Digestive problems refer to any gastrointestinal disorders that occur in the digestive tract (aka gastrointestinal – GI tract). The first symptoms of a digestive tract issue usually include signs such as heartburn, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, and bleeding.
If you happen to be experiencing nausea, bloating, or abdominal pain, it’s probably a virus that will go away on its own in a few days. Other more serious symptoms such as GERD or bleeding could signify a digestive condition requiring a change in lifestyle habits or medical treatment.
The signs of digestive problems can be caused by a variety of factors, but here are a few of the common culprits.
CAUSES OF DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
Many factors can upset your GI tract, including:
- A low-fibre diet.
- Not enough exercise.
- Changes in routine, such as travel.
- Too many dairy products.
- Stress.
- Avoiding bowel movements due to haemorrhoids.
- Taking too much anti-diarrheal medication.
- Taking antacid medicines with aluminium or calcium.
- Taking certain medicines (especially iron pills, antidepressants, or
- antidepressants, iron pills, and narcotic pain medication).
Can low iron cause digestive problems?
It’s not uncommon for an iron deficiency to cause uncomfortable gut symptoms such as those listed below. Boosting your iron intake can help improve iron deficiency.
DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS SYMPTOMS
If you’re prone to digestion problems, you may experience one or even a few of the symptoms below:
- Bleeding
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Heartburn
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Gastro-oesophageal Reflux
- Hiccup
- Indigestion
- Dry skin.
Interesting fact: Dry lips and digestive problems are related. It turns out that when you’re dehydrated, your body draws water from other parts of the body. This can cause dryness in the colon (causing constipation) as well as skin dryness on the lips and body.
Best Foods for Digestion Problems
Food triggers vary from person to person, it depends on what food allergies you have, if you’re lactose intolerant, what gastrointestinal disease you have, etc. Regardless of the specific condition, if you have a sensitive stomach, pay attention to how certain foods make you feel and adjust your diet accordingly.
Eating healthy foods that help digestion regularly can help digestion problems, these include:
- Seeds
- Berries
- Yogurt
- Kimchi
- Lean Meat and Fish
- Whole Grains
- Bananas
- Ginger
Simply Botanical is a lifestyle blog that is dedicated to exploring interesting health and wellness topics including organic beauty products, home remedies for allergies, and more!
