Peristalsis (from the Greek peristaltikos – wrapping and compressing) is a wave-like contraction of the walls of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract or other systems (ureters, fallopian tubes, and others), contributing to the promotion of their contents from the “inlet” of the organ to the “outlet”. Keeping track of this is very important, and here’s why.
There can be a huge number of opinions about the same food product. But the problem is not that the product is bad or good, but that it can be bad for one, but good for another. There are individual intolerances, there are genetic features, there are phenotypic, national, childhood habits – and all this forms a varied diet, which is very different around the world. What is “not spicy” for an Indian may be unbearable for us, for example.
Why is it better to give up fresh vegetables in the cold?
Diet is a delicate individual long-term work. For each person, the ideal menu is different. However, general recommendations are suitable for everyone. When we talk about the right diet for good bowel function, the first thing to discuss is not “What to eat,” but “What not to eat.” We definitely exclude all junk food: sugar, white flour, preservatives, semi-finished products and non-natural processed foods, overcooked, long-cooked food.
With a diet poor in fiber, fresh vegetables and fruits, containing a large amount of easily digestible carbohydrates and sometimes meat, as well as with poor nutrition, stools may be absent for several days. Therefore, the diet should be 500-800 g of vegetables daily. With a tendency to constipation, preference should be given to fresh vegetables. If you tend to indigestion, on the contrary, vegetables should be cooked, and you should also add baked apples and other foods high in pectin to the diet.
However, there are nuances here too. In the cold season, it is better to reduce the amount of fresh vegetables and fruits to a minimum, because they cool the body, and give preference to heat-treated vegetables and fruits.
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For good bowel function, it is worth adding tasty and healthy oils to food: cedar, olive, linseed, pumpkin seeds, almond, avocado, etc. The most useful butter can be considered melted cow. It is useful to take a teaspoon before meals. It is believed that it cleanses the small intestine and lubricates its walls, protecting it from the formation of fecal deposits.
Product compatibility is also important. Carbohydrates should not be combined with meat and fish, as they do not allow each other to be fully digested. Fast carbohydrates plus fats – all this leads to an increased risk of weight gain.
When is what?
The timing of the meal also matters. The first and main question before eating is “Do I want to eat at all?”. Hunger is the best condition for good digestion of food.
If we eat fat and protein for breakfast, the body is charged and becomes ready for a full working day, we feel full. The most versatile option is eggs. If there is no heredity for diabetes in the family, sometimes gluten-free cereals with a piece of butter can be used. However, rye, wheat, barley, oats and products are best excluded.
We have dinner at least 3-4 hours before bedtime, and earlier. This meal should be easy: leave the stomach after two hours in order to have time to be digested before we go to bed. If we ate meat and fell asleep, then the stomach will be very hard. And even if it managed to go into the duodenum, then it will lie there until the morning. As a result, in the morning there will be a feeling of a full stomach.
During dinner, we give preference to vegetables. You can season the salad with vegetable oil, sprinkle with raw nuts and seeds (they must first be soaked in water – this way they will be better absorbed). You can add more easily digestible protein: fish, seafood. If there is good stomach acidity, it will all have time to be digested before sleep.
However, the compatibility of products that are right for you can only be understood with constant attention to your feelings after eating. Once again, I emphasize that the diet is individual. But blood circulation in the intestinal walls is universal, it is absolutely important for every person.