Most people suffer from digestive problems. For some, they are chronic; for others, they only occur occasionally. However, as soon as the intestines aren’t functioning properly, you feel extremely uncomfortable. Certain foods can stimulate digestion and often quickly reverse this unpleasant situation. We present the best foods for healthy digestion: They heal, nourish, and detoxify your intestines; they relieve constipation, stop diarrhea, and even eliminate bloating.
Foods for digestion
Digestive dysfunction has many disadvantages: You feel ill and are frequently bloated. Fatigue and headaches are a common problem, and you spend a lot of time on the toilet. Your metabolism slows down, as does your immune system. Nutrient deficiencies, with all their consequences, can occur. You become susceptible to infections and gain weight faster than you’d like.
Relieve constipation or diarrhea with certain foods
Certain foods can provide relief – whether you are suffering from constipation, diarrhea, or flatulence.
While consistent intestinal cleansing with a comprehensive dietary change would be the best solution, in acute cases, the foods presented below can be tried to give relief.
Foods for digestion – The criteria
To be included in the “Best Foods for Healthy Digestion” category, a food must meet at least two of the following very specific criteria:
- The food provides high-quality fiber, especially soluble fiber.
- The food detoxifies, meaning it attracts toxic substances in the intestine so that they can be excreted in the stool.
- The food coats the intestinal mucosa with a gel so that it can heal underneath.
- The food has anti-inflammatory effects.
- The food stimulates constipation and digestion, promotes peristalsis, and thus stool excretion. In cases of diarrhea, it increases stool volume, absorbs excess water, and slows intestinal transit.
- The food provides sustenance for the intestinal bacteria (prebiotics), because some fiber is consumed by the beneficial intestinal flora.
- The food provides energy for the intestinal mucosa, allowing it to recover even faster. (When the intestinal flora metabolizes fiber, short-chain fatty acids are produced, which are used by the cells of the intestinal mucosa as energy sources.)
The five best foods for digestion
Many of the following foods are well-known. Unfortunately, they are often underestimated – even by doctors – and therefore not recommended or used. However, when used correctly, they are first-class remedies. They are highly effective – whether for diarrhea or constipation – while simultaneously avoiding unwanted side effects.
To help you use all the foods mentioned for digestion, you’ll find a recipe below that combines all of them. Give it a try!
1. Psyllium husks support digestion
Psyllium seeds are the seeds of a plantain species used in many countries around the world as a gentle, side-effect-free laxative.
Psyllium seeds are available as whole seeds or just their husks. Since most of the fiber is found in the husks, they are often used alone. The husks, in turn, are available coarsely crushed or finely powdered as psyllium husk powder.
While they’re budget-friendly, coarse husks can still irritate the intestines. Therefore, it’s better to opt for fine psyllium husk powder.
Psyllium husk powder contains up to 90 percent fiber, which aids digestion. A large portion of psyllium husk fiber consists of highly effective soluble fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar levels and lower high cholesterol.
The psyllium seeds—and the powder even more so—swell to several times their original volume when water is added. The soluble fiber then forms a gel reminiscent of jelly.
An inflamed and irritated intestinal mucosa can often no longer produce sufficient mucus to protect itself. The psyllium gel forms a protective coating over the irritated and inflamed intestinal lining, giving it a chance to heal underneath.
Of course, psyllium gel also stimulates digestion, allowing stool to move more easily through the intestines and thus making bowel movements easier. This relieves constipation. In cases of diarrhea, however, psyllium increases stool volume and calms peristalsis. Psyllium is therefore a very effective regulating agent that can be used for both diarrhea and constipation.
This property is particularly helpful in cases of irritable bowel syndrome, as diarrhea often alternates with constipation.
With hemorrhoids, it’s important to ensure soft stools and easy digestion. Therefore, many therapists recommend psyllium husk powder in this case.
As it passes through the intestines, the psyllium gel absorbs toxins, while the insoluble shell parts act like a broom to remove any deposits from the intestinal walls. Psyllium has a clear detoxifying and cleansing effect and is therefore usually one of the main components of a colon cleanse.
Even patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – can benefit from psyllium husk powder. While the research is inconclusive, patients should approach this cautiously to test their own tolerance, the dosage seems to be crucial. It’s important to avoid taking too little, but also not too much.
At least one study with ulcerative colitis patients showed that psyllium was just as effective at keeping the disease in remission as mesalazine, an anti-inflammatory drug with many side effects that is often prescribed for IBD.
We have described here how to take psyllium husk.
*You can find Psyllium Husk here
2. Chia seeds are excellent for digestion
Chia seeds also form a gel-like mass within minutes after soaking in water, making them excellent digestion stimulants. They promote stool transit and the health of the intestinal mucosa in a similar way to psyllium.
Chia seeds are also often referred to as a high-quality source of omega-3 fatty acids, as they consist of 40 percent fat, which in turn is composed of over 50 percent essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids are considered natural anti-inflammatories. Combined with their gel-like consistency, this combination is truly beneficial for the gut, especially in cases of inflammatory bowel disease.
However, clinical studies from 2012 have shown that consuming whole chia seeds does not significantly increase blood omega-3 levels. Therefore, the seeds must be finely ground before consumption if you want to boost your omega-3 intake and/or benefit from the seeds’ anti-inflammatory effects.
This not only increases the body’s own levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), but also the levels of the long-chain and particularly effective omega-3 fatty acid EPA (the body can partially convert ALA into EPA). An optimized fatty acid balance has far-reaching, very positive effects on the cardiovascular system as well as blood lipid and cholesterol levels.
However, grinding chia seeds isn’t absolutely necessary for regulating or stimulating digestion alone, as the gel is what’s most important here. If you want to grind chia seeds, you should proceed in the same way as described for flaxseeds under point 3.
3. Flaxseed is known as a natural remedy
Unlike psyllium and chia seeds, flaxseed has long been widely used as a natural home remedy for digestive problems. It relieves constipation, stops diarrhea, and absorbs gas, thus reducing bloating.
Flaxseed also forms a gel when combined with water, which stimulates digestion and has a very healing effect on the digestive system.
Often, the so-called flaxseed mucilage alone, i.e., the gel without the seeds, is used – especially for inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases (e.g., gastritis). In this case, the mucilage provides a soothing, protective, and anti-inflammatory effect that promotes healing.
To make this, soak the flaxseed the night before (2 to 3 tablespoons of flaxseed in half a liter of water). Boil the mixture the next morning. Boiling creates even more mucilage. Now drain the gel-like seed-water mixture through a sieve. Discard the seeds or process them in another way. Pour the warm flaxseed mucilage into a thermos flask and drink it in small sips throughout the day. It’s also essential(!) to drink up to 2 liters of additional water throughout the day, as the mucilage can otherwise cause blockages.
In cases of constipation, you should take flaxseed unsoaked with plenty of water. This causes it to swell in the gastrointestinal tract, which causes a greater irritation to the intestinal wall, hence stimulating the bowels. However, with this method of consumption, it’s important to ensure you drink enough water with the flaxseed. Otherwise, you may experience constipation or even stomach pain, which is exactly what you want to avoid. Drink at least 250 ml of water for every tablespoon of flaxseed.
But it is much more tolerable and, in our experience, just as effective to consume the flaxseed soaked – as in our muesli presented below.
Similar to chia seeds, flax seeds are also high in fat with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Just like chia seeds, the body can only utilize the nutrients and fats from flax seeds if they are ground.
So, if you soak the flaxseed whole, it will have a highly beneficial effect on your digestive system, but you will not get any or only a small portion of its omega-3 fatty acids. Because omega-3 fatty acids are extremely sensitive to oxidation, it’s best not to buy flaxseeds (and chia seeds) in ground form. Always grind the seeds fresh at home, immediately before consumption (e.g., in a coffee grinder or blender).
We now know that flaxseed can not “only” stimulate digestion, but also reduce cardiovascular problems, lower the risk of cancer (especially breast and prostate cancer), have an anti-inflammatory effect, and can alleviate osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms.
This broad spectrum of effects is due not only to the omega-3 fatty acids and fiber in flaxseed (10 percent soluble and 30 percent insoluble), but also to certain secondary plant substances: lignans. These are antioxidant phytoestrogens that, in studies, have shown a shrinking effect on tumors of the breast, uterus, ovaries, and prostate. Flaxseed contains 800 times more lignans than other plants.
4. Oat bran for chronic constipation
Bran—also combined with plenty of water—is an excellent remedy for both chronic constipation and chronic diarrhea. However, not all bran is created equal.
Wheat bran, for example, is often not well tolerated due to its high insoluble fiber content. The fiber in wheat bran consists of over 45 percent insoluble fiber and only 3.6 percent soluble fiber.
Oat bran, on the other hand, contains only 10 percent insoluble fiber and just over 8 percent soluble fiber. The ratio of insoluble to soluble fiber is much more balanced, making oat bran an extremely well-tolerated fiber supplement that can be easily consumed even by sensitive individuals.
Consuming oat bran reliably stimulates digestion and thus leads very quickly—within 14 days—to a much improved sense of well-being in the abdominal area. Constipation is relieved, digestion improves comprehensively, and stools are much easier to pass. Bloating is noticeably reduced, and the feeling of being bloated and overweight is also significantly reduced with regular consumption of oat bran.
Since constipation is often accompanied by headaches and oat bran can relieve constipation, it is not surprising that chronic headaches often disappear when oat bran is consumed daily.
Oat bran is also considered a good preventative measure for colon cancer. It can also be helpful for many patients with inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, at least when used long-term—as researchers from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) explained in the British Journal of Nutrition in October 2014 (1).
Oat bran can also detoxify the intestines. In July 2016, Food & Function reported that bran can apparently absorb heavy metals such as cadmium in the intestines. The bran bound the heavy metal in the intestines, which was then excreted through the stool. This prevented the toxin from damaging the intestinal flora, thus demonstrating that bran has several positive effects on intestinal health.
Cadmium is one of the ubiquitous heavy metals in our environment that hardly anyone can avoid. Regularly consuming bran not only heals your gut but also protects your entire body from heavy metal contamination.
About 10 grams of oat bran is needed to stimulate digestion. If you mix the oat bran—as in our intestinal muesli—with other foods that have a healing effect on the intestines, you can use just one teaspoon of oat bran.
Even people with celiac disease can eat oat bran, as long as they buy it gluten-free!
*Find gluten-free oat bran here.
Important: Drinking plenty of fluids supports digestion!
Drinking plenty of fluids is essential for the benefits of these four foods. Those who say they can’t tolerate these foods and get stomach aches are usually not drinking enough.
And if you don’t drink enough, even these healthy foods can lead to unpleasant side effects, such as bloating, constipation, and flatulence, even intestinal obstruction. This means that the very symptoms you’re trying to prevent can occur or worsen.
However, it is not the small seeds that are responsible for these problems, but the person who does not know how to use them properly and drinks far too little.
Stay well-hydrated to help your digestion work smoothly. Drink it not only at the same time as consuming the seeds (at least 250 ml of water per teaspoon), but also throughout the day, ideally aiming for three liters of water per day.
Another important aspect is that the four foods mentioned are best consumed on an empty stomach if you want to achieve therapeutic results, and not with dessert.
5. Green leafy vegetables contain the important chlorophyll
Green leafy vegetables provide the intestines with cellulose as fiber, combined with chlorophyll, which is traditionally considered a cleansing and detoxifying substance. Additionally, leafy vegetables are low in sugar, so they don’t disrupt the balance of the intestinal flora. At the same time, they are rich in phytochemicals, which in turn usually have powerful antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, thanks to their antioxidant properties. All of these properties are extremely beneficial for the intestines—especially when eaten raw.
The ideal way to consume green leafy vegetables is in a green smoothie. In a smoothie, the green leafy vegetables are very finely chopped, allowing the nutrients and vital substances to be easily absorbed in the intestines. The fiber is also finely chopped, allowing the intestinal flora to benefit most from it.
Alternatively, you can use green powders and mix them into all kinds of drinks and dishes, such as barley grass juice powder, dandelion powder, nettle powder, and broccoli powder.
*Get your barley grass juice powder here.
All in one: The gut-soothing muesli
Start your day with our nutrient-rich Gut-Soothing Muesli, packed with seeds, nuts, and green powders to support digestion and overall gut health. Simply soak the ingredients overnight, add plant-based milk in the morning, and enjoy a gentle yet energizing breakfast.
*Click here for the full recipe
The gut-flattering breads
Our special breads for the intestines also contain all the foods that help regenerate the digestive system, except for green leafy vegetables: psyllium husk powder, chia seeds, flax seeds, and—instead of oat bran—oat flakes.
The breads can be seasoned with typical bread spices, which also have additional intestinal healing properties: fennel, anise, cumin, and coriander. These spicy, grainy breads taste delicious. Their texture is light and moist at the same time.
Try the Functional Bread or the Super-Poo Bread
If you are taking medication…
If you are taking medication, discuss the use of the digestive stimulating foods presented with your doctor and always keep a time gap of at least 2 to 3 hours between the gut-friendly foods and your medication.
Due to their absorbent effect, psyllium, linseed, etc., when taken at the same time as medication, would not only absorb unwanted toxins from the intestine and transport them out through the stool, but also your medication.
If you have any kind of illness, you should also discuss the use of gut-friendly foods with your therapist first. For example, diabetics may need less insulin by regularly consuming oat bran, flaxseed or psyllium.
More tips to stimulate your digestion
In addition to the gut-friendly foods presented above, which are very easy to incorporate into your daily routine, there are even more tips that can stimulate your digestion and heal your gut. You’ll find our lifestyle tips for a healthier digestive system and our 20 best tips for stomach issues.
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