Everyone deals with bouts of digestive issues from time to time. These can be painful and uncomfortable, but they are usually temporary. If you find yourself constantly experiencing digestive issues, however, try some of these things to make it better.

Know What Upsets Your Stomach

The first step to fixing your digestive issues is realizing which foods are causing you problems. To start this process, continue eating the foods you already eat. Every time you experience digestive issues, write down all of the foods you ate that day. As this goes on, you’ll be able to take notice of the repeat offenders, and start to develop a list of things that cause you problems. Knowing which foods upset your stomach allow you to know which foods to eliminate from your diet. If your symptoms are especially intense, it may be good to get some allergy testing done to see whether the issues come from intolerances or allergies.

Don’t Rush It

One of the most surefire ways to get a stomach ache is to eat your meals too quickly. Rushing your meals can lead to indigestion and other issues. Eating too quickly stops you from actively paying attention to your hunger cues, and makes you more likely to overeat. This can cause digestive problems as your stomach is too full. You’re also far more likely to choke on your food if you eat it too quickly. In order to properly chew your food, you need to take your time. Eating quickly often means swallowing food that hasn’t been properly chewed, which makes it harder to digest. These bigger pieces can also lead to you choking.

Pre and Probiotics

The health of your gut is constructed from your microbiome. Some of the digestive issues you may be experiencing could come from an unbalanced microbiome. This is the collection of bacteria that lives in your digestive system. Digestive issues could come from an excess of the “bad” bacteria. Taking pre and probiotics helps fill your gut with the healthy bacteria it needs to thrive. Probiotics can be taken as supplements, but many foods contain the same bacteria. Any fermented foods contain probiotics. Incorporating foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha all help your gut to gain more “good” bacteria.

Having continual digestive issues can be terribly uncomfortable. If they’re bad enough, your symptoms can stop you from being able to complete your normal activities. If you find yourself having a lot of digestive issues, try implementing some of these tips to help alleviate your symptoms.

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