Gut health

Try these ideas for improving your gut health:

Diet

For great gut health, try to eat more foods that have lots of fibre, and drink lots of water.  Try to eat as wide a variety of food as possible, with lots of different coloured fruit and vegetables to encourage healthy gut bacteria.  In particular, good foods to try to include in your diet include pumpkin and pumpkin seeds, any beans, strawberries, walnuts, and oats. You could eat oats either as porridge or flapjacks (and try adding pumpkin seeds for added benefit).  Bean sprouts are a great idea to add to your stir fries, as they encourage digestive enzymes.  Sadly, your gut doesn’t enjoy processed foods, as they don’t appeal to your gut bacteria, so try to make time in your day to cook from scratch.  Alcohol and smoking are also bad for your gut, and some studies suggest that too much salt kills off healthy gut bacteria.

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Another great tip is to try to eat slowly and chew your food well.

Chinese medicine 

In Chinese medicine, eating too many cold foods is linked to problems with the gut, mucus and fatigue.  According to this theory, you should try not to eat too many raw foods, especially in colder months, but instead try to cook vegetables, and eat warming foods.  Warming foods include meat, onions, garlic, ginger, pumpkin, red and green peppers, sunflower seeds, walnuts, coconuts, pine nuts, coriander, parsley, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and vinegar.

Cold drinks can irritate the gut

For some people, cold drinks can irritate their gut, causing diarrhoea or constipation.  If your gut is feeling delicate, it might be worth passing on the ice cubes.

Probiotics

Eating a probiotic yoghurt a day can help improve the levels of good bacteria in your gut.  The more good bacteria you have, the more efficiently your gut should be able to work.   Examples of probiotic foods include probiotic yoghurt, or fermented foods like pickles, kombucha tea, sauerkraut or miso soup.  Unpasteurised cheeses are another great food for the gut, especially parmesan.  It may be best to eat probiotic products on an empty stomach to get the best results, so think about having a probiotic yoghurt or miso soup for breakfast.  Actimel seems to be the brand of yoghurt that has the most research backing.

Eat more cabbage

Recent research has shown that chemicals in cabbage or any vegetable from the cruciferous family can reduce inflammation in the gut and promote a healthy immune system. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, watercress, sprouts, radish, pak choi, horseradish and cress.

Try some superfoods

You should be able to get all the nutrients your body needs from a healthy, balanced diet.  But if you want to be more Gwyneth Paltrow, how about whizzing up a green smoothie with a superfood supplement  like spirulina or wheatgrass.  Go a step further, and add a teaspoon of flax or linseed oil.  Wash it all down with a nice cup of dandelion root tea.  Check our our tips for taking supplements here.

Increase the variety in your food

According to Dr Megan Rossi, rather than concentrating on superfoods, the key to a healthy gut is eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.  In her book, Eat Yourself Healthy, she recommends eating at least 30 different fruit and vegetables a week.  Why not try listing out what you have eaten in the last week, and see how you are doing?

De-stress your life

There is increasing evidence that the health of your gut is linked to your stress levels and vice versa.  Try our tips for beating stress here.

Exercise

Any sort of exercise can really help to keep your bowel moving too.  Exercise which involves standing up is thought to be particularly helpful – maybe it is gravity helping the problem along.  Try getting up and walking as much as you can.

Cannabidiol

Cannabidiol is a component of marijuana, but does not cause a high.  It has been claimed to have a wide-range of health benefits, but there is little scientific evidence to back them up.  One of the health benefits claimed  is that it can improve IBS.  If you suffer from bloating and other IBS type symptoms, it might be worth trying.  You can currently buy CBD+ Oil from Holland & Barrett in the UK.  Check out our tips for taking supplements here.

Clear up constipation and indigestion

Try our tips for getting rid of constipation and indigestion.