HOW TO AID DIGESTION

How many times have you heard someone say “I can digest anything”?
Well, it’s an ability which can decrease as we get older, especially after the age of 65. 

The walls of the stomach age with us, together with the ability to produce hydrochloric acid and pepsin, which are essential during digestion.

What is the good news? 

We can aid and stimulate digestion, together with our overall wellness, by following the advice of the Healthy Food Guide nutritionists!

To aid digestion we need to eat well!

To aid digestion we need to follow a correct diet! But what is good for us?
There is no single answer because each person is different and can be intolerant even to healthy foods, so expert advice is recommended to create one’s own healthy diet!

#Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, linked to the health of our nervous system and to preserving correct levels of cholesterol in the blood, comes from food of animal origin. The recommended daily allowance, 2-3 mg for an adult, can come from lean meat, liver, milk and dairy products, oysters, salmon, tuna and eggs.

#Fiber
Fiber is essential for a healthy intestine; it supports the immune system and makes us more resistant to food poisoning, helps to keep the glycemic index under control and promotes cardiac health.
The recommended daily intake, between 20 and 30 g, is guaranteed by a diet that is rich in seasonal fruit and vegetables.

#Live lactic acid bacteria
Lactic acid bacteria keep the intestinal flora balanced and healthy, enriching our wealth of bacteria which are “friends of the intestine”. 
According to Italian Ministerial Guidelines, the recommended daily allowance is one billion bacteria, so, in addition to yogurt, milk and dairy products, it is also possible to use food supplements, in particular probiotics, under the advice of your Physician or Nutritionist.

Good digestion and keeping the intestine healthy

Here are a few nutritional and non-nutritional ideas to keep our digestion ability agile and the risk of constipation or stypsis at bay:

> oat flakes, walnuts and seeds
>  fruit salad with yogurt
>  porridge or muesli with yogurt
>  banana and red berry smoothie
>  brown rice with seasonal vegetables
>  brown pasta with tomato sauce
>  boiled pulses, such as beans and red lentils
>  one or two liters of water a day
>  lots of movement and physical exercise