How Eating Whole Food Improves Digestion

Most people don’t think about their digestion and don’t realize that whole foods are necessary for good digestion. Whole foods are those foods that are easily digested and that give you the energy it takes to get through your day. Here are some whole foods you will want to try if you want to have good digestion and energy, too!

• Pineapple is a whole food that contains bromelain, which is a protease. This is a natural digestive enzyme that helps aid digestion. Try to eat pineapple on an empty stomach or at least 3 hours after a meal, as this is when digestion is maximized. This is a fruit that digests quickly so that it you eat it with other foods, it will just ferment, which would be bad for your digestion. Not everyone feels better after eating pineapple, so you will have to experiment a little to see if it helps. If you can’t seem to digest pineapple, you can always take a bromelain supplement, which will do the same thing.

• Mint is an excellent digestive aid. It can help relieve gas, bloating, inflammation, and indigestion as it contains menthol as its active ingredient. Ideally, you should eat fresh mint but there are other ways to get mint for better digestion. Mint can be gotten by chewing spearmint gum, chewing minds, eating peppermint, or by using any type of food-grade essential oil containing mint.

• Apple Cider Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is another great digestive aid. All you need to do is to drink a tablespoon of fresh apple cider vinegar just before eating. If you don’t like the taste, you can always mix it with another type of food. Buy raw apple cider vinegar as this can help decrease gas, lessen bloating, and will give you a flat stomach through its great digestive properties.

• Ginger has a long history as a digestive aid. Choose fresh ginger, although you can also drink lemon ginger tea or chew some ginger chews. It also lessens bloating and helps to relieve gas. It is notorious for helping nausea so have some around for those times when your stomach doesn’t feel so good,
• Papaya is a lot like pineapple. It contains healthy digestive enzymes that break down the proteins in your body. Instead of bromelain, papaya contains papain, which is another excellent digestive enzyme. This enzyme helps you digest your protein, turning long chain proteins into its component parts (amino acids). Like pineapple, you should eat it without taking in other foods. They also make a papain supplement that you can take after eating in order to better digest your meal.

• Fennel is a spice that helps alleviate nausea, abdominal cramps, indigestion, bloating, and gas. It tastes like licorice and comes from a plant. You need to try to eat the fennel raw but you can try eating the raw seeds or roasting the plant to aid digestion. Fennel tea is another good option for better digestion. Fennel tea may be hard to buy at your local whole food store but you can always purchase it online.
• Lemons make a good thing to drink with water when you first get out of bed in the morning. It cleanses the body and stimulates your digestive system so that, when you eat, your foods are better digested. Just mix lemon with a glass of water and drink up! Lemons help to flush toxins out of your system, especially when you drink a hot tea made with a half a lemon and a cup of water.

• Bananas are both good for digestion and keep you energized at the same time. They contain a lot of good carbs and natural sugars that will improve digestion and give you energy. Bananas contain complex carbohydrates rather than simple sugars and carbohydrates that have been processed, so your blood sugar won’t skyrocket after eating them. The fiber in bananas is also good for digestion because they keep your blood sugars stable and keep the bowels moving. Eat them alone or in a smoothie, where they ad viscosity to the smoothie.

• Avocadoes are high in monounsaturated fat that help digestion and add energy. They are also high in vitamin B, which are also healthy for you. Add avocado to smoothies, soups, and salads, where they provide you with a creamier texture. Avocadoes add fiber so they are good for the bowels and will energize you.

Hopefully, this will give you some idea of the whole foods you can eat for better digestion. Whenever possible, you should experiment with these foods to make sure they don’t upset your stomach.