Digestion

RAW:

Whole Grains also help with digestions. These grains include whole-wheat toast, brown rice and oats. All of these foods also have a lot of fiber which is something quite a few America's lack in their diets.

Photo by Caitlin Moore

Bananas are great for helping restore the normal bowel which helps with health digestion. Bananas also have a lot of electrolytes and potassium. An interesting quick fact about bananas is that they can actually stop eye twitching from occurring because when the muscles around your eye spasm, it is a sign that you do not have enough potassium in your system.

Ginger "This spice has been used for thousands of years as a safe way to relieve nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, morning sickness, gas, loss of appetite, and colic.
But it's best to consume it in moderation. High doses of ginger can backfire; more than 2 to 4 grams per day can cause heartburn." (Foxnews.com)

Photo by Ryan Andrews

On the flip side, there are other foods that can be hurtful to your digestion system. The foods that do not help include foods high in fat, whether its fried foods or foods that have a natural high fat content. If a food has a lot of fat, it takes your body more time to break it apart and be able to process it properly.

Hot chili peppers are also harmful because they can irritate the esophagus and actually lead to heart burn that causes an unpleasant feeling in your body.

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Alcohol is also tough on your digestion because it is high in fat and "it relaxes the body, but, unfortunately, it also relaxes the esophageal sphincter. This can lead to acid reflux or heartburn."
Coffee, Tea and soft drinks have been proven to have the same effect on relaxing your esophageal sphincter and this also put them on the list for not assisting digestion. (Health.com)

Photo by Sy Mukherjee

Balance:
These poses will help your digestive organs and can actually help you long and short term.

Pose: Downward Facing Dog

Benefits: Downward Facing Dog brings the body into alignment and relaxes your gastrointestinal tract. How Downward Facing Dog got its name is the fact that dogs do actually do this stretch a lot. If you yourself have a dog, or a family member who has a dog, you have probably seen them get up and stretch their weight to their back legs. As a human, this pose can really be felt in the back of your legs depending how "bendy" you might be. If you are unable to bring your feet flat on the floor, that is perfectly fine! You still get the great benefits that come from this pose!

Pose: Extended Triangle Pose

Benefits: Triangle pose can give a little extra love to your intestinal area and increase blood flow all over the body. Since this pose does require you to bend slightly forward, this pose is one that can be done to assist your digestive system long term.

(Yogachocolatelove.com)

Pose: One Legged Seated Spinal Twist

Benefits: This pose can kick start a slow digestive system and also relieves tension in your back. If you have not done this pose before, you might feel or hear your back actually crack. Do not be alarmed if you hear this noise. This is your body telling you that you may not have even twisted this way before. This pose is great because it does not take up a lot of space, and it can be done anywhere at anytime.

Pose: Balasana Pose description: From laying on your back, hug your knees together with your arms and then turn your whole body to the floor on the right side. If you need a "pillow" feel free to extend your right arm over your head and use that to relax your neck.

Benefits: Balasana actually compresses the abdomen and massages the intestinal organs. The reason you are rolling to your right side is actually because on the lower right side of the body is where the intestine is located. (MindBodyGreen.com)
Start out in a curled position by bringing your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them:

 Then, roll to the floor on your right side still holding your knees into your chest. Feel free to lay in this position for any amount of time, and take deep breaths in and out of your nose.

By doing all of these different poses, you will increase blood flow and actually massage your organs that are necessary for a health digestive system. Your body will be sure to thank you for doing each any every of these poses.

Namaste