Foods for Healthy Digestion : Top Picks

Foods for Healthy Digestion : Top Picks
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You have a digestion problem if you frequently experience bloating, abdominal discomfort or even constipation. If you are already on medication for these problems, you should consider specific foods to maintain a healthy digestive system without any harmful side effects.

Red Beets and Beet Greens

If constipation has been giving you sleepless nights, then you should consider including red beets and their green tops in your diet. How are these foods helpful to your digestive system?

Both are fiber-rich foods that would ensure the smooth movement of waste matter through your intestines. Red beets are good sources potassium and magnesium. The beet greens, on the other hand, are rich in calcium, iron and beta carotene. These nutrients are essential to maintaining the health of your digestive tract lining and problem-free bowel movements.

Caution must be exercised with beet greens though. They shouldn’t be consumed more than a few times a week as the acidic content in it could weaken the enamel coating of your teeth.

Avocado

Avocado is among the top of the list of fiber-rich foods. Consuming a medium size avocado provides you with 15 grams of fiber. It’s a fruit that goes easy on the digestive system of even toddlers. It’s also an excellent source of healthy raw fat, the major portion of which is monounsaturated fat.

How is healthy raw fat beneficial to your digestive system? Its most important function is to maintain the healthy functioning of your liver, gall bladder and pancreas. It also ensures the conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A in your body proceeds smoothly. Vitamin A is essential for maintaining a healthy mucosal lining of your digestive tract.

Legumes

Plants containing a single row of seeds in their pods are called legumes. Examples are peas, lentils, soya beans, green beans and lima beans.

Include a generous amount of legumes in your diet. Half a cup of lentils, for instance, packs a whooping 5 grams of fiber. For best results, ensure that you choose the greenest variety you could lay your hands on. Better still, go for the organically-grown variety.

Oats

Whole oats are packed with soluble fiber. Selenium, phosphorus, manganese, thiamin and selenium are the other nutrients present, not to mention zinc, vitamin E, folate and copper.

If possible go for steel-cut oats as no heat is used in its making, allowing the preservation of important nutrients.

Rolled oats and quick oats undergo processing methods that diminish their nutrient content. If you have to choose between the two, opt for the rolled variety as they are treated with a steaming process which doesn’t diminish the content of important nutrients.

References

https://drbenkim.com/articles-foods-good-digestion.htm - information on good foods for healthy digestion

https://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/healthy-natural-digestion-foods.html - information on legumes