Monday, June 29th, 2009
A charity with vast digestive knowledge
Hi there,
Chloe (L) raising funds for Core
I’m Chloe, I’m 29 years old and work as a community fundraiser and administrator for Core; a charity that funds research into digestive diseases and provides information leaflets on the most common digestive disorders.
I really enjoy my job as I am helping raising funds in creative and fun ways. The research is really going to make a difference to the quality of life for thousands of people suffering with a digestive disorder and may even save lives! My mother died of liver cancer three years ago and by the time she was diagnosed nothing really could be done for her and she suffered a great deal. This is a cause dear to my heart.
During my time working for Core I am quite astounded at just how many people in the UK suffer with a digestive problem. I receive several calls each day from people who are concerned about symptoms they are experiencing and are often too embarrassed and scared to see a doctor. I hear first hand what these people go through everyday and I really feel for them.
I found out that 1 in 6 admissions to hospital are due to digestive illnesses and 1 in 12 visits to the GP are due to digestive problems. And the number of digestive related deaths are increasing every year. It is becoming a huge burden on NHS resources.
Their quality of life may be seriously threatened and can cause a lot of pain and distress.
These are quite worrying statistics.
Having read through our leaflets I have found out that there are small changes people can make to their lifestyle and diet that can prevent these problems from developing and I just wanted to emphasise how important good digestive health is to your life and wellbeing. These changes are be described in our leaflet “Looking after your insides”. Please order your copy by calling 020 7486 0341 or download free from our website www.corecharity.org.uk and click on patient info. Please feel free to have a look at our website to see the full list of titles that we publish.
Why don’t you get started and improve your gut health today and make a real difference!
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Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Wimbledon fortnight sees exercise surge
Once a year, for a fortnight, tennis rackets are dusted off and we all get into a bit of exercise fever.
And while this is encouraging, and may even see a potential winner take to the courts, to really feel any benefit from exercise we need to be doing a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five times a week.
You might think that exercise is only good for keeping the weight off, or keeping your limbs supple, but in fact our digestive systems also benefit from regular exercise. When we don’t exercise it regularly, it can become sluggish and that’s when we can feel bloated, windy or lethargic, and sometimes even have abdominal pain.
For some great exercise techniques to help your digestive system, visit the pages here on getting gut healthy, or get a free booklet at www.insideoutdiet.co.uk.
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Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
Risotto with peas & asparagus tips
Not one for impatient cooks - you can’t make good risotto in a hurry so do make sure you have arborio rice for this recipe! Peas and asparagus are valuable prebiotics, so are great foods for the digestive system, while added with spinach makes this risotto, light, creamy and nutritious.
Perfect for summer evenings - let us know how you enjoy it!
Serves 4
Per serving
411 calories
18g fat
4g saturated fat
7g fibre
Ingredients
4 plump spring onions (chopped into large sections)
3tbsp olive oil
225g (8oz) arborio rice
150g (6oz) frozen peas
12 asparagus tips
900ml (1 3/4pints) basic stock
110g (4oz) baby spinach/rocket
3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently saute the onions for 2 mins.
2. Add the rice and stir for 1 min. Mix in the peas and asparagus tips and add enough stock just to cover. Stir until the stock is almost absorbed.
3. Continue gradually adding the stock and stirring until the rice is tender.
4. Add the spinach or rocket and stir for 1 min. Stir in the mascarpone cheese.
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Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
Keep your digestive system in good shape
Why do we need fibre? Well you may not realise it but if you’re eating enough fibre and drinking enough fluid then your stools are generally softer and easier to pass.
You probably think you’re eating enough fibre, we should aim to have 18 grams a day but most of us are only getting about 12grams. So if you think you’re not getting enough here are some foods to look to include in your diet:
- Wholemeal or whole wheat bread, biscuits and flour
- Five portions of fruit and vegetables a day - remember a large fruit like a pear or banana will count as one but smaller items like satsumas you’ll need to eat a couple.
- Wholegrain breakfast cereals - changing your breakfast cereal is a really easy way to increase your fibre intake.
- Brown rice and wholemeal spaghetti and pastas.
Some of the foods you’re probably already eating, but I’ve switched things such as bread and pasta from white to wholemeal to increase my fibre intake - what sort of things are you doing?
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