As I’ve stated in the past, a healthy digestive system is important to thyroid function, and it is especially important for anyone who is looking to restore their health through a natural treatment protocol. As a result, I am going to discuss seven different things you can do in order to improve digestion. Most of these you can do immediately, and while it might require some dramatic changes in your current lifestyle, I can almost guarantee that you will feel much better than you currently do if you were to incorporate some or all these changes.
So let’s take a look at how you can improve your digestion:
Healthy Digestion Tip #1: Cut out refined foods. This is something I’ve spoken about in great detail in past posts and articles, as you want to either minimize, or completely eliminate the refined foods from your diet. Being a realist, I don’t expect most people to do the latter, as I’ll admit that I do eat some refined foods every now and then. But even if you minimize your consumption of refined foods then this will help greatly. You want to try eating as many whole foods as possible, and whenever possible eat organic meats, fruits, and vegetables.
Healthy Digestion Tip #2: Increase your fiber intake. Most people don’t consume enough fiber, which is a big reason why many people are constipated. About 30 grams of fiber is needed per day, and most people are lucky to consume half this amount with the way they eat. You can ensure sure you get enough fiber by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and eating foods such as seeds and nuts, as well as whole grains. You can also supplement fiber in your diet with something like Psyllium Husks, but if you eat enough of the foods I just mentioned then you can obtain enough fiber in your diet. This in turn will help to move your bowels daily, which is extremely important to healthy digestion.
Healthy Digestion Tip #3: Drink plenty of purified water. This is something I have spoken about in the past, as you ideally want to drink at least half your weight in ounces each day of purified water. I know some people seem to have difficulty drinking enough water, as they prefer drinking coffee, soft drinks, and/or other beverages. Rather than trying to force yourself to drink 8 to 10 cups of water eat day, you can do what I personally do, which is in addition to the two daily “smoothies” I have each day that consist of two cups of water each, I have a 32 ounce bottle I fill with water and I make it a goal to drink two of these bottles each day, and more on days when I exercise.
Healthy Digestion Tip #4: Correct any nutritional deficiencies. If you have any nutritional deficiencies, then these must be corrected in order to obtain optimal digestive health. Some of the more common deficiencies people with thyroid conditions have are with Magnesium, Vitamin D, Selenium, Iodine, and the B Vitamins, just to name a few. There are of course other deficiencies you can have, and the best way to determine which ones you have is to consult with a qualified holistic doctor, who can recommend the appropriate testing to help you identify these common deficiencies. Many of these deficiencies I’ve actually discussed in previous posts, and I’ve even discussed some of the tests you can obtain on your own to see if you are deficient in any of these vitamins or minerals.
Once it has been determined that you have one or more nutritional deficiencies, then you probably will need to take some nutritional supplements to correct this. Then once these deficiencies have been corrected, if you eat a diet consisting of a variety of mostly of whole foods, then for the most part you won’t have to take many nutritional supplements. You still will most likely need to take some, since nobody eats a perfect diet, and plus you can’t find all of these minerals in the foods you eat. But most of the nutrients and minerals you need will be in the foods you eat. Once again, it’s best to consult with an expert rather than try doing this yourself.
Healthy Digestion Tip #5: Take digestive enzymes. Many people have difficulty digesting the food they eat, and while the ultimate goal should be to restore the health of your digestive system so that you can digest the food you eat properly, in the meantime, taking digestive enzymes can be beneficial. After all, if you just begin eating healthy foods and take nutritional supplements, if your digestive system isn’t working properly then there is an excellent chance you won’t be able to properly digest these foods. How can you tell if you are digesting your food properly? Well, in addition to some of the symptoms you might experience (frequent bloating, gas, etc.), you can usually tell by looking at your stool. Normal stool should be medium brown, shouldn’t float, doesn’t have an odor, and when having a bowel movement you shouldn’t need to strain. In summary, until you get your digestive issues corrected, it’s a good idea to take high quality digestive enzymes daily.
Healthy Digestion Tip #6: Maintain good eating habits. You want to make sure you eat a healthy breakfast, don’t skip meals, make sure you don’t overeat, etc. Some of this might seem like common sense to you, but since many people have poor eating habits I thought it was important to briefly mention this here. So just make sure you eat every two to three hours after eating breakfast, and don’t stuff yourself during any meal.
Healthy Digestion Tip #7: Consider a purification program. I was thinking about including this as the first tip, as many people can benefit from a purification program, and in many cases it’s a good idea to do this right off the bat. But since I realize that many people won’t do this immediately, I figured I’d first list some things that are easier to begin with. And to be frank, if all you did was follow the first six healthy digestive tips I have listed, you would notice a big improvement in your digestive function. But hopefully over time you will seriously consider incorporating a purification program.
So there you go! Seven things you can and should do in order to ensure a healthy digestive system. Rather than try knocking them out all at once, what I recommend is each week to incorporate at least one or two of these factors. For example, for the first week you can make a greater effort to consume more fiber, perhaps drink more water in week #2, etc. If you can make these changes all at once then that’s great, but even following one or two of these tips each week will over time do wonders for your digestive health.