Are you doing enough for your digestive health?
Since the pandemic, our general lifestyle has seen a complete change and these changes impact digestive health as well. Read on to know what you can do to improve it.
Table of Contents
We all know how drastically our lives have changed over the past year. The prolonged lockdown changed our lifestyle in myriad ways. As a family, we developed a coping mechanism of our own. We derived solace from food. Everyone at home wanted something different. While one day it was chole bhature, then another day it would be cheesy pasta. Our taste buds were craving spicy and calorie-dense foods and we were falling prey to our gluttonous streak. Not only that, with the social media rife with posts of people cooking exotic meals, even I got addicted to this posting frenzy. Without fail, I would update pictures of the food I had made taken from different angles and then revel in the appreciative comments that would pour in. I was in a loop and the possibilities of getting out of this vicious circle appeared bleak.
Sleeping late and waking up late had become the new norm. Screen time was at an all-time high, and exercising seemed like a distant dream. This transition in our lifestyle hit us one day and we collectively decided to make some lifestyle changes that would help in establishing and maintaining a healthy digestive system to a great extent:-
Stick to local, seasonal and traditional food!
Going for fruits like bananas and mangoes not only satisfied our sugar cravings but were also — available during summers. On the other hand, vegetables like methi, radish, and fruits like guava are better options during winters. There is no denying the fact that the food cooked by our mothers and grandmothers was not only delicious but also healthy. They were regular home-cooked balanced meals, and that’s what I brought back to my dining table. Dal, seasonal sabzi, buttermilk, roti, rice, chutney, and homemade pickle were now part of our menu, and we relished every morsel.
Incorporation of fermented foods!
I began including curd in every meal we ate as it is one of the best sources of probiotics, which are friendly bacteria that improve your digestive health. Being a south Indian, I went back to my roots and started preparing the different tasty fermented dishes it had to offer like idlis, dosas, appams, etc. They are all great sources of beneficial bacteria that benefit our digestive health and have other nutritional benefits.
Eat Frequently!
These small meals don’t need any elaborate planning. It could just be a fruit or salad or a handful of nuts or maybe even a multigrain atta roti with ghee and jaggery. To know more about your digestive health and improve the same, log on to the Happytummy.aashirvaad.com and check your Digestive Quotient now! Let me know in the comments below what your DQ score was!
Include whole grains in the diet!
Eating refined grains might lead to a host of digestion-related problems, whereas eating whole grains is associated with several benefits like high levels of nutrients, fibre, and improved digestion. I switched from regular atta to Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains. It has the goodness of six different grains like wheat, soya, channa, oats, maize, and psyllium husk. There is a common misconception that anything with whole grain is less tasty. But the rotis prepared from Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains taste similar to the regular ones and being high in fibre, aid maintenance of normal digestion.
Exercising regularly, having a consistent sleep schedule, and drinking lots of water can also help us tremendously. Let’s continue to take care of our digestive health because a happy tummy is a happy you
Sources:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-improve-your-digestive-track-naturally/
