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The rainy season is a time to enjoy the cool breeze, the greenery, and the refreshing showers. But it is also when various factors, such as contaminated food and water, humidity, stress, and infections, may challenge your gut health. Your gut health indicates the balance of microorganisms in your digestive tract. They significantly impact your physical and mental well-being, immunity, and other vital aspects of your health. Taking care of your gut health during this season is essential and preventing issues such as indigestion, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, gastritis, and gastroenteritis. While you should have robust health insurance in place, in case there is an emergency, in general, you can manage your gut health at home.
Here are some tips on how to boost your gut health this rainy season:
1. Take probiotics
Probiotics are like friendly bacteria that are good for your tummy. They help keep your gut healthy and protect it from inflammation and infections. You can get probiotics by taking special supplements or by eating certain Indian foods that are full of these helpful bacteria. Some examples of such foods are yoghurt, buttermilk, idli, dosa, or kanji. These foods not only improve your digestion but also make your immunity stronger.
2. Eat prebiotic fibre
Prebiotics are special carbohydrates your body cannot digest, but they are like food for the good bacteria in your tummy (probiotics). They help these helpful bacteria grow and stay healthy in your gut.
Some foods rich in prebiotics are asparagus, bananas, chicory, garlic, onions, whole grains (like brown rice, oats), and legumes (like lentils and beans). These foods also provide essential nutrients and keep your tummy from getting constipated.
3. Eat less sugar
If you overeat sugar or use artificial sweeteners, it can upset the balance of the gut microbiome. This can lead to more inflammation and increase the chances of having metabolic problems, like how your body processes food. Sugar and sweeteners can also feed the harmful bacteria and fungi in your gut and cause infections. Therefore, limit your intake of processed foods, candies, cakes, sodas, juices, and other sugary or artificially sweetened products.
4. Reduce stress
Stress can negatively affect your gut health by altering the gut-brain axis, which communicates between your nervous and digestive systems. Stress can also impair digestion, lower immunity, increase inflammation, and make you more vulnerable to infections. To reduce stress, engage yourself in relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or any activity that makes you happy and calm. To live a stress-free life, you must also invest in health insurance that can provide peace of mind, ensuring access to necessary medical support.
5. Avoid over-dependence on antibiotics
Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria. However, these medications also kill the good bacteria in your gut. This may cause an imbalance in your body’s gut microbiome and result in side effects such as diarrhoea, nausea, bloating, and yeast infections. Therefore, avoid taking antibiotics unless prescribed by your doctor and necessary for treating a bacterial infection.
If you are pregnant, irrespective of the fact whether you have maternity health insurance or not, it is better to avoid taking antibiotics without proper consultation. If you take antibiotics, replenish your gut flora with probiotics after completing the course.
6. Exercise
Physical activity can stimulate the muscles in your digestive tract and help move food through the system. Exercise can also improve blood circulation, oxygen delivery, metabolism, mood, and immunity. Try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. You can pick any activity you like, such as walking, jogging, biking, swimming, or dancing. Just have fun and move your body!
7. Sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential for both your gut and overall health. Not getting sufficient sleep can mess up your digestion, make inflammation worse, weaken your immunity, and even affect your mood and thinking. Sleep also influences your gut’s internal clock, which helps with various body functions. So, get around seven to eight hours of sound sleep every night. Establish a bedtime routine to sleep better, avoid caffeine, alcohol, and big meals before bedtime, and ensure your bedroom is dark, calm, and quiet.
8. Avoid disinfectants
Disinfectants are chemicals that can eliminate germs, but they can also harm the beneficial bacteria on your skin and in your surroundings. This can reduce the diversity of your microbiome and make you more prone to allergies and infections. Therefore, avoid using harsh disinfectants on yourself or on surfaces that you come in contact with frequently. Instead, use mild soap and water or natural cleaners such as vinegar or lemon juice.
9. Quit smoking
Smoking is harmful to your gut health as well as your overall health. Smoking can damage the lining of your digestive tract and increase the risk of ulcers, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and colon cancer. Smoking can also alter the composition of your gut microbiome and reduce its diversity and function. Therefore, quit smoking or reduce it as much as possible. Seek professional help if you need assistance in quitting. There is a common misconception that standard or senior citizen health insurance covers the expenses of treatments to help quit smoking. However, this is not true.
Conclusion
By following these tips, you can boost your gut health this rainy season and enjoy its benefits for your health and well-being. Remember to consult your doctor if you experience any persistent or severe digestive symptoms or infections. Gut health can be easily managed by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and taking some additional precautionary steps, especially during the monsoons. However, infections can get severe during the rainy season and to stay covered against such medical emergencies, make sure you have robust health insurance as well.
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