Of course, what you eat should taste good and revolve around your taste buds. But don’t forget that your stomach also needs pampering. Everything you consume ends up in your intestines, and there is a big difference in how the intestinal system digests different foods. If you choose to give your stomach what it likes best of, you will be rewarded with a good stomach and body feeling. Let’s dive into what makes your intestines, and therefore you, happy.
Oh, delicious fiber – your intestines are happy about that! The fiber from whole grains, vegetables, and fruits swells in the intestines and is converted into chymus, which flows through the intestines and stretches the intestinal wall. This process causes the intestinal muscles to move and transport the gruel-like mass further. Meanwhile, the good gut bacteria in the colon are already jubilant. For them, fiber is what makes them the happiest, and thus makes you feel good. Fiber, by the way, also absorbs harmful substances in the intestine and takes them out again. Pretty clever, right?
There is a lot of good fiber in vegetables and fruits. Fruits and vegetables not only have beautiful colors, they also provide you with important vitamins and valuable plant substances. Ideally, you should eat three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit per day. If this is not an option, try to eat fruit and vegetables as often as possible – a little is better than nothing.
Do you need more fiber? Then anything made from cereals is a good choice. Either as bread, muesli, pasta or the like. If you want to pamper your intestines extra, you would be wise to choose the whole grain version. Not only does it contain more fiber, but also many valuable nutrients that your whole body will love. Additionally, whole grains can keep you feeling full for longer, making you less likely to snack throughout the day. Clever, right?
If you want to make your intestines really happy, we have a super tip: Your intestines love bacteria and especially lactic acid bacteria, because they help the stomach work. You can find these bacteria in many dairy products, such as yogurt. Probiotics provide particularly large amounts of the small bacterial heroes that help keep the intestines moving. A real feast for your stomach! There are also plenty of beneficial bacteria in other fermented foods, such as sauerkraut or kefir, which benefit the gut and its bacterial community. Fermentation not only makes the food last longer – it also increases the amount of beneficial bacteria.
Your gastrointestinal tract is not fond of heavy foods with a high fat content. Meat, sausages, deep-fried food and fast food with a high fat content are heavy on the stomach and put the digestion on overtime, and you can try to eat light, regular meals. However, this does not mean that you should completely avoid fat. Your body and intestines are fans of good fats. They prefer oily cold-water fish (e.g. herring, mackerel and salmon) and vegetable oils (e.g. rapeseed oil). These foods contain many omega-3 fatty acids, which are considered to be anti-inflammatory. Your body cannot produce the good fatty acids on its own, so remember to help it through the diet. You will quickly notice it pay off.