Gastroparesis, or slow digestion, is a digestive disorder that can strike anyone, including the young, old and those who are healthy. Diagnosing digestive disorders can be tricky, due to the vague and sometimes overlapping symptoms of each disorder. Typically, gastroparesis is diagnosed through diagnostic imaging, where the doctor can visualize the delayed emptying of food through the digestive tract. Your digestive tract is composed of organs, nerves, muscles and circulation. Speeding up slow digestion will start with looking at the cause, and treating it.
Step 1
Control your blood sugars if you are diabetic, keeping them in the prescribed range with careful diet, medications and exercise. Chronically high blood sugars can result in damage to the nerves that control digestion, resulting in slow digestion and irregular blood sugars.
Step 2
Eat five or six small meals daily, as opposed to two or three large ones. Overeating will stretch the stomach and increase your feelings of discomfort after eating.
Step 3
Limit your dietary fat and fiber intake. Although both should be included in a healthy diet, fats and fiber are difficult for the body to digest, resulting in delayed gastric emptying times.
Step 4
Talk to your doctor about medications to increase gastric emptying, or take your prescribed medications if you have a history of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. These medications can assist in moving the food quickly through the stomach and small intestines.
Step 5
Try a diet consisting of softer foods for a few days and note any relief you obtain from symptoms. Soft cooked meats and vegetables, as well as overly cooked pastas may digest more quickly.
Tips and Warnings
- Do not make all the changes listed here at once. Try the suggestions as desired, one at a time, so you will know which worked if you have symptom relief.
- Contact your doctor with any nausea, vomiting or inability to keep food down. This may indicate a serious problem with your gastroparesis and needs to be assessed by a medical professional.
