To keep your intestinal bacteria functioning healthily Our large intestine is home to over 100 trillion intestinal bacteria of 1,000 different kinds. Whether these bacteria can continue to function healthily or not depends on our attitude. Even if you are prone to constipation or lead an irregular lifestyle, it is not too late to start taking care of your large intestine. The balance of your intestinal flora can change dramatically in just two weeks.
These are 10 rules to prevent deterioration of the large intestine and maintain a good intestinal environment. Even if you can’t practice all of them, please incorporate as many as possible and take care of your large intestine.
1. A cup in the morning gives you a boost of energy
When you wake up in the morning, drink about a glass of fluid. It can be cold water, hot water, tea, or coffee. It’s a warm-up exercise to wake up your still-sleeping stomach and intestines. Be sure to have breakfast. Eating breakfast triggers the “gastro-colic reflex,” which stimulates your intestines to move. Stimulation at the start of your day’s activities is most effective for your large intestine.
2. Make morning toilet time a habit
Make it a habit to always go to the toilet and have a bowel movement after breakfast. In order to make the parasympathetic nervous system dominant and make it easier to defecate, you should feel relaxed for the few minutes you sit on the toilet. If you are in a hurry every morning, try to get up 20 minutes earlier so that you have plenty of time to go to the toilet. It is not okay to hold in your bowel movement by saying, “I don’t have time, so I’ll do it later.”
3. Dealing with stress
When you are stressed or sleep-deprived, the sympathetic nervous system tends to dominate, causing poor intestinal movement. The intestines and the brain are linked (brain-gut correlation), so each is sensitive to stress. Find your own way of dealing with stress, such as listening to your favorite music, taking a walk, or exercising, and try to find time each day to feel good.
4. 30 minutes of exercise every day
Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise every day improves blood circulation, and the stimulation of exercise makes it easier for the intestines to move. It doesn’t have to be special exercise; just walking at a somewhat brisk pace is enough. It’s fine to do as much as you can, such as using the stairs at the station or office, or taking a detour when going shopping. Also, you need your abdominal muscles to “strain” when defecating. If you can, do squats or abdominal exercises. Before going to sleep in bed, make it a habit to do exercises such as “no”-shaped massage to stimulate the stomach, abdominal breathing, and twisting your body as much as you can.
5. Avoid no-carb diets
Dietary fiber is food for intestinal bacteria. For Japanese people, rice is a valuable source of dietary fiber. Many people think that vegetables are a source of a lot of dietary fiber, but in fact, grains contain more dietary fiber than vegetables. A diet without rice will further reduce the intake of dietary fiber, which is often insufficient. A carbohydrate-free diet is not recommended unless you have been instructed to restrict your diet by a doctor.
6. Add soluble fiber to your meals
Bifidobacteria, a representative “useful bacteria” in the large intestine flora, decrease with age. To preserve the bifidobacteria population as much as possible, try to consume dietary fiber, especially soluble dietary fiber, which serves as food for them. You can get soluble dietary fiber by adding a dish of seaweed, such as wakame seaweed in vinegar, changing your staple white rice to barley or other grains, or adding fruit after meals, such as apples or mandarin oranges. For people who tend to have irregular meals or who eat out often, another method is to use foods containing oligosaccharides and natural inulin.
7. Make good use of fermented foods
Fermented foods such as yogurt, pickles, and natto contain bacteria that ferment food and prevent it from spoiling, as well as food that intestinal bacteria like, which helps to invigorate the large intestine. In particular, yogurt contains various “useful bacteria (good bacteria),” including bifidobacteria that are not usually consumed, and helps to keep the intestinal environment acidic so that the useful bacteria are active. Check the species of bacteria contained in the yogurt and choose one that suits you. To maximize the intestinal activity effect of yogurt, it is best to eat it about two hours before going to bed. This is because after dinner, the secretion of stomach acid and bile has calmed down, and this is the time when intestinal bacteria are more active. The effect of stomach acid is stronger when you are hungry, so yogurt’s intestinal activity is greater if you eat it after you have eaten something, even if it is just a little.
8. When it comes to food, quantity is more important than quantity.
A la carte dishes such as rice bowls and noodles tend to be low in fiber. A wide variety of dishes is the basis of a balanced diet. When eating out, why not choose a set meal that comes with a small side dish that provides fiber, rather than a la carte dishes? If cooking at home is too much of a hassle, we also recommend using some of the prepared foods from convenience stores or supermarkets.
9. Don’t rely on medication too easily
Some medicines affect the intestinal flora. For example, antibiotics are thought to kill all intestinal bacteria even after one week of use. Nowadays, antibiotics are rarely prescribed for minor illnesses such as colds due to the problem of resistant bacteria, but it is best to avoid taking them carelessly. Also, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and antidepressants have the side effect of suppressing intestinal activity and making constipation more likely. Laxatives, which are used by many people with constipation, are merely a symptomatic treatment. Taking them can become a habit, and stimulating the large intestine to forcibly defecate is not natural for the body. Laxatives should be considered a last resort, and the basic approach is to regulate the intestinal flora through exercise and diet.
10. Get screened for colon cancer
Cancer screening is also essential for colon care. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recommends a fecal occult blood test (stool test) once a year as a colon cancer screening test for people 40 years of age or older. First, take this stool test. If the stool test is positive, meaning that further examination is required, do not hesitate to undergo a colonoscopy as soon as possible.