7 Natural Ways To Help You Improve Your Digestion!

During the recent pandemic, when the coronavirus situation became aggravated, for most of us, who had office desk jobs, a savior called ‘Work From Home (WFH)’ came to our aid to help us keep our jobs. However, with it, also came a lot of health concerns for most of us, and the one that troubled me the most was ‘indigestion.’ I’m sure you’ve been troubled by it too at one time or another, or probably, it’s troubling you right now, as you’re reading this article.

I’m not a professional medical advisor or a doctor, but let me tell you there are some easy-to-do ways in which you can overcome your problem of indigestion once and for all. These are the ways that have helped me overcome my severe acidity and digestion problems.

But before I talk about all that, let me take you back to that tough time I had which made my life like a living hell. So, you’ll have a real sense of how big a problem this indigestion can be if it’s not taken care of promptly. 

For me, WFH began in April 2020. I was so excited at the time thinking, “I don’t have to travel 1+ hours to get to the office for work and then another 1+ hours to come back home from work daily. It’ll be an easy life making a living from home!”. So, I started working from home. I would work for about 9-10 hours daily. I would eat whatever was available in my kitchen and in the fridge whenever I was hungry. And then, after my work was done, I would do some text-chatting with my girlfriend, watch a movie or YouTube videos, and then go to sleep. This became the order of every day for me. 

I wouldn’t go out that much because of the fear of the virus. But before WFH started, I would regularly work out at home despite spending all my energy on traveling 2+ hours daily to get to my workplace and then coming back home. I would do some push-ups, jumping jacks, crunches, and some weights with the dumbbells I had bought a long ago. But with the beginning of WFH, I became so lazy that I wouldn’t feel like doing any of the workouts anymore. I would just sit in my chair at my desk in front of a computer in my living room and work during my working hours and then just follow the order of the day. 

Months went by and I didn’t feel there was anything wrong with me, but then I started to feel it very intensely. I started having trouble getting my regular bowel movements, and I would struggle to pass stools. I sought help from many specialist doctors online via video and chat consultations. They would prescribe me some medications. Those medications would give me some relief for a few days, but after a while, that problem would recur. 

On top of that, for the first time in my life, I weighed around 160 pounds. Up until that time, my whole life, I had maintained a consistent, healthy weight of around 140 pounds. Considering my height of around 5 foot 8 and a half, I would always look lean and healthy with my weight of around 140. But during the pandemic-induced lockdown, due to my lazy WFH routine, I was now looking fat and out of shape for the first time in my life. 

I had worked for almost 8 months from home up until December 2020, when all of sudden, I was out of a job. Well, I’m not going to go into details about why it happened or what caused me to be out of a job, but because of that, I got a lot of time to concentrate on my health. And the acidity and indigestion problems were still troubling me like hell, and I was still overweight. So, getting out of that WFH job was kind of a boon to me. 

I consulted another physician here in my area because my indigestion problem was still at a severe level. I was still having trouble getting my bowel movements naturally and regularly, and every time I ate anything, I would immediately feel the urge to go to the bathroom, but it would turn out to be a false alarm, and then it would frustrate me like hell.

The physician gave me some antacids and laxatives which turned out to be effective only while I was on that medication course. The moment the medication course was over, the problem of indigestion recurred just like before. That doctor had told me that it was some kind of a medical condition called ‘Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)’, but whatever it was called, for me, it was nothing but a monster from hell. 

So, I decided to improve my health and started googling and reading articles in search of that. I did a lot of YouTubing too. Some videos helped me a little, but other ones were just a total waste of time. So, I took it upon myself and started paying close attention to my eating habits. I realized there were a lot of things that I was doing wrong with my food. So, then gradually, I developed some ways and practices which helped me cope with the IBS very well and effectively over time. 

Now, you must be thinking, “Oh man! What are those ways? Tell me already, will you?” Well, without any further ado, here are those simple ways which have helped me overcome my indigestion issue naturally over time without any laxatives or prescribed medications:

1. Mindful eating.

I realized I was eating a lot of oily and spicy food. Also, I would eat very fast, like I would take a mouthful and chew it only two to three times and then gulp it and just gobble it all up in a matter of 3-4 minutes. I had read about mindful eating a lot during my research for the remedy for my digestion problem. So, what exactly is this mindful eating?

Mindful eating is nothing but enjoying eating your food. Eat your food slowly, chewing every morsel as many as at least 18-20 times. Even when you have your favorite soup, slurp it slowly enjoying each spoonful. Mindful eating involves eating with total concentration on the food, as you take each mouthful. Never watch videos on your phone or TV while eating.

Just concentrate on your food and enjoy every bite of it. You can do this even when you’re at your workplace or college place during your meal breaks within your allotted break time. And after you’re done eating your food, don’t directly gulp glasses of water. Just wait for at least half an hour, and then drink a glass of water by sitting down and sipping it slowly. 

2. Watch what you eat.

I always believe you become what you think and what you eat. Now, the thinking part can be worked on easily by reading motivational books and watching motivational movies and speeches and all, but it’s the eating part that is sometimes really tough to deal with. When I was suffering from indigestion, I recall I was gobbling all of the spicy and deep-fried food in the world, food like pizzas, fries, potato chips, and whatnot, because it was WFH and all such food items were at my disposal whenever I wanted, in my kitchen.

So, after I got out of that job, I started paying strict attention to what I was eating. Of course, it’s not an easy task to completely stop all of your cravings and temptations for your favorite pizzas and chips and all, but I always had this ability to control my mind over such cravings in the past, I mean before WFH began. 

So, I made up my mind and I made it so resolutely strong that I wanted to get my digestive system functioning healthily again, no matter what sacrifices I had to make for it. I wanted to be healthy again, and I was determined this time. So, I started avoiding spicy and junk, deep-fried food items, and even sweets like chocolates and ice-creams.

Whenever I had cravings for potato chips, I would grab an apple and munch on it. Whenever I felt like ordering a pizza, I would peel a banana and eat it. Initially, it was hard, but then I started seeing some improvement in my digestion, but it was just the beginning of my body’s recovery, and there was still a long road for me to travel to a full recovery.

So, I continued to eat fruits to substitute for my cravings for junk food. I added vegetables, oatmeals, rice, and boiled egg whites to my daily diet. I started eating only 3 meals a day. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I fixed the time for each meal, and I would make sure that I ate on time. And whenever I got hungry in between meals, I would grab whatever fruit was available in my fridge. 

Whenever I felt cravings for potato chips or spicy crackers, or even chocolates, I would talk to that tempting food item. I would say to the potato chip packet, “Hey potato chips, I know you’re delicious and tempting. I’m so tempted to eat you right now, but you’re not gonna do my health any good, except for giving me the transient pleasure of eating you. So, thank you, I’m good!”

I know it’s kind of a crazy thing to do, but it helped me tackle my cravings for such food in a really big way. So, I would say it to every other tempting food item, be it chocolates or crackers, or any processed, junk food. I do it even to this day. I know it sounds crazy, but you can try it and see if it helps you too. I’m not asking you to give up your favorite pizzas or potato chips totally, I mean you can eat your favorite food once or twice a week, but make sure you eat it in moderation. Don’t ever let it become your daily habit.  

Also, avoid milk-related food products like cheese, tofu, or milk itself, if you’re lactose-intolerant, although curd or yogurt can be a better option to eat because it’s a probiotic that helps improve digestion. Cut down on your consumption of coffee or tea. I know we all love our coffee so much but drink it in moderation too. It’s best if you stop it completely. I used to drink a lot of coffee, during my WFH time, at least 2-3 cups daily while working. At the time, I enjoyed it, but later on, when my digestive system went haywire, I realized what “good” my favorite coffee was doing to me.

I hope you understand what I’m getting at here. Coffee was the first thing I stopped drinking, even before improving my other eating habits. And stopping coffee drinks was actually the beginning of my health restoration. Coffee contains caffeine, and consistent or daily consumption of it decreases melatonin in your body. Melatonin is a hormone responsible for sleep. And a consistent lack of sleep can aggravate indigestion. I noticed I started sleeping better after I stopped drinking coffee. So, avoid coffee or tea, if you can, or at least curtail its consumption to only once or twice a week.

3. Drink plenty of water.

The dietitians and health experts recommend around 4 liters of water consumption daily for the human body. Even if you drink around 3 liters of water daily, that is enough to keep your system hydrated and functioning healthily. I started drinking around 4 liters of water daily without fail, and it made even more difference in improving my gut health. With my daily 4 liters of water consumption and diet change, I was able to pass stools more easily than ever.

So, drink at least 3 liters of water daily, but make sure you always drink water by sitting down comfortably and sipping it slowly, not gulping it as if you’ve come out of desert land after a long time and now you are darn thirsty.

4. Exercise regularly. 

I started exercising again after a long time. With simple push-ups, crunches, planks, and jumping jacks mixed with some yoga at home, I started noticing even more improvement in my digestion. And in a matter of 2-3 weeks of regular exercises at home and with healthy, proper food and water intake, I started getting my bowel movements regularly and it became even easier for me to empty my bowels daily. To know more about the home exercises you can do and the importance of health in life, you can check out my article, ‘Health Is Wealth’.

5. Get adequate sleep daily.

How many hours of sleep is good for the human body? Well, it’s a debatable question. I think it differs from person to person, but ideally, from my personal experience, 6 hours of sound sleep is enough for anybody to feel good and remain active during the day. But you must sleep on time each day, whatever time you choose. Also, make sure you don’t go to sleep immediately after you’ve eaten your food. At least wait for an hour, do some walking in your room or outside if you can go outside at night, and then come back and go to sleep.

Don’t eat or drink anything at least an hour before sleeping, not even fruits or milk. Of course, you can drink water, but always remember to drink it slowly. Stress is one of the contributing factors to the problem of indigestion. So, good, adequate sleep will definitely help you reduce stress and in turn, it will improve your digestion.

6. Some home remedies you can try.

I started drinking lemon water each day after I woke up. If you don’t have a water purifier that gives warm water, then just warm a glassful of water in the saucepan, squeeze a medium-sized, half lemon into it, and drink it slowly sipping, while it is warm. If you want, you can add one tablespoon of pure honey to it. This drink helped me get my bowel movement more quickly and naturally every day. I continued drinking it daily for about 5 weeks and then I stopped because, by that time, it was all-natural for me with the other aforementioned ways still judiciously adhered to by me.

So, you can try a lemon warm water drink. Also, you can chew a teaspoon of roasted carom seeds, it helped me improve after food acidity. I eat it even now whenever I have acidity. You can try it too. But remember, whatever home remedies you try, don’t make it a habit. Your body’s natural mechanism is the best way to stay healthy.

7. Whenever you feel the urge, just go and do it.

Whenever you feel the urge to empty your bowels, just go and do it. Don’t hold it for a long time. I used to do it a lot while I was working from home, but now I realize that habit of mine was a big culprit in disrupting my digestive system. So, never hold that urge for a long time. Even when you’re outside, at your workplace or college place, or in a movie theater, if you feel the urge, find some washroom or restroom and just go do it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, we all do it every day, it’s just that talking about it is considered to be anti-etiquette. 

So, these are some of the easy, natural ways which have helped me overcome my indigestion problem, and now I weigh around 141 pounds, I’m back to my healthy weight. So, you should implement these ways in your daily life too if you want to keep all of the digestion-related problems at bay.

I hope and pray for your good health and I hope these ways help you overcome all of your digestion-related issues too but make sure to remain resolute in following these ways, no matter what. After all, health is truly your wealth.

Seek medical advice if needed. Don’t ever just depend on self-medication or self-treatments. If you combine the aforementioned ways with proper medical treatment from a professional, the effects of it all will be amazingly beneficial to your digestion and overall health.

May you always be healthy in your body, mind, and soul.

Disclaimer: The pictures used in this article belong to their copyrighted owners.