Diet and lifestyle changes, such as eating whole foods and avoiding late-night meals, can have a positive impact on your gut health.
Everyone experiences occasional digestive symptoms such as upset stomach, gas, heartburn, nausea, constipation, or diarrhea.
However, when these symptoms occur frequently, they can cause major disruptions to your life. Here are 11 ways to improve your digestion.
Food can impact the makeup of your gut microbiome, the ecosystem of microorganisms that populate your gastrointestinal system.
Your gut microbiome is essential to functions related to digestion, immunity, and hormonal balance (among many others), and when it becomes unbalanced or experiences “dysbiosis,” symptoms like gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and bowel changes are possible.
Whole foods — foods that are in their natural state or minimally processed — support the balance and health of your gut microbiome.
They provide digestion-friendly nutrients, including soluble and insoluble fiber, prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals, without the added sugars or artificial ingredients in processed foods, which can promote inflammation and dysbiosis in the digestive tract.
Dietary fiber supports gut health by promoting bowel regularity and contributing to the balance of your gut microbiome.
Insoluble dietary fiber is found in foods like whole grains and vegetables. It adds bulk to your stool and promotes regular bowel movements. It also helps improve the movement of food through your digestive system, which can help prevent bloating and discomfort.
Soluble fiber is found in foods like fruits, seeds, and beans. It promotes nutrient absorption in your gut and acts as a food for the microorganisms in your gut microbiome. Soluble fiber is used by your gut microbiome to produce short-chain fatty acids which support intestinal barrier health and help reduce inflammation.
Healthy fats, like those found in avocados, nuts, and salmon, play a key role in supporting your digestive health.
Healthy fats
Your body needs water for proper gut function. Water helps dissolve food, activates digestive enzymes, and transports nutrients to cells. Adequate water is also essential for maintaining the balance of your gut microbiome and assists with the efficient elimination of potential pathogens from your body.
When you’re dehydrated, digestion and its related processes can slow down, and you may notice symptoms like constipation, bloating, gas, and stomach cramps.
Your brain and your gut are connected through a two-way communication network called the gut-brain axis. This means what affects your mental health can also influence your gut health, and vice versa.
When you’re stressed, your body triggers its “fight, flight, or freeze” responses, which can
Over time, persistent stress can lead to symptoms like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and increased intestinal permeability. It can promote a state of body-wide inflammation that impairs digestion and alters the gut microbiome.
Mindful eating is a nonjudgmental approach to mealtime that encourages slow, deliberate eating while focusing on the experience. Like other forms of mindfulness, mindful eating has a positive effect on stress and may support digestive health, according to research.
Mindful eating may promote a rest-and-digest state that combats stress. It mechanically supports the breakdown of food before it enters the stomach by allowing mucous in saliva to bind with food particles for easy swallowing and promoting early digestive processes associated with saliva, such as enzymatic breakdown of food particles.
Even if you aren’t practicing mindful eating (which encourages slow, deliberate chewing), taking time to chew your food supports your digestive health.
Chewing is your first step in breaking down food for digestion. It increases the surface area of what you’ve eaten, which allows your digestive enzymes efficient access to nutrients. It also introduces food to saliva and its enzymes, mucous, and water, which are part of early digestion.
Properly chewed food moves through your digestive system efficiently, helping reduce the chance of bloating and stomach upset.
Physical exercise has several benefits for gut health. It enhances blood flow to your digestive system, encourages the contraction of digestive muscles, speeds the movement of food through your digestive tract, and boosts the activity of digestive enzymes.
According to a 2025 review, physical exercise’s ability to positively impact gastrointestinal motility, permeability, immune responses, and microbiome composition not only benefits overall gut health but also makes it a potential therapeutic aid in the treatment of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
If you’re experiencing digestive issues — it’s OK to slow down and listen to what your body is telling you.
The sooner you identify the root cause of digestive issues; the sooner you can make beneficial changes or receive treatment. Not all digestive symptoms are related to habits or diet. Speaking with a doctor can help uncover potential medical conditions that may be causing digestive distress.
Certain habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and eating late at night are associated with negative effects on your overall health.
And, in fact, they may also be responsible for some common digestive issues.
Smoking
Smoking can lead to dysbiosis of the gut microbiome and can slow the digestive process by reducing saliva production, delaying gastric emptying, and weakening the sphincter muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach.
One analysis from 2023 found smoking increased the risk for a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, including peptic ulcers and Crohn’s disease.
Alcohol
The analysis from 2023 also found alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk for certain gastrointestinal diseases. Alcohol is a stomach irritant and increases the production of stomach acids, which can further damage your stomach lining.
Late-night eating
When you sleep, your body’s metabolism slows as a natural part of your circadian rhythm. Eating meals right before bed can reduce and slow down digestive processes, such as food breakdown, nutrient absorption, and oxidation.
Certain nutrients may help support your digestive tract.
Probiotics
Probiotics are microorganisms that have health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts. They support the balance of your gut microbiome and related digestive processes.
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid that supports digestion by supporting the health and function of the intestinal barrier. It’s essential to the repair and growth of intestinal cells and helps reduce inflammation in the digestive tract by positively affecting immune cells in the gut.
Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that can help digestion by positively modifying your gut microbiome. It also has anti-inflammatory benefits in your intestines and helps prevent intestinal barrier damage by promoting cell regeneration and healing.
Simple diet and lifestyle changes may help improve your digestion if you experience occasional, frequent, or long-term digestive symptoms.
Eating a whole-food diet high in fiber, healthy fat, and nutrients is the first step toward good digestion.
Practices such as mindful eating, stress reduction, and exercise can also be beneficial.
Finally, changing habits that may affect your digestion — such as reducing or eliminating smoking, drinking alcohol, and late-night eating — may also help relieve symptoms.