The primary role of your digestive system is to turn the food you eat into energy and to transfer what you don't need into waste material. Your diet has a direct influence on your digestive tract's health. Poor diet can lead to a host of complications ranging from flatulence and heartburn to irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and diarrhea. Eating a range of healthy foods promotes a healthy digestive system.
Fruit
Fresh fruit is an effective source of fiber that also delivers important vitamins and nutrients to your digestive system to maintain optimum health. According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you already have digestive problems, certain fruits may irritate your sensitive system. Through trial and error, you can find suitable fruits you can eat on a daily basis to maintain smooth digestion. Fibrous fruits include apples, prunes, apricots, grapes, berries and melon. Canned fruit made with water or fruit juice also provides effective sources of fiber.
Oats
While most whole grains are necessary to maintain proper digestive function, according to Dr. Ben Kim at Health Watch, oats provide additional dietary benefits that aid in good digestion. Oats are rife with soluble fiber, important for smooth elimination, and they contain selenium, phosphorous and niacin as well as trace amounts of zinc and vitamin E. The vital nutrients are best preserved in steel-cut oats, which are not processed using heat. Quick cooking oats have been depleted of many valuable nutrients, so if you can't get steel-cut oats, rolled oats make for a reliable substitution.
Vegetables
Vegetables are a good source of fiber, vital for healthy digestion, as well as an effective source of necessary vitamins and minerals. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, if you are not in the habit of eating vegetables on a regular basis, you should introduce them to your diet slowly. High fiber vegetables that can help you prevent constipation by forming soft, well-formed stools include spinach, cabbage, carrots and broccoli.
Potatoes
Yukon gold potatoes and sweet potatoes, eaten with their skins intact, contain high amounts of dietary fiber for a healthy digestive system. According to Dr. Kim, they also contain vitamins B-6 and C and are healthy choices of carbohydrates in your diet. The gold and orange potatoes also may relieve symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel disease and ulcers. When cooked in soup with celery juice, the potatoes may also help in healing if you suffer from other gastrointestinal difficulties.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: The Structure and Function of the Digestive System
- Cleveland Clinic: Healthy Eating for the Digestive System
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Constipation
- Health Watch: Five Foods for a Healthy Disgestive System: Ben Kim, DC
- Kids Health from Nemours: Your Digestive System
