Aromatic couscous
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Love Your Gut Blog
Easter Gut Treats!
Monday, April 2nd, 2012
How to beat those usual digestive problems!
Feeling bloated and guilty due to eating too many Easter Eggs? By following the below advice we will help kick start your digestive health, help you get into better shape and be ready for summer.
- Don’t peel your vegetables. This will help increase the fibre content (however please ensure that they are washed properly).
- Have fibrous cereal e.g. shredded wheat, Branflakes and Shreddies. Fibre adds bulk and helps keep.
- Aim to do 30 minutes of exercise per day i.e. walking the dog, getting off a stop early, going for a walk at lunch etc.
- Always choose the ‘brown/wholemeal’ option. For example brown/whole grain rice, pasta and bread.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. It encourages the passage of waste through your digestive system and helps soften stools.
- Cut down on fatty foods a good method is to grill instead of fry, that way you can still have your chips but the healthier way.
- Go easy on spicy food. Many people love spicy food and it doesn’t bother their digestive system however others find it upsets their stomach. It’s not just scorching hot foods like chillies that trigger heartburn. Milder foods such as garlic and onion can also bring it on.
- Limit your intake of caffeinated and or fizzy drinks as these can sometimes boost the acid in your stomach as well as caffeine acting as a diuretic.
Have you indulged too much during February; Valentine’s Day, Shrove Tuesday?
Monday, February 27th, 2012
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day; I bet that feels like ages ago now…
How was Shrove Tuesday? Did you make loads of pancakes for breakfast, lunch or dinner? I bet the children were really excited about making them…
With all the indulging coming to an end, it’s time to give your body a healthy kick start again with a healthy balanced diet, giving you a healthy digestive system!
- Eat plenty of fruits and veg – Fruit and vegetables contribute to a healthy and balanced diet. They’re an excellent source of dietary fiber, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestive problems. They are also a good source of vitamins and minerals, including foliate, vitamin C and potassium.
- Probiotics and Prebiotics – Taking a daily probiotic will increase the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut. This will reduce the chances of the “bad” bacteria from affecting the host. Why not also have choose foods containing prebiotics in your diet? Prebiotics are foods that will stimulate the growth of your own beneficial bacteria in the gut; foods include bananas, onions and leeks.
- Exercise – Regular exercise will make you feel more energetic, especially during these gloomy days, your body’s defences will also benefit. Exercising will help you manage your weight better and keep your body in shape
Having a poor unbalanced diet may cause an environment that is more favorable for “bad” bacteria to multiply in the gut, which can cause gastrointestinal problems such as bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.
Exercise for free to keep our guts nice and healthy!
Monday, February 20th, 2012
As mentioned in our January 23rd blog exercise helps our digestive system as it help reduce transit time (i.e. the length of time it takes food to move through the large intestine). The reason a faster transit time is better for us is less water is absorbed from the stool into your body and therefore your waste food won’t become dry and hard to pass which essentially is what causes constipation. Exercise along with a healthy fibrous diet may help with constipation as it will help to stimulate the natural contraction of intestinal muscles therefore ensuring the stool moves more efficiently through your digestive tract. Therefore lack of exercise may make our digestive system feel sluggish.
Why not try the below tips to help keep your digestive system nice and healthy. They are easy to fit into your daily routine and won’t cost you a penny!
- Take the stairs instead of the lift
- Use tins of beans instead of weights
- Aim to do sit-ups before bed every night
- Download a free exercise class from youtube
- Take the dog for a brisk walk after dinner (maybe aim for three times a week?)
- Go for a run or arrange to run and meet a friend nearby.
Happy Exercising everyone!!!
Winter Fruit Salad
Monday, February 20th, 2012
Find it hard to get your children to each their fruit in the winter? Why not try this warm winter fruit salad. This delicious dessert will satisfy their sweet tooth and is an excellent way to keep their digestive system nice and healthy due to the fibre found in fruit. The delicious recipe will also provide them with essential vitamins and minerals needed for their growth spurts.
Ingredients:
600g read-to-eat dried fruits (for example; dates, prunes, apricots and peaches etc.)
3 tbsp clear honey
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Mascarpone or Greek yoghurt to serve
Method
- Tip the fruits and 700ml/11?4 pints cold water into a large saucepan. Add the honey and vanilla, scraping the seeds from the pod into the pan. Bring to the boil. Stir well, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly syrupy.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the tea bag. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
- Discard the tea bag and vanilla pod, tip the fruits and liquid into a non-metallic bowl and pour over the lemon juice. Stir, then leave to cool. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
