Useful and harmful foods for the intestines

To ensure that digestion functions properly, you should regularly eat food prepared from natural, high-quality intestinal products.

Healthy foods for the intestines

This is a large group, primarily of plant origin, from which it is easy to prepare both simple dishes and culinary delicacies:

• vegetables, fruits, berries and juices from them;
• whole grains, bran;
• vegetable oil;
• banana (indicated even for children);
• low cocoa chocolate;
• yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese and other fermented milk products.

Particularly effective:

• figs, prunes;
• pumpkin (porridge, fresh juice);
• beetroot (borscht, salads, juice);
• plums.

The active substance of such food, activating the intestines, is dietary fiber - cellulose. There is a lot of it, it mechanically presses on the receptors, and the bile adsorbed by the cellulose also irritates the mucous membrane. All this stimulates the motility of the colon and leads to its timely release from the accumulated mass.

Healthy foods for the intestines have a beneficial effect on other organs, provide vitamins and strengthen the body as a whole.

It is desirable to enjoy food, but without gluttony. Incorrect intake of even the right products can cause food problems. The golden mean is exactly what helps to combine the pleasant with the useful. Equal intervals between breakfast-lunch-dinner, unhurriedness, chewing (who chews long, lives long), refusal of fried, salty, floury foods, combination of heavy dishes with vegetables - it is good if these rules become the daily norm.

Products for restoring intestinal microflora

The intestinal microflora consists of beneficial and opportunistic microorganisms. Some factors can shift the balance between them and cause imbalance. Dysbacteriosis occurs, accompanied by extremely unpleasant symptoms: bloating, rumbling, diarrhea.

Usually, the reasons for this are nutritional disorders or side effects of medications. It is necessary to restore the intestines taking into account several points:

• balance your diet: eliminate harmful foods and introduce foods to restore intestinal microflora;
• choose pharmaceutical products (fungicidal antibiotics, lactobacilli);
• consult a doctor so as not to worsen the situation instead of treating it.

To stop the development of dysbacteriosis, limit milk, potatoes (mashed, fried), white bread, pastries, sugar, canned goods, sweet carbonated drinks, smoked and pickled products in the menu.

Products that are useful for the intestines in this situation:

• Apples (one on an empty stomach);
• Garlic;
• Various vegetables, fruits, berries;
• Fermented milk products, cheese.

Agree, the diet is not burdensome. Its advantage is that it is permissible to replace some products with more acceptable ones (sugar - honey, sausage - boiled meat, bread - crackers). It is also recommended not to wash down food, but to drink a glass of plain water half an hour before.

Special medications speed up recovery. They are prescribed by a medical specialist.

Fermented milk products for the intestines

From the range of fermented milk products for the intestines, fresh ones with a short shelf life are preferred. It is ideal to prepare it yourself in a yogurt maker (or without one) and consume it immediately.

Yogurt, sour milk, kefir, and fermented baked milk contain lactic acid. This is an excellent nutrient medium for intestinal bacteria that destroy pathogenic, putrefactive microbes. A short course of such tasty treatment stops rotting in the digestive organs, the processes are normalized, and the body recovers. Brine cheese (like feta cheese) is also useful for recovery. Such nutrition is also beneficial for other pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, and improves the figure.

When preparing home-made products, you need to

• carefully monitor the cleanliness of the dishes;
• heat the mixture or starter to no more than 50 degrees;
• The desired consistency is directly proportional to the fermentation time.

Purchased dairy products are good for the intestines if they do not contain preservatives, dyes, flavors and other unnatural ingredients.

Yogurts do not go well with baked goods, chocolate, or fresh fruit. It has been proven that fruit acids are harmful to lactic acid microflora. It is better to use frozen, canned fillers.

Products for colon cleansing

Products for bowel cleansing can be roughly divided into several groups.

• Choleretic fats are fats that are used in their natural form, on an empty stomach: lard, yolk, cream, sour cream, vegetable oil. Spices (cumin, coriander, fennel) enhance the choleretic effect.

Natural honey is effective when consumed over several weeks. A single dose of honey has a laxative effect.

• Vegetable juices and homemade kvass have a good cleansing effect on the intestines among plant products. Some mineral waters and whey are also suitable for this purpose.

Dried fruits, wholemeal bread, bran, millet, mushrooms, nuts, legumes and cereals, fresh and pickled vegetables (cabbage, beets, pumpkin, cucumbers, spinach) are also among the most necessary.

• Fresh (not over-fermented) milk products, including homemade cottage cheese, promote cleansing and normalize bowel movements.

Many fruits (in particular, grapes, pears, peaches, apricots, plums, gooseberries, melons) accelerate peristalsis; among sweets - cane sugar.

• Cold foods (aspic, okroshka, beetroot soup), drinks (a glass of water), and ice cream taken on an empty stomach have a beneficial effect on intestinal motility.

While advocating for multiple meals, it should not be done too frequently, so that fresh food does not mix with semi-digested food. The optimal diet is a regimen: every day at the same time.

Laxative products for the intestines

Weakening of peristalsis is fraught with a painful and very unpleasant phenomenon - constipation. The reasons are different. Some talk about genetics, some blame physical inactivity, stress and other external factors. But it is certain that unhealthy nutrition aggravates the situation. Laxative products for the intestines will improve your well-being.

• The already mentioned fiber is contained in many plants, especially in the skin of fruits, herbs, and cereals. Prunes, dried apricots, pumpkin boiled, baked, in porridge or puree are the leaders in the content of plant fibers.
• A salad of cabbage with carrots, beets and celery, grated and without oil, is called a “broom” for its laxative effect.
• Laxative fruits – apples (with skin), peaches, plums, tangerines, dried fruits.

• Honey on an empty stomach also has this effect.
• Onions - raw, fried, stewed, baked, boiled - are also among the useful products for the intestines. Effective for chronic constipation.
• A few glasses of cucumber brine quickly alleviate the patient's condition.
• Bananas are an excellent remedy.

There are natural pharmaceutical preparations for gentle activation of the large intestine, for example, castor oil, hay leaf. But you should not accustom the body to their constant use. It is much better to normalize nutrition and lifestyle, increase physical activity, alternate work with active rest.

Fiber Products for the Gut

Discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract will poison anyone's life. Medicines and products with fiber for the intestines can quickly solve the problem.

• Pears, apples, bananas;
• Carrots, cabbage, beets, pumpkin;
• Plums;
• Figs, prunes, other dried fruits;
• Bran, rye bread.

Fiber consists of complex carbohydrates that cannot be broken down in the digestive tract. One of its functions is mechanical: to evacuate what is left of the food and cleanse the intestines.

There are several types of fiber.

• Pectin

Contained in citrus fruits, strawberries, apples, green beans and dry peas, potatoes, white and cauliflower, juices with pulp. Reduces cholesterol, reduces sugar absorption (important for diabetics).

• Comedy

Present in oatmeal, dry beans. Properties similar to pectin.

• Lignin

Cereals, peas, radishes, eggplants, strawberries are storehouses of this type of fiber. It binds bile acids, reduces cholesterol levels, and activates digestion.

• Cellulose, hemicellulose

This variety contains unsifted white flour, unrefined grain and bran, young peas and broccoli, carrots and peppers, cucumber peel and apples. Absorbs water, speeds up the digestion process, serves to prevent constipation.

Fiber should be consumed regularly, approximately up to 30 grams. If for some reason the dose needs to be increased, then do it gradually. Excess of these substances coming with intestinal products is as undesirable as their deficiency.

Products for the intestines during constipation

Violation of timely evacuation of intestinal contents is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous - as oncologists say, even tumors. The problem can be prevented by intestinal products for constipation, activating peristalsis.

• Water – at least two liters per day.
• Prunes - one hundred grams is enough.
• Bran - in pure form, in porridges, baked goods.
• Cabbage, beets, rhubarb, leafy vegetables.
• Apples, melons, bananas.
• Kefir.
• Coffee, chocolate.
• Olive, nut, castor oil - one spoon on an empty stomach.
• A decoction of flax seeds.

The main thing in preventing constipation in children is to correctly compose the menu. At the same time, exclude such beloved, but very harmful for young children chips, crackers, hot dogs, French fries, etc.

If adults are prone to such disorders, they should give up sweets, flour, smoked, fatty foods, and rice. If a diet of intestinal products does not eliminate the problem, be sure to consult a gastroenterologist.

Best Foods for Gut Health

The five best foods for your gut:

• natural yogurt;
• whole grains, bran;
• bananas;
• ginger;
• artichoke.

According to other nutritionists, the following products can also be considered the most useful:

• apples;
• kefir;
• herbal teas (dill, dandelion root, nettle, birch leaves);
• millet;
• celery, parsnip;
• cranberry;
• onion, Jerusalem artichoke;
• chicory;
• water.

In addition to the quality of intestinal products, it is important how they are processed, what they are cooked, and how they are eaten. There are few rules, and they are not complicated.

• Use healthy cooking recipes: cook in water, steam, stew, bake.
• Choose lean meat and fish.

• Don't add a lot of salt or hot spices to your food.
• Do not eat or drink very hot or very cold things.
• Minimize unhealthy foods and avoid foods that are definitely harmful.
• Drink plenty of fluids.

Harmful products for the intestines

The list of harmful products for the intestines (as well as for the body in general) is headed by alcoholic drinks, especially carbonated ones. In the "honorable" top places is the assortment of fast food establishments. Traditionally, these include fried, smoked, overly salty, canned dishes.

• You should not get carried away with sweet drinks containing gas, preservatives, artificial colors, flavors. Very fresh white bread, rich confectionery products overload the gastrointestinal tract.

In case of intestinal disorders, the diet also excludes fresh vegetables, some fruits, and whole milk.

• Nutritionists do not recommend eating a lot of meat, boiled eggs, bread and bakery products, peas and other legumes at one sitting. Such food provokes fermentation and rotting in the intestines.

Irregular meals, especially dry food, lead to constipation and the formation of fecal stones.

Even perfectly acceptable food can cause harm if it is not fresh, cooked or stored incorrectly.

For normal digestion, it is important to use high-quality intestinal products, prepare them correctly and consume them according to the diet.