• Home
  • About Off The Grid
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Saturday, June 21, 2025
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
No Result
View All Result
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
No Result
View All Result
Off The Grid News
Home Off-Grid Foods

Learn The Many ‘Super Foods’ That Boost Digestion

by Susan Patterson
in Off-Grid Foods
Print Print
foods digestion stomach probiotic

Image source: northcountrypublicradio.org

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on TruthEmail Article
foods digestion stomach probiotic
Image source: northcountrypublicradio.org

According to Hippocrates, all diseases have their origin in the stomach. Ayurveda, the health science of ancient India, has a similar theory. Latest discoveries by modern science also point in the same direction. Based on these findings it behooves us to take care of our digestive tract in order to promote overall health and wellness.

Digestion is a complex process by any standard, with different systems of the body such as the endocrine glands, nervous system, the circulatory system, and the muscular walls of the digestive canal, all working in tandem. Several factors, including lack of sleep, consumption of highly processed foods and anxiety can adversely affect digestion. Once the smooth working of the digestive system is disrupted, it takes quite some time for the body to get back on track. That’s when we need to help it along by eating foods that aid digestion.

Probiotic foods:

Our gut is home to innumerable bacteria and other microorganisms that start establishing colonies right after our birth. These bacteria are essential for the breakdown of many complex compounds in the food. They also help produce certain B-group vitamins that aid digestion and assimilation of nutrients. But sometimes, the delicate balance between the pathogenic bacteria, and the beneficial bacteria that keep them in check, becomes disturbed.

Antibiotics show no discrimination between the good and the bad when they destroy the microorganisms in the body. The beneficial flora in the stomach and the intestines take a beating each time we take a course of antibiotics. The sudden decrease in the number of beneficial gut bacteria due to antibiotic usage may cause spikes in the population of pathogenic bacteria and yeast. This further deteriorates the condition of our stomach. To treat antibiotic-associated diarrhea, concentrated bacterial cultures in liquid or powder form are often prescribed. These commercial cultures may contain either Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus.

Probiotic foods introduce beneficial bacteria into our stomach in large numbers. The most common natural probiotic food is yogurt containing live culture. They typically contain different strains of Lactobacillus, and are very useful in relieving diarrhea due to lactose intolerance as well as antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Make “Off-The-Grid” Super Foods Secretly In Your Home

Some of the other traditional probiotic foods:

  • Kefir
  • Sauerkraut
  • Kimchi
  • Natto
  • Tempeh
  • Yakult

Sauerkraut and Kimchi are made by fermenting cabbage and other vegetables.

Natto and Tempeh are fermented soya beans products. Yakult is commercial probiotic drink. It contains the live culture of the Shirota strain of Lactobacillus casei.

Alkaline foods:

Our body normally keeps a slightly alkaline profile, the normal pH being between 7.35 and 7.45. But parts of the digestive canal, where most of the digestion takes place, have an acidic atmosphere, except for the small intestine which is more concerned with absorption of nutrients. A Western diet also tends to increase an acidic environment. An increase in acidity is associated with disease and the body cannot utilize the nutrients from the food, and may leach minerals from the bones into the blood.

Food items are categorized as acidic and alkaline not based on their taste or composition but on the cumulative effect they have on the body. For example, lemons are acidic to taste, but they are one of the most potent alkaline foods. Most of the foods in our daily diet, especially refined flour, sugar, meat and other food items of animal origin, are too acidic. To keep the acid-alkali balance of the body, we should include more alkaline foods into our daily intake.

Some common alkaline foods:

  • Vegetables: celery, cucumber, kale, sprouts, cruciform vegetables
  • Root vegetables: radish, beetroot, carrot, kohlrabi, potatoes
  • Fruits: watermelon, lemon, figs, cherry, avocado, banana
  • Nuts: almonds, pine nuts
  • Oils: coconut oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil
  • Beverages: herbal teas, buttermilk, water
  • Spices: oregano, basil, peppers, cumin, caraway seeds, garlic
  • Sweeteners: stevia, raw honey

Fiber-rich foods

Fiber is necessary to add bulk to the contents of the gut and push things along the digestive canal. Lack of fiber in the food typically results in constipation. Fiber is especially important in protein-rich diets because proteins leave very little undigested waste, and unless accompanied by fiber, it will remain longer in the gut and become putrefied.

There are two types of dietary fibers; soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses and nuts. They form the soft, pulpy portion. As the name suggests, they dissolve in water to become gelatinous compounds that modifies the structure of the food. They are digested in the body.

Insoluble fiber is mainly found in the tough skin of fruits and vegetables and the husk of whole grains. Bulking up of the stomach contents is the main function of insoluble fibers. They generally pass through the digestive canal without much alteration. Too much insoluble fiber is bad, too. It will move the food down the digestive tract all too soon, without giving sufficient time for the digestion and absorption of nutrients to take place.

Good sources of soluble fiber:

  • Fruits: Bananas, papaya, berries, apples, avocados
  • Vegetables: Carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes
  • Grains: Oats, barley
  • Pulses: Peas, beans, lentils
  • Nuts: Almonds, pistachios
  • Supplements: Psyllium husk, flax seeds

Good sources of insoluble fiber:

  • Skins of grapes, peaches, potato etc.
  • Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, celery
  • Wheat bran, brown rice, millets
  • Chickpeas, peas, beans

Water

From the moment food enters the mouth, water is mixed with it in the form of saliva. The major part of stomach acids and digestive enzymes are nothing but water. The mucous lining of the gut that protect it from its own secretions also contain water. When the body is dehydrated, digestion cannot take place properly. The soluble fibers in the food need large quantities of water to bind with them. Constipation results, if high-fiber food is taken without sufficient quantity of water to moisten it.

Foods with high water content such as watermelon, berries, cucumber, citrus fruits, squash, etc. should be included in the diet to hydrate the food. Drinking light herbal teas several times a day will help flush out wastes from the body as will a glass of warm lemon water first thing in the morning.

Spices and condiments

Spices and condiments are usually consumed in small quantities, but they play a big role in maintaining healthy digestion. Spices have been part of our diet from time immemorial. The English recognized the ability of spices to keep foods, especially meat, from spoiling. They even fought wars to get control over spice-producing areas.

Some spices that help digestion:

  • Ginger: It is a well-known digestive aid. Mild indigestion can be treated with one teaspoon of ginger juice mixed with equal quantity of raw honey.
  • Fennel seeds: They have proven antimicrobial properties. Chewing a spoonful of fennel after meals is custom in some Asian countries. It will take care of indigestion, stimulate digestion and refresh breath.
  • Cumin seeds:  Indigestion following high-fat meals can be relieved by drinking a tea made by boiling a teaspoon of cumin seeds in a liter of water.
  • Garlic: It is a stomach cleanser that normalizes digestion and can easily be incorporated into your daily diet.
  • Peppermint: Peppermint tea can help relieve pain and bloating due to gas.

Eating a diet rich in organic whole foods, drinking plenty of water, managing stress, exercising and getting plenty of sleep are all favorable life changes you can make to help improve the health of your digestive tract. Food is powerful and when you eat “real” food you will notice how great you can truly feel.

Sign up for Off The Grid News’ weekly email and stay informed about the issues important to you

Food-Shock

ShareTweetShareSend

Related Posts

Is Big Ag Hijacking Organic to Push GMOs?

Is Big Ag Hijacking Organic to Push GMOs?

by Bill Heid

The New Marketing Move From Chemicals to “Biologicals” In a shrewd display of marketing opportunism, Big Agribusiness has shifted its...

How Aging And Eating Processed Foods Dramatically Lowers Crucial Digestive Enzymes Levels

How Aging And Eating Processed Foods Dramatically Lowers Crucial Digestive Enzymes Levels

by Bill Heid

Feeling Sluggish Because You’re Low on Enzymes? We often talk about vitamins and minerals when discussing health, but enzymes—the tiny...

Why Heirloom Beans Are A Legacy Worth Preserving

Why Heirloom Beans Are A Legacy Worth Preserving

by Bill Heid

Heirloom beans are not just a nutritious ingredient in modern kitchens… they are living relics of human history and a...

Next Post
EPA Fines Chicken Farmer $37,500 Each Time It Rains

EPA Fines Chicken Farmer $37,500 Each Time It Rains

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Trump: We’re Sending ‘An Armada’ To North Korea

Trump Warns: We’re Sending ‘An Armada’ To North Korea

10 Ways Your Grandparents Stayed In Shape Without A Gym

10 Ways Your Grandparents Stayed In Shape Without A Gym

Apple’s Tim Cook Says This Everyday Low-Cost Device Could Wipe Out The Entire Power Grid

Apple’s Tim Cook Says This Everyday Low-Cost Device Could Wipe Out The Entire Power Grid

TRENDING STORIES

  • bubonic plague

    Is Another Bubonic Plague Pandemic On The Horizon?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Waco Fertilizer Plant Explosion & A Look Back On The “Waco Massacre”

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Make Yourself 3 Times More Likely To Survive A Heart Attack

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • AI Surveillance Of Shoppers: Walmart’s Newest Tool To Grab Your Data

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Apocalyptic’ Microchip Implants Are Here – And Being Inserted Into People’s Hands

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Subscribe to our Insider Newsletter

Huge discounts on off-the-grid gear and life saving supplements.






‘Off The Grid News’ is an independent, weekly email newsletter and website that is crammed full of practical information on living and surviving off the grid. Advice you’ll never hear from the mainstream media.

  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Extreme Survival
  • Survival Gardening
  • Off-Grid Foods
  • Worldview
  • Natural Health
  • Survival Hunting
  • Privacy
  • Financial
  • Current Events
  • Self Defense
  • Home Defense
  • Pain-Free Living
  • Miscellaneous
  • Off Grid Videos

© Copyright 2025 Off The Grid News.  All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy   Terms & Conditions
No Result
View All Result
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
  • Videos

© Copyright 2025 Off The Grid News.  All Rights Reserved.