I have been coming across many queries over the last few days related to gut issues and today we are going to discuss dyspepsia, which is also referred to as indigestion. Dyspepsia may be a term that describes discomfort or pain within the upper abdomen. It’s not a disease, it’s a group of symptoms which frequently include bloating, nausea and burping. It’s usually caused by stomach acid coming into contact with the mucosa of the gastrointestinal system — the sensitive protective lining of our gut. Stomach acids break down the mucosa, causing irritation and inflammation, which triggers the symptoms of indigestion. The cause in a majority of cases of indigestion is linked to eating and/or drinking wrong foods and beverages. Sometimes it’s also caused by infections or some medications but the root cause here as well is a bad lifestyle which needs to be improved. Here are few tips to scale back the problem:
•The foremost effective and therefore the simplest solution is chewing food well and eating slowly (mindfully). The saliva generated within the mouth helps initiate the digestion process in the mouth itself, which makes further digestion easier as the food reaches the stomach.
•Ginger, cumin seeds (jeera), ajwain, fennel seeds are great aids for digestion and relieve bloating. One can consume a glass of lemon-ginger water or an ajwain-jeera-saunf concoction half an hour post a meal to facilitate good digestion and relieve bloating. If not this concoction, one can chew a mixture of ¼ tsp ajwain, ½ tsp jeera and ½ tsp saunf and swallow them then drink warm water over it. This will release enzymes that help in boosting our digestive function by facilitating the discharge of gastric juices.
•Buttermilk made with A2 curd or coconut curd with asafoetida, coriander seed powder and cumin powder is another remedy to ease digestion and bloating. Mint or coriander leaves too can be added in the same for aiding digestion. But if buttermilk doesn’t suit you then you can even take Solkadhi (the coconut milk and kokum drink) that soothes the gut lining.
• In case of severe bloating, applying hing paste around the navel, helps giving a moment of relief.
•Sitting in Vajrasana post meals or Pawan Muktasana, an hour after a meal helps relieve bloating and improves digestion.
•Include gut friendly food like probiotics to improve the gut microbes. Have a serving of A2 curd Buttermilk, A2 curd, rice kanji, sauerkraut, khimchi, apple cider vinegar and beet kanji, etc because these food options are great natural probiotics which establish good bacteria within the gut that help in digestion. They assist the gut to control the count of bad bacteria.
•In some cases, going gluten-free and lactose-free may help as gluten and lactose are heavy to break down and can lead to inflammation in an already inflamed body, particularly if it’s an autoimmune condition.
•Drink ample amounts of water through the day to keep your organs hydrated and it will also help us in the removal of toxins from the body which will automatically reduce the load on digestive system.
Here’s hoping these pointers assist you in good gut health!
(The writer is the Chief Nutrition Officer, Luke Coutinho Holistic Healing Systems. She is a clinical nutritionist with a focus on healthy lifestyle choices.)
Photo credit: Eiliv Sonas Aceron on Unsplash