Stress, anxiety and overwork affect not only our state of mind, but also the functioning of the intestines. Nutritionist Tatyana Zaletova suggests that we change the situation for the better without resorting to drugs.
Tatyana Zaletova, nutritionist at the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the healthy food delivery company GreenDin.
Digestive difficulties – stomach pain, gas, chronic constipation or indigestion – are very common among those of us who work long hours. Dry eating in the office, stress eating, skipping breakfast, and midnight meals are the usual companions of workaholics. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to constant tension, stress, and irregular meals. At the slightest disturbance of intestinal motility, we usually reach for drugs, but this is only a temporary solution to the problem. Frequent use of drugs is addictive and forces you to increase the dose each time in order to achieve a result. Nutritionist Tatyana Zaletova suggests other, non-drug ways to deal with this problem.
1. Every morning (on an empty stomach) drink a glass of warm water – it will wake up the body and “start” the process of digestion. Drink as much water as possible throughout the day. Water can be replaced with fruit and berry preparations, mint tea. But black and green tea, like coffee, should not be drunk in case of malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract. They dehydrate the body and therefore complicate the situation.
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2. Apricots, strawberries, eggplant, spinach, lettuce, corn, beets and pumpkin, grains are rich in fiber. Fiber stimulates the intestines, helping digestion, and is involved in the processes of cleansing the body. It is important to keep this in mind when choosing dishes for lunch and dinner. And be prepared for the fact that spicy, salty and fast food will have to be abandoned, as well as food that is too hot and too cold – such food complicates digestion. Try to choose a diet food and eat small portions several times a day. If you have abdominal pain or frequent indigestion, give up raw fruits and vegetables for a while, replace them with heat-treated ones. But do not get carried away with boiled and steamed foods – the body runs the risk of relaxing, and after the first fresh green apple, everything will return to normal again.
3. For many of us, even during lunch, it is difficult to forget about business and put our smartphone aside. In a hurry, eating lunch and browsing the Facebook feed, we simply do not notice what, how much and how we eat. This leads to serious digestive problems – it is difficult for the body to digest half-chewed food. Therefore, it is so important to learn to focus only on food while eating. Feel its taste and enjoy. Eat slowly, and chew each piece of food about thirty times – it may seem strange, but this way the body feels full faster, and the food is better digested and absorbed.
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4. Stimulate digestion with an exercise that is easy to do while lying in bed. In the morning, immediately after waking up, lie on your back and bend your knees. Inhale deeply through your belly and then exhale as slowly as you can. When you inhale, the diaphragm moves, causing pressure on the internal organs, especially the intestines, thereby stimulating their activity. Do not forget about yoga – stretching and asanas that you will do in class will relax you and normalize the work of the digestive tract.
5. Have a relaxing evening for yourself two or three times a week. Fill the bath with hot water (at least 38 degrees) and add 7-10 drops of lavender oil to it. Sit comfortably, inhale the aroma of lavender and try to relax. And then begin to massage your stomach with your palm, in circular motions in a clockwise direction. Do not press, do not rush – these movements will relieve stress, calm anxiety and at the same time stimulate bowel movements.
6. Don’t forget to consult your doctor. Failure of the gastrointestinal tract is usually caused by one of three reasons. It can be a disease (for example, gastritis or an ulcer), dysbacteriosis due to antibiotics, or chronic stress. Before drawing independent conclusions about the cause of constipation or gas formation, consult a gastroenterologist. This will help you avoid making mistakes. If the treatment prescribed by your doctor, the exercises and dietary rules that we have described do not help to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, you should consult a naturopath, a specialist in traditional medicine. He will select a special relaxation treatment using acupuncture, reflexology or even bowel hydrotherapy.
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