Five Steps to Digestive Health

The digestive system is a lot like a car or a computer. A lot of things have to go right for it to work properly. And when one thing falters, the whole system can turn your gut into a tornado of trouble. Luckily, there are enough data about the liver and pancreas to show that you can help them function to their fullest potential to promote good digestive health and also to avoid the troubles that can come when things get out of whack.

Step 1: Live Clean

While it's impossible to stay entirely toxin-free throughout your everyday life, that doesn't mean you can't take steps to help reduce the pollution that pummels your body. Lessen the load for the liver, and you'll live longer.

So what's that mean? Choose charcoal-filtered purified water over unfiltered tap water. Choose unrefined and unprocessed foods over the ones that spend more time in a factory than in the earth. Choose fruit over Froot Loops. Choose proteins like lentils, soy, beans, nuts and seeds over red meats and the accompanying animal fats to avoid consuming the toxins that those animals were exposed to. And avoid eating any liver of any species that has been exposed to toxins. Your liver—not to mention your heart, your brain and your waistline—will thank you.

Also, have protected sex and use new needles and new pigment for tattoos, as hepatitis B and C are transmitted this way.

Add the crunchy veggies