Discover how to take care of the intestinal flora with simple tips and tricks useful to take care of both the bacterial flora and the digestive and intestinal systems.
Our digestive system (particularly our digestive tract) is colonized by live bacteria, whose microbial community is popularly known by the name of intestinal flora, they are essential for our health.
Mainly there are several functions that they perform: they help in the digestion of food and in the absorption of its nutrients; increase resistance to infections (learn more about how to increase defenses); and they prevent the growth of bacteria responsible for traffic disorders, among others.
But in order to keep this bacterial community “in good condition”, it is necessary to know how to take care of the intestinal flora. Which is achieved, as we will see below, by following a healthy lifestyle and habits.
What is the intestinal flora?
As you surely know, our digestive system (particularly our digestive tract) is colonized by live bacteria, whose microbial community is popularly known as the intestinal flora, which is essential both for our health and for our own well-being.
Mainly there are several functions that they carry out: it helps in the digestion of food and in the absorption of its nutrients; increases resistance to infections; they prevent the growth of bacteria responsible for traffic disorders, among others.
Health habits to take care of your intestinal flora
But in order to keep this bacterial community “in good condition”, it is necessary to know how to take care of the intestinal flora. And not only to enjoy good health, but to prevent certain common digestive discomforts, such as bloating and gas.
We must bear in mind that inside our digestive tract we all have gas, partly we produce it and partly we incorporate it from outside through our diet. This gas can cause discomfort, such as a feeling of bloating, bloating, discomfort and even pain. Did you know that the increase in the amount of gas depends not only on the diet, but on the composition of the intestinal flora? For this reason, it is very important to take care of its variety and balance, always based on a good and correct diet.
- Eat a balanced diet, rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Eat foods rich in fiber.
- Eat probiotic foods.
- Drink between 1.5 to 2 liters of water every day.
- Avoid taking an excess of protein of animal origin.
- Combine proteins of animal origin with vegetables.
- Wash your hands well before eating, and after using the bathroom.
What happens if we don’t take care of our intestinal flora?
Taking into account that the best way to take care of the intestinal flora is by following a balanced, natural and healthy diet, there is no doubt that not maintaining it negatively affects not only the health of our flora, but our health in general.
For this reason, when our intestinal flora is altered, gas and flatulence, abdominal bloating and constipation can appear, since the functions of our digestive system have been altered.
In addition, our immune system can be weakened, which helps us to catch flu or colds much more quickly and easily.
As we can see, following a healthy lifestyle helps not only to enjoy good health, but also to take care of our digestive system and enjoy a much healthier intestinal flora.
Beneficial foods for the intestinal flora
Among the different beneficial foods for the intestinal flora, a specific group of natural products that are especially indicated to take care of both our digestive system and our flora stand out above all:
Yogurt
It is fermented milk, rich in beneficial microorganisms for the correct care of our intestinal flora. In addition, it provides essential nutrients such as high-quality protein, minerals such as calcium or phosphorus, and vitamins such as vitamin A and D.
Probiotics
They are products rich in live bacteria and lactic acid, which in addition to being beneficial for our flora, are useful to strengthen our immune system.
Prebiotics
Unlike the previous ones, prebiotic foods have as their main function the stimulation of the growth of the bacteria that we find in the colon, stimulating their activity at the same time.
Other useful tips to take care of and protect it
- Boil the legumes in plenty of water, letting them rest for an hour in the cooking water, in this way you will be able to reduce the amount of gas they produce.
- Limit gas-producing vegetables, such as beans, cabbage, celery, onion, artichoke, broccoli, lima beans, and Brussels sprouts.
- Introduce whole foods into your diet, always progressively to help the intestine adapt.
- Includes 2 fermented dairy products with probiotics.
- Always eat smaller and more frequent meals, eating five times a day instead of two. In this way the intestine will be able to digest food better.
