It’s relaxing to watch the swirling, gurgling bubbles that fish thrive on in tropical fish tanks. But it’s a different matter when it is happening in your gut. Is there relief from the burping, belching, bloating, indigestion and bowel trouble that plagues up to 10 million Americans and 20 percent of adults worldwide? Many digestive and bowel disorders have their root in our cultural shift away from dietary fiber, exercise, and social connectedness.
Our digestive system, like many systems in nature, works best in orderly rhythms and cycles. Regular hours for eating, sleeping, relaxation, exercise, and other routines promote mental, physical, and digestive health.
Hot spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, and high sodium promote inflammation and work against digestive health. Regular times for eating combined with a high fiber diet and exercise lower inflammation and promote healthy peristalsis, the wavelike movements that move digested matter along the GI tract.
Meals high in saturated fat and cholesterol promote gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach lining. Plant foods are high in nutrition and low in fat. Dietary fiber reduces the risk of gastritis and risk for inflammatory bowel disease. These foods provide an environment for healthier gut bacteria, called microbiome, that enhance gut, brain and immune health.
There is a strong “brain-gut” connection that links emotional health with digestive health. Chronic stress, anxiety, and depression are associated with IBS, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach ailments. Managing stress, relaxation exercises, and physical exercise help lower stress, improve mood and mental processing, and ease depression—all of which are good for mood-related GI problems.
Intense exercise such as running can worsen IBS symptoms. Gentle yet cardio-stimulating exercise is best, such as brisk walking. Find times for exercise when your intestines are the “quietest” and increase duration and intensity slowly.
The Bible teaches us that there is a “time and a season” to every purpose under heaven. Regularity in eating times, healthy choices, controlling stress, and connecting with positive people all work together to create emotional and digestive stability. Just as systems in nature and biology have orderly patterns and an ultimate plan, God has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life. He invites you now: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20.
(Submitted by Betty Dean. Used by Permission from www.lifestylematters.com. Courtesy of LifeSpring – Resources for Hope and Healing, Stuart, VA.)
