Up to 70 million people are estimated to be living with digestive diseases that can significantly disrupt daily life.
Health experts say there are ways to keep your digestive system in check and help prevent any illnesses.
The experts say having a healthy gut can help with digestion, metabolism and immunity.
“When gut health is good, our overall health is also generally good,” says Gail Cresci, a registered dietitian and gut microbiome researcher with the Cleveland Clinic.
She says many factors affect the gut microbiome, but one of the biggest drivers is your diet.
“What the gut microbiome prefers to eat are things that we, as the host, we can’t digest. And so these are things like different dietary fibers,” Cresci says.
She says this includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods, like yogurt. These all help gut health.
According to Cresci, foods that can harm it include highly processed foods, those high in fat and sugar, and those low in fiber.
Cresci says that having a healthy lifestyle also promotes gut health. She says this includes getting adequate sleep, managing stress levels, regularly exercising and staying hydrated.
“All these things together help support gut health,” Cresci says.
Health officials say other tips to achieve better gut health include eating slower, which may help you swallow less air and allow you to better know when you’re full, having smaller meals to avoid that feeling of fullness and encourage digestion and limiting how much you eat after dark since your gastrointestinal tract is most active in the morning and during the day.