The new year is here, and with it comes New Year’s resolutions. Whether you partake in this holiday tradition or not, starting the new year off on a healthy note is beneficial for everyone.
Making healthy changes for your gut with diet, lifestyle choices, and preventative health screenings can boost your overall health and well-being.
This article will highlight 6 ways you can improve your gut health in the new year. We’ll also outline helpful tips for planning healthy meals that support digestion and colonoscopy scheduling options. This article aims to inspire you to achieve a happy gut and make positive changes this new year.
6 Ways to Improve Gut Health
There are 6 key ways you can improve your gut health this year. Keep reading to learn more about making healthy changes that your gut will thank you for.
1) Get Your Screenings
Preventive health screenings can help you stay on top of your health and avoid medical complications. If you’re 45 years of age or older, you should consider making a new years resolution to get screened for colon cancer.
Getting screened for colon cancer when you’re supposed to can help prevent colon cancer and detect any abnormalities in your colon. For most healthy people, colon cancer screening should begin at age 45. Your doctor may recommend screening earlier if you’re experiencing digestive problems or have a family history of colon cancer.
You can also get screened for acid reflux and heartburn. If you’re experiencing recurrent symptoms, your doctor may recommend an upper endoscopy to diagnose your condition.
2) Regular Physical Activity
While working out more may be on most peoples’ minds this new year, it can affect much more than just weight loss. Regular physical activity can improve the health of your gut microbiome, reduce inflammation in the gut, and strengthen the muscles in the digestive tract.
It can also decrease intestinal permeability. This can make you less susceptible to inflammatory digestive diseases. Moderate endurance exercise positively impacts your gut health and can reduce your risk of uncomfortable digestive symptoms.
3) Eat Fiber-Rich Foods
Eating fiber-rich foods can enhance the health of your gut by nourishing your gut microbiome. Fiber feeds the bacteria in your gut and can increase their diversity. Having a diverse gut microbiome with beneficial strains of bacteria can have numerous benefits for your gut health.
It can boost your metabolism, make you feel fuller longer, improve digestion, and reduce gut inflammation. You can add more fiber to your diet by consuming plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.
4) Choose Whole Over Processed Foods
Opting for healthier options like whole foods over processed foods can benefit your gut health. Highly processed foods such as white bread, fried foods, and soda can lead to constipation and an upset stomach.
Making whole foods an important part of your diet can give your body the nutrients it needs. Whole foods contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber to support digestion. The majority of your plate during meals should include whole foods.
5) Drink More Water
Staying hydrated helps your digestive system function properly. Drinking plenty of water speeds up the time it takes your stomach to empty and improves the movement of waste through your system. This can reduce your risk of acid reflux, abdominal discomfort, belly bloat, and constipation. It can also help keep your bowel movements regular.
It would be best if you tried to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. If you weigh 140 pounds, you will drink 70 ounces of water daily or roughly 8.75 cups.
6) Diversify Your Diet
Consuming a diverse and balanced diet can have lasting benefits for your gut health. It would be best if you tried incorporating prebiotics and probiotics into your daily diet to promote optimal digestion and relieve digestive symptoms.
Prebiotics are plant-based foods that feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Common prebiotics includes bananas, artichokes, and asparagus. Probiotics are live strains of beneficial bacteria that can lead to digestive benefits. Fermented foods such as kimchi, kombucha, and greek yogurt naturally contain probiotics.
Plan Out Your Meals for Success
Meal planning can hold you accountable for your new year goals. A balanced plant-based diet can help you get enough fiber, prebiotics, and probiotics. These types of foods can promote regular bowel movements and reduce your risk of diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, and abdominal pain. Preparing your meals ahead of time can help you stay on track and avoid the temptations of highly processed foods.
It would be best if you also tried to steer clear of foods that trigger digestive symptoms. If you notice that certain foods make your gut react in a negative way, try eliminating them from your diet. It’s essential to find foods that are good for you and also make you feel good.
Colonoscopy Scheduling Options
Early detection is essential to beat colon cancer. Getting screened for colon cancer may save your life. A colonoscopy is the best screening test because it can detect and remove precancerous polyps in the colon. You can schedule a colonoscopy at Lubbock Gastroenterology in two ways:
- See Dr. Sameer Islam for an appointment before your colonoscopy date. This is traditionally how colonoscopies work.
- Schedule your colonoscopy without an initial doctor’s visit. You’ll instead meet Dr. Sameer Islam on the day of your procedure. This is an Open-Access Colonoscopy and saves you the time and expense of an additional office visit.
How to Achieve a Happy Gut
The new year is a popular time for making healthy choices a priority. But any time is an excellent time to focus on your health. Even if you’ve already made your New Year’s resolutions and fallen off track, you can start again. Making small changes that benefit your gut can have lasting effects on your health and well-being.
The importance of preventative health screenings cannot be understated. Everyone should receive a colonoscopy screening test when recommended by their doctor. If you’re 45 years of age or older, you should talk to your doctor about your screening options.
A colonoscopy is a lifesaving procedure that can diagnose and treat colon cancer before you’ve even noticed anything is wrong. Unfortunately, colon cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms until the disease advances to its later stages. Catching it early is the key to successful treatment and a long life. Colon cancer has over a 90% survival rate after five years when detected early.
Making healthy diet and lifestyle choices can also positively change your gut health. Eating whole foods, drinking plenty of water, and regularly exercising can improve digestion and help you avoid unwanted symptoms.
If you’re struggling with your gut health and want to feel better, you can request an appointment online or call our office at (806) 696-4440.
