Digestive Health During Summers

Introduction

The rise in temperature causes us to adapt certain changes including the dietary routine. But the most important thing is that people don’t understand how impactful the summer can be in terms of our digestive health. Some of the important changes that occur are dehydration, risk of digestive diseases, diarrhea, constipation, loose motions, etc. The increased temperature causes our digestive system to deplete and function irregularly. So, it is to understand the reasons behind this and figure out what can be the possible solutions. Hence, it is important to adopt a proper diet to maintain the digestive system functioning efficiently during the summer; otherwise, you may feel down and bloated throughout all the day.

In this blog, I will discuss how summer impacts digestive health, its causes, and will provide tips for maintaining the digestive system during this vibrant season. From the importance of drinking water, knowing the benefits of taking balanced diets, to knowing about Probiotics and Prebiotics. 

Why Summers Disrupt Digestion? - Causes and Impacts 

Dehydration

During summer our body require more water as compared to other seasons because due to persistent heat, we loss excessive water as a result of sweating. Those people working continuously working outside need more water to hydrate their bodies as they are losing it. Lack of water in the body is problematic for the organs and structures that are involved in the proper digestion of food. The function of moving foods through the intestines requires water. Dehydration makes the colon absorb even more water thus making it tough for the body to push out stools. As a result, different complications might occur including constipation. 

Heat Stress

If our body, particularly the gastrointestinal tract is exposed to high heat, digestive health is impacted. This is because heat stress significantly impacts digestion due to the sluggish digestive system and causes loss of appetite, nausea and bloating. The concentration of the body shifts and during this, blood flow could be redirected to some other destination causing the digestive system getting more slower. 

Dietary Shifts

Consuming junk foods, ice creams and increasing sugary products intake is something that can be a problem. These foods are delicious, of course, but they are not healthy to be honest specially for our digestive health and stomach. Taking such foods during summer disturb our gut health in the form of changes that occur in normal flora, resulting in unwanted outcomes such as accumulation of gas in the stomach. These dietary shifts need to be avoided in order to skip such digestive issues. 

Increased Physical Activity

In summer, days are usually longer, and we have a plenty of tasks to do. Our timetable is fixed to a certain extent. Students, those doing jobs, labors, and other people do their functions and find it challenging to accomplish. Consuming food and going for a walk, swimming, or playing sports can affect digestion. Thus, constant exercising, as a rule, is good for digestion, but excessive physical activity without proper food and water intake might result in certain problems such as indigestion and abnormal bowel motions. 

Modifications to Gut Bacteria

The overall factors related to diet can affect the composition of gut microbiome. Diet habits alter during the summer and people spend more time outdoors taking different microbes into the gut through different things including air and water which influences gut microbiota. That is why, a healthy gut microbiota is a significant factor for efficient absorption of nutrients, and digestion. Disruptions to this balance will cause a compromised immune response and disturbance in the digestive system.

Increased Risk of Foodborne Illnesses

During summer, an ideal situations for bacteria is created to grow rapidly in food, increasing the chances of foodborne illnesses such as food poisoning. Eating contaminated food can result in symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort, etc.

Maintaining Digestive Health During Summers

Conclusion

So, to conclude the blog, I would say it is important to take care of your gut and digestive health. All of the contributing factors we discussed here are important to consider. This is the month of July, in which the scorching heat emitted by the sun is posing a plenty of problems related to the digestive health. Hence, it is inevitable to consider all the tips mentioned in this blog to ensure a normal and efficient digestive system.