Good digestion depends on fibre, water and the friendly bacteria that live in your gut.
Nutrients that support your gut
Probiotics
Good bacteria that support digestion — especially useful after antibiotics or loose motions.
- How much you need: As on the pack.
- Best food sources: Curd, buttermilk, fermented foods.
Be careful:
- Take 2 hours apart from antibiotics.
- Very ill or low-immunity patients: ask a doctor.
Fibre
Keeps motions regular and feeds the good gut bacteria.
- How much you need: About 30 g a day from food.
- Best food sources: Whole grains, fruit, vegetables, pulses; isabgol as a supplement.
Be careful:
- Drink plenty of water with any fibre supplement.
Zinc
Needed for immunity, wound healing, skin, and the lining of the gut.
- How much you need: Men 17 mg, women 13 mg a day (ICMR-NIN 2020).
- Best food sources: Pulses, nuts, seeds, whole grains, meat.
Be careful:
- More than 40 mg a day for months can cause copper deficiency.
- Take with food if it upsets the stomach.
Everyday habits that help
- Eat fibre
- Stay hydrated
When to see a doctor: Blood in stools, weight loss or a change in habit that lasts needs a doctor.
Before you take any supplement
- Supplements fill a gap in the diet; they do not treat disease. Anyone with a diagnosed condition (diabetes, kidney, liver or heart disease) or on regular medicines should ask their doctor first.
- Doses here are for ADULTS. Children’s and pregnancy supplements are chosen by the doctor.
- Only products made entirely of nutrients are suggested (vitamins, minerals, probiotics, amino acids, plant extracts) — anything that also contains a drug is left out.
- Daily amounts are the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances where one exists; more is not better.
- Products are listed focused-first (1–3 ingredients), then multivitamins, each by how often our shops sold it — a multivitamin may carry only a small amount of a given nutrient.
Not sure what suits you? Ask our pharmacist at any FirstShield store, or message us on WhatsApp.