One of the problems that common people are most affected with are digestive disorders. It’s a problem that disrupts our daily routine, and inconveniences it in more ways than one. The problem, like so many others, only tends to aggravate over time if not attended to quickly and effectively. In many cases, the disorders of the digestive tract often take the form of digestive diseases, thus upsetting our daily lives, causing immense inconvenience and putting great strain on both our time and money.
How common is the problem?
The disorders of the digestive tract stretch across a range of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people in the United States. The problem tends to grow in scale and size with each passing day, year and month. According to a research by the Foundation of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), almost seven out of ten people on an average are afflicted with one or the other kind of digestive health issues. The data collected by the research also shows that almost half of all Americans are negatively affected with one or the other kind of digestive problem in their everyday lives, with some of them even being fatal.
What rare the symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders?
Since digestive health issues are a growing problem in the United States, it’s very important to recognize the symptoms before the problems worsens any further. Taking care of the problem at an early stage is of crucial importance. Let us have a look at the symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders.
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Gas and bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Rectal pain or bleeding
- Chest pain
How to prevent any kind of digestive disorders?
Now that you have become aware of the symptoms, it’s necessary to know the ways and means through which you can avoid any kind of digestive disorders. Making certain changes in your lifestyle goes a long way in significantly reducing the occurrence of this disorder and achieving optimal digestive health. In this respect, the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) has set forth a few guidelines directed towards helping you achieve optimum gastrointestinal health. The steps have been mentioned below.
- Eat small and frequent meals: In order to achieve optimal digestion and avoid any kind of digestive disorder, the AGA and other top nutritious associations around the world recommend eating 4 to 5 small meals per day without increasing the overall caloric intake.
- Consume more fiber-rich foods: The importance of fiber for the human body is only too well known to need any further repetition. A considerable amount of fiber can be found in fruits, raw vegetables, whole grains and cereals, nuts and beans.
- Consume fish three to five times a week: It has been proven that fish containing Omega-3 fatty acids significantly improve digestive abilities and reduce abnormalities by stabilizing cell walls, reducing inflammation and restoring balance. You could also choose to try new summer seafood recipes.
- Reduce intake of fried, fattening foods: The importance of cutting back on oily, greasy and fried food that is high in fat and hard to digest can never be overestimated. Doing so spares your stomach the burden of digesting these heavy foods which may however, not be of high nutritious value.
- Incorporate more dairy foods into your diet: It’s vital to increase the amount of dairy products into your diet. This is because certain probiotics, or the good bacteria that is found in them like yogurt and cottage cheese, may improve intestinal function and overall digestive health conditions such as gastroenteritis, irregularity, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Select lean meats: Leaner cuts of pork, chicken and turkey that contain less fat are both healthier and enhance the overall functioning of your digestive system.
- Drink plenty of fluids: Drinking more fluids is necessary to improve the digestive system, prevent constipation and enhance the digestive ability of the body. Try drinking at least eight glasses of water in a day.
- Take your time to eat: Eating slowly is very necessary, along with chewing food properly. This gives you a feeling of being “full” that prevents the overeating which can upset the digestive tract.
- Exercise regularly and abstain from smoking: While it’s known to everybody that exercise offers immense health benefits, what most people are unaware of is that it’s beneficial for your digestive tract too. Regular exercise improves the efficiency of the digestive system and assists in moving food through the digestive tract.
- Maintain a healthy bodyweight: The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is of the opinion that an unhealthy Body Mass Index is dangerous, contributes to obesity and has a negative effect on the digestive health.
[Find Advanced Gastroenterology Treatment in India]
Related Posts:
10 Signs & Symptoms of Liver Damage
4 Facts You Need to Know About Kidney Transplants and Dialysis