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5 foods for healthy digestion

Reach for these when your digestion is upset.

Updated on September 3, 2024

Oatmeal porridge with berries, honey and cup of coffee
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the United States about 35 million visits are made to healthcare providers (HCPs) because of a diagnosed digestive disease. Many more people deal with upset stomachs, constipation, diarrhea, and other digestion concerns on a regular basis. These issues are often caused by foods people ate—orShow More

bowl of yogurt and berries
2 / 6
Fermented food

What it has: Probiotics

What to try: Yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kimchi

Why it works: Fermented foods contain bacteria called probiotics that benefit your gut health. Your gut naturally contains a variety of helpful microbes, and probiotics add more. They may ease diarrhea caused byShow More

loaf of bread
3 / 6
Whole wheat

What it has: Insoluble fiber

What to try: Whole wheat pasta and bread, vegetables like carrots and cauliflower, beans, and berries

Why it works: There’s a reason whole grains are recommended over other types of grains: They’re a great source of insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber softens theShow More

bowl of oatmeal on a table
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Oats

What it has: Soluble fiber

What to try: Oatmeal (any type, though rolled oats and steel-cut oats may have more nutritional value than instant oatmeal), peas, apples, and citrus fruits

Why it works: Soluble fiber, unlike insoluble fiber, dissolves in water and becomes a material similar to a gel asShow More

Fried salmon and vegetables on a plate
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Fatty fish

What it has: Omega-3s

What to try: Salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel

Why it works:
Fish can be a healthy addition to any diet. It’s packed with protein, and many varieties of fatty fish boast healthy amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. These are believed to guard against cardiovascular disease byShow More

raw ginger
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Ginger

What it has: Gingerols and shogaols

What to try: Fresh ginger root tea (slice ginger thinly and steep in boiled water for 10 minutes), pickled ginger, or grated ginger in a savory stir-fry dish

Why it works: You might know ginger as a spicy root that goes great with sushi, but it can alleviateShow More

Slideshow sources open slideshow sources

Harvard Health Publishing. Try a FODMAPs diet to manage irritable bowel syndrome. March 15, 2022.
Zhao H, Wang M, Peng X, et al. Fish consumption in multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational and clinical studies. Ann Transl Med. 2023 Feb 15;11(3):152.
Mozaffari H, Daneshzad E, Larijani B, et al. Dietary intake of fish, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and risk of inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Eur J Nutr. 2020 Feb;59(1):1-17.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Digestive Diseases. Page last reviewed September 14, 2023.
Cleveland Clinic. Probiotics. Page last reviewed October 30, 2023.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Probiotics: What You Need to Know. Page last updated August 2019.
Cleveland Clinic. What’s the Difference Between Soluble and Insoluble Fiber? Page last updated January 31, 2021.
Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Nov 8;114(5):1625-1632.
Cleveland Clinic. Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Page last reviewed November 17, 2022.
Franchi C, Ardoino I, Bosetti C, et al. Inverse Association between Canned Fish Consumption and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Analysis of Two Large Case-Control Studies. Nutrients. 2022 Apr 16;14(8):1663.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. Ginger Benefits. Page accessed March 23, 2024.
Anh NH, Kim SJ, Long NP, et al. Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2020 Jan 6;12(1):157.

 

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