A good digestive system has so many benefits- most of which we’re not even aware of. Serotinin, a hormone that regulates our mood is mostly produced in the cells located in the gut lining. This hormone sends signals to the immune system when harmful bacteria threaten the wellbeing of the body and also promote nerve-cell growth. The production of this hormone, however depends largely on our diet. These are seven foods you need to cut out or limit for a good digestive system.
1. Canned and preserved foods
Canned foods contain preservatives to prevent bacterial and fungal growth Some preservatives, such as sugar and vinegar are less harmful than the chemical ones. Don’t be misled by an ‘organic’ label on canned products and think that the foods are free of preservatives. An organic label guarantees its source, certifying that the foods were organically grown, but this doesn’t mean that there are no chemicals or preservatives in them, however small the quantities may be.
2. Fried and oily foods
It is common knowledge that these foods are not healthy dietary choices. This is because they take a long time to digest and therefore put exert the digestive system. Moreover, they lead to being overweight and obesity
3. Extremely spicy food
Spicy foods are very addictive. The hot taste dilates the blood vessels, makes the mouth water and creates appetite by increasing the secretion of digestive juices and increase heart rate. All these act as a ‘kick’- but hot food causes excess salivation and stomach acid.
4. Yeast Products
These include bread, marmite, pizza, gravy sauces, beer, pitta bread and so on. Yeast has become a health hazard due to the overuse of antibiotics, which has lead to te imbalance in the ecology that existed between bacteria, viruses and fungi. Yeast overgrowth or candida ( a mutant mould) affects digestion by excess fermentation in the gut, causing bloating. The alcohol generated by such uncontrolled fermentation is often toxic, producing fatigue, skin rash, diarrhea among other symptoms.
5. Excess coffee
Caffeine overstimulates the nervous system. The body becomes tense and your heart rate and breathing rate go up as if you were ready for a ‘fight or flight’ stress reaction.
6. Chocolates, sweets and desserts
In excess, sugary foods slow down the digestive process by feeding the gut yeast, causing fermentation. Some of the alcohols produced by gut fermentation are toxic and can cause lethargy, skin irritation, abdominal discomfort and other unpleasant effects.
7. Sour or Stomach-acid-producing substances
Limit your intake of citrus fruits, wine, spirits, very spicy food, nuts, excessive painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs, tobacco, canned products containing citric acid as a preservative and deep-fried food (the oil coats the stomach lining causing the amount of acid n the stomach to increase). Excess stomach acid interferes with the digestion in the duodenum, where the finer digestion takes place by neutralizing the total bile content secreted into the duodenum. As a result, the food pulp in the duodenum remains stagnant or undigested until more bile is secreted. When this happens, you can feel heavy and bloated. Excess stomach acid also causes heartburn when it regurgitates or spills out and can cause inflammation of the stomach lining and even ulcers.
Fizzy water is also bad for the digestive system as it inteferes with peristalsis and cheese and mushrooms, because cheese cause excess mucus production in the nasal and bronchial tract and mushrooms contain toxins that are potentially bad for the body.
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