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Dear Neerudu Muniraj Vinod,

Thank you for the question 

The spine consists of 26 bones called vertebrae, which protect and support the spinal cord and nerves. A number of conditions and injuries can affect the spine and may damage the vertebrae causing pain, and limit mobility.

Some of the common spine disorders are Degenerative spine and disc conditions like Arthritis, Degenerative disc disease, Herniated disc, Spinal stenosis, Spondylosis etc.

Spine disorders have a wide variety of causes depending on the particular condition. For some conditions, the causes are unknown. Common causes include: Accidents or falls, Congenital disorders (present since birth), Inflammation, Infection, Inherited disorders, Injuries ranging from minor to traumatic and Degenerative wear and tear that comes with aging. 

We would kindly request you to contact a specialized health care professional for such as an orthopedic for further assistance, diagnosis and management.

A healthy lifestyle management including a good balanced diet, adequate hydration, regular physical activity and hygiene & stress management is key to maintain a good digestive health. It is also important to ensure adequate fiber intake which is essential for a healthy gut and overall digestive health.

Gut microbiota includes a diverse community of bacteria in human gut, they carry out various functions that influences our overall health. The functions include, nutrient metabolism, natural defense against infections and regulation of immune system.

For managing a healthy gut it is important to consume a diversified balanced duet at regular intervals, maintain hydration and include dietary fibre in your daily diet. It is also important to engage in regular physical activity and include prebiotic and probiotics in your daily diet Prebiotics are food components that confer benefits to the host by selectively stimulating the growth of beneficial gut microbiota whereas Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that incur positive effects on human health. They are present in the human gut and are also taken through food products such as yogurt, fermented foods, dietary supplements etc.

Prebiotics naturally exist in different foods including, asparagus, garlic, chicory, onion, honey, banana, barley, tomato, rye, soybean, human’s and cow’s milk, peas, beans, etc.

The common sources of probiotics are yogurt, cultured buttermilk and cheese. The other foods that are produced by bacterial fermentation are, tempeh, sauerkraut, sour dough, bread etc.  Look for food products labelled ‘Probiotic’, ‘Probiotic food’, ‘Contains Probiotics’, ‘with Probiotics’ etc.

Daily RDA for fiber as per NIN, ICMR is: 25g per day for females & 30g per day for male

Here are a few guidelines for general digestive health.

-       Do not skip your meals, have small frequent meals at regular intervals.

-       Eat a well-balanced diet including all groups.

-       Include good amount of fiber in your daily balanced, some of the god sources of fiber include whole grain, multigrain, millets, fruits and vegetables, nuts etc.

-       Include a minimum of 5 of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit in a day as they are good sources of fiber and essential nutrients such as vitamin A, Vitamin B, iron, zinc etc.

-       Include prebiotics such as banana, soyabean, garlic etc., good sources of probiotics like yogurt, buttermilk etc., to maintain a healthy gut.

-       Avoid large, heavy meals, and practice portion guidance.

-       Deep fried foods to be restricted. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.

-       Try to limit the foods like caffeine, spices, raw onions etc.

-       Food should be eaten slowly and chewed well as fast eating provokes gastric feeding reflex.

-       Avoid lying down immediately after your meal consumption

-       Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day

-       Have a gap of minimum 2-3 hours between bedtime and your last meal

-       Engage in physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes for at least 5 days a week

-       Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions, please contact your Health care professional.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead