Healthy intestinal flora is the basis for a healthy body. It affects our immune system, our skin and even our psyche. With some behaviors we can harm it, which can cause various symptoms. Here you can find out which 7 typical mistakes can harm your gut.
7 common mistakes that harm your gut
Eating too quickly
Especially in stressful everyday (work) life, we don't always have time to eat in peace. As a result, we often gobble down our meals. But both hasty eating and too little chewing have a negative effect on the intestines. Experts recommend that you should chew each bite at least 30 times - but very few people do that. If you don't chew long enough, excessively large pieces of food get into the intestines, which puts a strain on the intestines. This can be noticed by stomach pain or gas. In addition, digestion is already started when chewing, thanks to the digestive enzymes contained in the saliva.
Constant eating
It is not for nothing that intermittent fasting has become a popular form of nutrition. Because: Anyone who constantly eats small snacks or snacks harms their intestines. Since the digestive process costs energy, the intestines need a break after a meal in order to regenerate. So always include breaks of at least three to four hours between meals.
Sugary Diet
Actually everyone nowadays knows that sugar is unhealthy. Nevertheless, many people find it difficult to do without chocolate and the like. However, make sure that you keep your sugar consumption in moderation, as the sweetener has a negative effect on the intestines. Among other things, sugar disrupts the intestinal flora and promotes inflammation, which is why people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease should refrain from consuming high levels of sugar.
Little movement
A large number of people work sitting down and currently work from home. This is often accompanied by a lack of exercise, which is anything but healthy for the intestines. If you do not move enough, the intestines also work more slowly, so that the food you eat is more difficult to break down. Try to integrate regular exercise, for example, a walk during your lunch break, into your everyday life.
Alcohol consumption
Do you like to drink a glass of wine or a beer after work and like more on the weekend? This can harm your gut. Even small amounts of alcohol have a negative effect on the intestine and its function. The ethanol in alcohol can attack the intestinal mucous membrane and lead to reddening the mucous membrane or cell damage. It can even cause small bleeding. In general, the consumption of alcohol promotes inflammatory processes in the body, which can weaken the immune system, which in turn has a negative effect on the intestines.
Lack of fluids
Drinking enough is important for our health - almost everyone has heard that before. But did you know that adequate hydration contributes to a healthy intestinal flora? A large amount of water is required to soften the food in the intestine, and the nutrients it contains can be withdrawn and absorbed into the cells. If you don't drink enough, you run the risk of problems with your bowels - digestive problems and constipation can result.
Unhealthy diet
A healthy and balanced diet is the basis for a healthy intestine. A nutrient-poor, high-fat diet with highly processed foods damages your intestines - the delicate intestinal flora is unbalanced. Such changes can, in the long run, increase the risk of colon cancer, for example. The same also applies to the frequent consumption of meat, especially red.
