Love Your Gut Blog
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
You’re probably wondering what sleep has to do with a website about digestive health. Well quite a lot actually and not just because I’m feeling a little tired myself. 
Sleep is vitally important to the workings of the digestive system. In the same way we need to consider what and when we eat and drink, we also need to make sure that the amount of sleep we get is also important.
You often hear athletes talking about their rest days - they realise that their bodies can’t train all the time and need time to recover. Well the digestive system is the same - it needs to relax and recuperate. And it can’t go off for two weeks on the Med!
How many times have you stayed up watching a late night film? And then when you’ve been awake have started to get out the popcorn or crisps cos you’ve just got to have something to munch on? And then off you go to bed, late of course, and food still needing to be processed. So the digestive system kicks into action when it should be resting, and of course you’ve reduced your amount of sleep too! Worse still some studies have shown that insufficient sleep can lead to weight gain, and additional weight around the middle puts extra pressure on the digestive system.
So what can you do? Well first lets cut out the midnight snacking, and try and make a conscious effort to get to bed earlier. Whatever time you need to get up, count back 7-8 hours and start making that time your bedtime.
And try not to have your large meal too late in the day. You may not be able to avoid that your largest meal is the one you have in the evening, but you can look to ensure that it is a few hours before you go to bed - two to three hours is best.
So time to turn over a new leaf and see how your sleep patterns and digestion might just improve.
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Monday, July 12th, 2010
How often do you find yourself tempted in the supermarket? Those special offers just look too good to ignore and so it’s easy to find a few more things in the shopping basket than you intended, and certainly sometimes the items are not always as healthy as they might want to be!
A healthy fridge
Of course, one way around this is to make sure you have a shopping list and stick to it, but another way is to take on board some tips on how to make your shopping basket healthier - and it might keep temptation at bay!
For instance, did you know that wholegrain products contain 75% more nutrients than their white counterparts? But that studies show that only one in twenty adults eat enough wholegrain but that one in three of us are eating none at all?
When selecting staples to your diet such as rice, pasta, breakfast cereal and bread look for wholegrain varieties as much as possible. You need to get 18g of fibre a day, but you can use fruit and vegetables to help you achieve that too. And if that sounds tough, consider that a 90g portion of penne pasta contains about 2.3g of fibre but switching to wholewheat pasta and the same amount will offer 9g of fibre! And yes they are in the same aisle!
Dairy products are an important source of calcium and you should be aiming for two or three moderate portions a day - and if you’re watching your weight then you can opt for reduced fat versions. You can also help increase your intestinal health by looking for fermented milks and yoghurts which contain probiotic bacteria.
The World Cancer Research Fund also recommends that people cut back on red and processed meat following a report from them at the end of 2007 which showed strong evidence between red and processed meats and bowel cancer. Try and limit your intake to less than 500g cooked a week and perhaps switch your red meat choices to poultry or fish.
And of course, don’t forget your fluid intake - water that is! Water aids digestion, so drinking around eight glasses a day along with your dietary fibre will help to soften stools and make them easier to pass.
So, is it time to rewrite that shopping list? Stay strong in the shops and your body and digestive system will thank you for it!
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Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
We promised some changes to the Love Your Gut website and hopefully regular visitors will have noticed the blog has moved to a more prominent section of the website.
Fruit Salad
However we’ve also introduced a new recipe section which we hope will be of interest and use to all of you trying to incorporate more healthy foods into your diet.
To start off the new section we’ve included five recipes from top chef Antony Worrall Thompson who we are delighted to have as one of our Love Your Gut supporters. Antony has shared with us not just some of his fabulous recipes, but ones that really use good gut foods which will help you work towards better digestive health.
Over the coming months we’ll be adding more recipes to the site from a range of celebrity chefs and expert nutritionists and dieticians who are all working together to get us healthy on the inside and out. And if you have tried any of the recipes or have some good food tips to offer then please share them here!
So next time you’re stuck for a delicious and healthy meal, click here for inspiration!
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Friday, April 30th, 2010
This is one of Antony’s favourite recipes, full of colour and flavour. Harissa and pickled lemons are an integral part of 
North African cooking and are a perfect foil for lamb in this satisfying dish. Serve with bulgur wheat or warmed flatbread.
SERVES 4
450g (1lb) lean leg of lamb, cut into 2.5cm (1in) cubes
11/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, roughly diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tomatoes, skinned and diced
1 tablespoon harissa or hot pepper paste
400g (14oz) tin of chickpeas in water, drained and rinsed
350g (12oz) trimmed and peeled pumpkin, cut into 2.5cm (1in) cubes 1 pickled lemon, finely diced 2 tablespoons chopped mint 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1 Coat the lamb in the black pepper.
2 Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan, add the lamb and cook until it has browned all over. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and is slightly brown, adding a splash of water if necessary to prevent sticking.
3 Add the tomatoes, harissa and 425ml (3/4 pint) water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over a medium heat for 11/411/2 hours, topping up with water as necessary, until the lamb is almost tender.
4 Add the chickpeas and pumpkin and cook for a further
15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Add the lemon, mint and coriander. Serve immediately.
Per portion: 357 kcal, 18g fat, 6.6g sat fat, 0.28g sodium
Photo Credit - Steve Lee
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Monday, April 26th, 2010
Running to better digestive health?
Did the runners in London inspire you yesterday? I always do enjoy watching the marathon, especially when you see people who have really battled against adversity to compete, or the sense of achievement and knowing you’ve raised valuable sums of money for a worthy cause.
I’m currently awaiting a fourth knee operation so I can’t easily sign up for 2011, but I’m still keen on finding ways to keep myself in shape. And the great thing about exercise is that it can also keep the digestive system healthy too.
Our digestive tracts are ringed with muscles that contract to help move food through. Like other muscles in our bodies, these are also stimulated by exercise. So, if you exercise regularly you will keep the bowel muscles contracting at a healthy rate.
But, for those of you who may be a bit gym shy or, like me, are struggling with injuries, then you might think that getting into a healthy exercise programme is too much effort. But in fact there are simple ways you can incorporate some activities into your routine and give yourself a chance of a healthier gut.
- Leave the car at home for short distances. Try walking to the shops, the school and especially the pub!
- Do you like getting your car as close to the supermarket entrance as possible? Have you thought that walking those extra metres may do you some extra good?
- Take to the stairs and reduce your use of escalators and lifts
- How close is the phone to where you sit at home? Try and locate it somewhere else so you need to get up to answer it.
- How many times do you pile your arms full of things to save you one journey upstairs? Lessen your load which will be much less likely to be dropped but will encourage you to do more journeys and benefit more.
- In the good weather encourage lunchtime walks with colleagues - good for team bonding but also get exercise and fresh air.
What other simple exercise tips do you have? Share them online and help others give their digestive systems some exercise.
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