Are you a healthy person? You’d possibly like to answer this in the affirmative and one guess as to how you would arrive at that answer is by thinking about how many times you have visited the doctor. Correct? So, if you think you are a healthy individual, then congratulations, that’s what most people want. But, let’s pause for a moment and ask: are you really as healthy as you think you are? If you want to determine the absolute right answer to this question, then only a doctor can help you, but even without going that distance, here are a few situations for you to determine the state of your digestive system’s health. Let’s see what your answers to the following questions are.

1. You are at a party. All the chicken/fancy stuff calling out to you at the buffet seem to put you off at the very thought of consuming them? Why? Do you have a burning sensation in your food pipe?
2. You are getting late for work, but your bowels just don’t seem to be in a mood to cooperate with you. Do you try, but ditch the exercise?
3. Let’s see. Your bowels do cooperate, but the aftermath leaves a stinging sensation in your rear-side. Does this happen often?
4. Does your shirt come around a bit too tight near your belly? You’ve not gained weight, but it’s a feeling of being bloated, isn’t it?
5. You’ve just finished eating. Does it feel like a thousand pins are pricking you on the inside?

There are several more situations that can become an infinite list, but, if you have nodded your head silently to even one, then you must know that your digestive system is not too happy with you, which in turn means you are not actually as healthy as you believe you are.

Your food is the fuel to your body and digestive problems bring associated risks. Just like a cycle, problems in digestion prevent you from eating well, further aggravating the problem you began with.

Therefore, to avoid several gastrointestinal issues leading to further problems like fatigue, it’s essential that you keep your digestive system happy. If you are wondering how that can be achieved, worry not, here’s a crisp guide for you that will keep your GI tract happy.

At the risk of sounding like a grandmother, this is most essential. If you are someone who likes to think that fries are awesome and even better when washed down with insane amounts of aerated drinks, then well, you are in for some trouble, Not just do these drinks make you feel like your nose is going to blow up every time you burp, they also mess around with your digestive system like it’s nobody’s business.

So, what do you do? Listen to your mother and grandmother and stick to more of ghar ka khana than ordering poison from all the online apps occupying your smartphone’s memory. Also, more greens and stuff rich in proteins, please!

Listen up. The clock is your best friend. Not just does it get you to your meetings in time, it also prevents you from all those annoying digestive system problems. Imagine letting out a nasty burp when you are just about to get your client sign the deal. Doesn’t sound comfortable at all, right? So, if you want to avoid any of the uncomfortable perils of GI problems, eat in time. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner – please plan your meals well and be punctual. Also, by meals, we don’t mean that the combo that your favorite burger joint is dishing out. We mean a proper meal at a decent time.

This is absolutely necessary. Water intake is critical to your overall health, but it impacts your digestive system in particular. So, do yourself a favour and stop imagining that you are in a desert that has no water.

Water conservation is an important cause, but you might want to save water by not washing your car with four buckets of them, but not drinking enough water isn’t the right way to do it, just so you know. However, while we are at it, it’s important you understand that you shouldn’t be gulping too much water while you are eating. Let your digestion do its job.

While it’s important to stay hydrated, please use the right liquids to do so. Alcohol and aerated drinks are not the way anyone wants you to ‘stay hydrated’. The impacts of aerated drinks have already been mentioned in the first point and the only thing to keep in mind is the fact that not does just alcohol make you do some questionable things, it also harms your digestion. It really does. It’s not good for anything in your body, including your wallet. So, stay smart, stay rich and stay healthy by avoiding getting tipsy!

If this point misleads you into believing that sleep is only important for your looks, then, sure enough, you know better than that. Your sleep cycles determine the state of your health to a great extent. They also decide the cycle of your day. This means that if you sleep late, you also wake up late, tossing your routine diet out of the window. Not getting enough sleep is also known to have an impact on your appetite, sometimes making you binge eat and sometimes, killing your hunger completely. So, tuck yourself into your bed in time and save yourself a couple of trips to the doctor.

How many times has your dad asked you to stop being a couch potato and get things done? Many times, right? Turns out, he’s been right all along. Sitting in the same place even if it’s in office, puts you at the risk of obesity among many other things. It might also be the right time to mention that physical activity is the best way to kick up a good appetite and also burn some calories for all the cheat snacks that you have been munching on. Plus, like dad says, it’s actually the best way to get things done. So, if you are able to kill three birds in one stone, that doesn’t sound like too shabby a plan now, does it?

If you think stress doesn’t play a part in influencing your digestive system, think again. Your state of mind can force you into making some unfortunate dietary and lifestyle decisions. From indulging in unhealthy eating to not eating at all, from deprived sleep to just being holed up in a place, stress can be counter to all the tips mentioned above. A happy person has a happy gut, so find ways to relax and don’t let it get the better of your digestive system, ok?

With these oh-so-easy tips to have a happy digestive system, do you think there’s anything that stops you from being healthy? Not really. An occasional visit to the doctor won’t hurt though!