Taking Care of Our Digestive System

• Having a balanced diet is important in keeping the digestive system healthy. A diet pertains to the variety of food and drinks consumed regularly. What and how much an individual eats describes his or her diet.
• A balanced diet should include carbohydrates (usually from cereals), proteins (meat, milk legumes), and essential vitamins and minerals (vegetables and fruits) needed by the body.
• Hydration should also be a major component of one’s diet. Drinking plenty of clean and safe water is the best method of hydrating the body. Aside from regulating body temperature, water also prevents constipation.
• Developing good eating habits should also accompany a balanced diet. Since digestion starts at the mouth, eating slowly and chewing the food well helps make the digestive process smooth.
• Having an overall healthy lifestyle also aids the digestive system. Exercise is one of the factors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Regular and moderate physical exercise helps strengthen abdominal muscles which lessen the strain of digestion.
• In contrast, an unhealthy lifestyle accompanied by improper eating habits may lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition is the general term to indicate poor health due to lack of certain nutrients.
• Protein-energy malnutrition pertains to lack of protein- and energy giving foods like carbohydrates in one’s diet. This can be a life-threatening condition wherein the body suffers from deprivation of needed substances which leads to body malfunction. This type of malnutrition is also called undernutrition.
• Deficiency of minerals or vitamins in the diet is called micronutrient deficiency. Vitamin A, iron, and iodine are the three main micronutrients which are found to be lacking in the diets of many developing countries, such as the Philippines, as identified by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
• Anemia is caused by iron deficiency. It is characterized by low amounts of hemoglobin or red blood cells. The enlargement of the thyroid gland called goiter is one of the consequences of iodine deficiency.
• Overnutrition is also considered as a type of malnutrition. It can lead to a condition known as obesity. It is characterized by being overweight, and there is a high amount of fat evident in the body.