the digestive tract has bumps, crevasses and tiny hairs (microvilli); it isn't quite as beautiful as the skin on the rest of the body. It is a thicker protective barrier for our internal organs, and is very important to improve digestion naturally. This lining is covered in gel-like stuff (mucous), which protects it more, and gives microbes a place to stick. More bacteria and other microbes stick to our digestive tract than there are cells in our body, which is amazing, and is why most people have heard about the importance of taking prebiotics and probiotics, or having fermented food or drinks, to nurture the good bacteria and keep bad bacteria levels down.

Once you think about your digestive tract like a donut, you may appreciate that standing up, getting out and making space in there is key to improve digestion naturally. Muscles lie underneath the skin of the digestive tract, just like muscles lie under the skin everywhere else in the body. This is a simple way to improve digestion naturally; move the body.

Drinking lots of water and chewing food slowly are also super critical to improve digestion naturally. This helps food move smoothly through the digestive tract. If you have any experience feeding kids, you know how slow humans can eat. This is a good thing for the digestive system. Connect with your inner child and chew your food completely; eat slowly.

Avoiding processed foods, sugar, alcohol and stress are also important to improve digestion naturally. These all take a negative toll on digestion. Following the basic healthy eating guidelines of five serves of vegetables and legumes and two serves of fruit per day is important.

For more support beyond the basics, prebiotics and probiotics are worth trying because they are backed by a reasonable amount of studies. Essential oils are also backed by a reasonable amount of studies for their effect in supporting good digestion and tummy upsets. A science blog on essential oils states that a number of research studies have shown that essential oils have remarkably positive effects on the skin that lines the digestive tract. Stomach acid levels and digestive enzymes in the gut are incredibly important for good digestion too; when diet and certain health conditions upset the natural levels of these, leading to non-optimal acid or enzyme levels, various supplements may be helpful.

For more information to improve digestion naturally click here to visit my free e-book "Simple Strategies to Improve Your Vitality with Natural Products".

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dee_Schaffer/2143538

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9339504

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