Do you often suffer from heartburn, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, abdominal pain, or bloating? The stomach and intestines are part of our digestive tract, and these can all be symptoms of stomach or intestinal issues.
Almost 1 in 4 Dutch people suffer from stomach, intestinal, or liver problems. This affects over 3.7 million people. Of these, over 60% are women and 40% are men.[1]
What is digestion?
Digestion is the process by which the body extracts nutrients from your food and drink, absorbs them, and converts them into usable energy and building blocks. This entire process, from mouth to anus, takes approximately 24 to 48 hours and involves numerous organs. These include your mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, large intestine, rectum, and microbiome.
In practice, human digestion does not always proceed without problems. This is not surprising, as so many organs with different functions are involved. A small hitch can already have consequences. The most common causes of poor digestion are chronic stress and an unhealthy diet with many processed, sugary, and low-fiber foods.
If you want to improve your digestion, you can start by implementing these tips at home:
- Chew thoroughly: digestion begins in the mouth. When we don't chew properly, it can lead to digestive complaints throughout the digestive tract.
- Reduce sugar intake: sugars have a big impact on our body, especially our intestines.
- Eat whole, fiber-rich foods: fiber keeps you feeling full and satisfied, and it's also important for a healthy gut microbiome.
- Reduce stress: digestion only functions properly when we are at rest. Under stress, we are still in fight or flight mode. When we eat during stress, digestion cannot function optimally.
- Digestive enzymes: Digestive enzymes are proteins released in the digestive system when you eat. The pancreas and small intestine play an important role in this. The job of digestive enzymes is to break down food into usable nutrients for the body. Non-usable nutrients leave your body through stool. When this process stagnates, your body cannot properly absorb important nutrients, leading to nutrient deficiencies. Stomach and intestinal complaints can also arise.
For example, if your body does not produce enough lactase, it will have difficulty digesting lactose. This can lead to symptoms such as bloating and flatulence. In such cases, it can be beneficial to use a lactase enzyme with every meal containing lactose.
If you have been experiencing stomach and/or intestinal complaints for a long time, it is important to investigate the cause. This can be done through a gut consultation with microbiome analysis.
[1] https://www.rivm.nl/nieuws/bijna-kwart-nederlanders-kampt-met-klacht-of-aandoening-van-spijsverteringsstelsel)C
