Be sure to diversify your diet with side dishes.
Consuming side dishes such as grains, brown or wild rice and legumes provide the body with fiber. Add these side dishes to any meal and you’ll get your daily requirement of fiber. Beans, especially black beans, strengthen gastrointestinal health by improving gut barrier function and increasing the number of beneficial bacteria. Beans also help to remove excess fluid and toxins from the body and improve the condition of the skin and hair. You should include legumes into your diet gradually—one or two times a week in small amounts—and monitor your body’s reactions. The legumes that are generally better tolerated by the body include black beans, red lentils and green peas.
Choose whole grain products.
Whole grain products have a higher fiber content and support healthy digestion, so prefer whole grain bread and pasta made from durum wheat. Pasta made from durum wheat contains many beneficial nutrients and fiber, which improves digestion and helps you feel full longer. Consuming whole grain pasta can help prevent constipation and stomach issues and it can sometimes be eaten by diabetics because it has a lower glycemic index. If you enjoy eating cereal in the morning, choose whole grain varieties with low sugar content.
Refrigerate starchy foods.
Starchy foods (such as potatoes, corn, rice) support digestive health due to their content of “resistant” starch. The organism cannot easily digest this form of starch, so it passes through the digestive system intact and serves as food for beneficial gut bacteria, thereby supporting a healthy microbiome. However, to obtain resistant starch, the cooked dish needs to be cooled first. Additionally, compounds formed from resistant starch are beneficial for individuals with inflammatory bowel conditions.
Diversify your diet.
The more different plant-based foods we eat, there is the higher chance that we will get a sufficient amount of various vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers. Our gut houses hundreds of bacterial species and each of them preferring certain types of fiber. Foods that you haven’t tried yet might contain types of fiber that are needed by bacteria that usually receives insufficient nutrition. By consuming new fruits and vegetables, we obtain a new combination of vitamins, minerals, types of fiber and other beneficial compounds.
Undergo a medical check-up once a year.
An unbalanced diet, stressful situations and chronic lack of sleep are the main causes of gastritis, duodenitis, stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers and inflammatory bowel diseases. Therefore, to detect these conditions early and prevent complications, it is essential to regularly visit a doctor and undergo medical examinations.
Based on an individual’s health status, heredity and lifestyle, the doctor will create a schedule for check-ups. Recommendations for certain screening tests may change as new research emerges that proves the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of specific preventive exams. Always consult with your doctor before undergoing any tests to avoid harming your body. After reviewing the test results, the doctor may prescribe treatment based on the diagnosed condition. It can be, for example, Asacol and Adcumin. They can help to alleviate pain and improve bowel function.