Love Your Gut Blog
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Get gut healthy this Springtime
According to the Met Office today is the first day of Spring and certainly the bright sunshine and spring air is certainly helping to make me feel that the cold winter is long behind us.
Well I don’t know about you but it’s making me want to spend more time outside and that can mean plenty of ways to start shedding those extra winter pounds and start getting more gut healthy.
You may find, if you’ve not been too active over the winter (apart from trudging through the snow!) that you’re not quite ready to tackle a marathon. But as our Love Your Gut fitness expert, Sophie Christy says, there are plenty of good ways to get yourself back in the swing of things - no matter what your age.
“Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate intensity physical activity, five days a week. As a general rule, this sort of exercise will make you a little warm or sweaty, and slightly out of breath but no more.
Practically anything that gets the heart pumping faster is useful - gardening, mowing the lawn and weeding, keep us and the garden in good shape. How much has started to spring up in the garden already? Have you cleared away the winter leaves? Get out in the sunshine and give you and your garden a good workout.”
A few of my colleagues at Love Your Gut have also started back on some lunchtime walks, amazing what a bit of sunshine can do to the soul! But if you drive to and from work, it might be too dark for a walk once you get home so why not embrace the lunchbreak!
Let us know your ideas for the start of Spring and how, if you’re still keeping your Lent promises, you may be able to embrace them both.
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Monday, February 8th, 2010
Being aware - every day of the year
Driving into work today I heard about a National Swap Day and didn’t know if this was a made up cause or had some substance behind it.
Some people are very anti awareness days and weeks, but not us at Love Your Gut as we of course celebrate Gut Week each year! And we are very proud of the week as we want to encourage people to take time out and consider the impacts they make on their digestive health, understand what warning signs they should look out for and seek medical help where necessary. Sometimes you have to stop being embarrassed and take action. It could have long term benefits.
While the 12th annual Gut Week is still a few months away (don’t worry we’ll be posting details here!) I’ve been thinking a little more about a swap day and how we could incorporate into better digestive health.
For instance - what did you have for breakfast this morning? Did you grab something as you were rushing out the door or a quick coffee en route to the office? Or did you go for muesli or porridge at home?
How many of us get the right sort of fibre in our diets? Are we eating pasta, bread and rice? And are we getting the healthiest versions? Perhaps swap for a wholemeal or wholegrain variety. Perhaps if you go to a deli or sandwich bar at lunchtime choose a different bread product for your sandwich?
I made a swap already today and went for an apple juice instead of a coffee. I know it’s not enough on its own, and don’t worry I’ll be thinking of some more along the way. But what things can you swap today? And will it be too much of an effort? I think you may be surprised.
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Monday, February 1st, 2010
Wintry start halts resolutions
How has your gut health been so far this year? Have you managed to shift those extra pounds you put on over Christmas or are you still feeling a little extra weight around your midriff?
If you haven’t managed to get the New Year off to the perfect start then you might be heartened to know you’re not alone. A recent Yakult survey has shown that 73% of Brits have planned a new year health kick but the poor weather in January - the coldest for 20 years - has meant that about a third of people delayed their plans until they were sure the snow and ice had passed whereas one in five have said they would wait until February.
And there’s nothing wrong in waiting if your new digestive health plan is set to be a long term plan. Because the long term benefits will still be achieved. But make sure that you make your goals realistic and achievable. The same way that you may look at setting realistic and achievable goals at work, aim to set the same goals when looking at your health plan.
To get you started, we’ve got some top gut health nutrition tips from one of our Love Your Gut specialists:
•1. Nourish with nutrients & top up your good bacteria - The gut processes and absorbs nutrients from food so eating a healthy, varied diet, rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals is crucial. The good bacteria in your gut help your body to break down nutrients and reduce or neutralise the bad. Probiotic products contain billions of good bacteria which top up your natural supply.
•2. Sleep well but keep moving - Sleepless nights and stressful days can affect our bowel function, appetite and body weight so sleep is essential for re-charging our system. ‘Going regularly’ keeps our bowels moving and our digestive system on track. Exercising regularly and not smoking are also big contributors in improving gut health.
•3. Drink plenty of fluids - Drink 8-10 glasses a day. Drinking sufficient fluid keeps us hydrated and helps to prevent constipation.
If you’re committing to start again in 2010 why not share your stories with other Love Your Gut followers? We’d love to hear how you’re doing and also any advice you may have for others.
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Monday, January 25th, 2010
Use our free guide to tune in today
At ‘Love Your Gut’ it will probably come as no surprise that we’re more than a little interested in gut health. And of course through our annual Gut Week campaign we try and share the knowledge and aim to get more people talking about their digestive health and seeking steps to improve it.
What I didn’t realise until very recently was perhaps how intuitive the digestive system is. Did you know that the gut is the only organ in the body to use all of the five senses to communicate with you? Some maybe obvious - you can feel the pain of a upset tummy or perhaps if you’re constipated, sometimes you can smell the gut or hear some of the sounds it makes. But do you always know what it means? Could you be sure that a sign from the gut is negative or positive and what you need to do to ‘digest’ and act on the information?
Fortunately there is a new book from Love Your Gut partner Yakult to help! The Gut Translator, is a colourful publication packed with insider information to help you decipher the complex ‘language’ of your digestive system, and understand exactly what the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings connected with your gut might indicate.
The free booklet also outlines some of the most common digestive disorders, dispels some common gut ‘myths’, and offers advice on maintaining good digestive health. And it’s available for free by clicking the link here.
So isn’t it time you tuned in to what your gut is telling you? It might be one of the most useful conversations you’ve had!
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Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
The Gut Trust is listening
On Tuesday and Thursday evening, I answer calls on the Gut Trust’s telephone helpline. The topics are extremely variable. All human life is there. Many callers are desperate and so often it can seem that their IBS is associated with what has been happening in their lives. Larry was a case in point.
It was a quiet night on the helpline. Just two calls to begin with. Then at just gone 8, Larry rang up.
‘Is confusion a symptom of IBS?’
I was hesitant. ‘It can be’.
‘Oh good. That makes me feel better. My doctor said it’s impossible.’
I didn’t respond. Instead I said, ‘Well, tell me what happens?’
‘Every time I eat something, I can’t think properly, I can’t focus, I can’t even drive my car. All foods seem to affect it, but recently I have found that if I mash up some potato with a bit of water, it is not so bad.’ .
There was no time to go into detail, so I told him that his symptoms reminded me of dumping. He knew what I was talking about. ‘When I had a barium meal a few years ago, they said they had never seen a stomach empty so quickly.’
‘So if a proper meal emptied that quickly, the rapid distension of the small intestine and the surge of insulin caused by rapid arrival of food could both result in faintness and confusion.’
‘But what can I do about it?’ he asked.
‘Try something to slow stomach emptying; a viscous polysaccharide like Guar Gum can make the food contents sticky and slow the rate at which they leave the stomach and are absorbed. Some drugs such as the anticholinergic, ProBanthine can also slow gastric emptying’
I felt satisfied, but he was cautious.
‘But my doctor doesn’t think it’s dumping.’
‘And you’re confused.’
‘Yes’.
‘Well, how long have you had the IBS?’
‘About 10 years.’
‘And it came on about the same time as the confusion?’
‘So was there anything that happened 10 years ago.’
‘The only thing was that my son got ME? He’s still living at home.’
‘I wonder if there’s a connection.’
I am Dr Nick Read and I am a gastroenterologist and a psychotherapist and use both sets of skills to try to get behind the symptom to find out what is going on. I recall the old adage, ‘It is as important to understand the patient with the illness as it is to understand the illness in the patient. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an illness that does not have a specific cause or a definitive cure. Diet, lifestyle, infection, gut bacteria and stress, particularly stress, may all play a role in generating the symptoms. IBS is a holistic condition that requires a holistic remedy. Only by understanding both the patient and the illness can my caller and I find the most appropriate way of dealing with it.
The Gut Trust is the National Charity for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It works alongside the health service to inform, support and advise patients with IBS, their family and carers. The helpline is open every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on 0872 300 4537.
In addition to a free consultation on the helpline, members of The Gut Trust advice the helpline, members have access to our unique, fully comprehensive self management programme, a telephone helpline, free medical consultation, our magazine ‘Gut Reaction’, What’s New, our national network of self help groups, a can’t wait card and much more. To join The Gut Trust, visit our website (www.theguttrust.org) or call 0114 2723253 during office hours (9.30am to 4.30pm weekdays).
The Gut Trust is a partner of ‘Love your Gut’.
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