Love Your Gut Blog
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Is your gut needing a drink?
To many that might seem a bit of a strange statement? Why on earth would my gut be thirsty? Surely it would be my whole body that I need to cool down or maybe its not hot enough yet to be thinking about hydration?
Well no. Hydration is of course important for the whole body, you need water to maintain enough blood and other fluids to function properly, and if the body starts to lose a substantial amount of water more quickly than it’s replaced then the body can start to become hydrated.
And how does this affect the digestive system? Well a common effect of dehydration on your digestive system is constipation. So while you may not feel that dehydrated, certainly in your day to day you may not be noticing it and this is because thirst is not a good indicator, you may notice it more when you go to make a bowel movement.
To prevent dehydration, aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day - more when the weather is warm - and increase the intake in warmer climates or when taking any form of exercise.
However, I do know some people who really struggle to get the right amount of water in a day so here are some top tips from Dr Tony Leeds as to how to make sure you’re keeping your fluid levels right.
- Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day - in warm weather you’ll need to drink more.
- Don’t rely on thirst as a sign that you need to take a drink.
- Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables to help increase your fluid intake.
- Take water breaks rather than coffee breaks at regular intervals during the day.
- Keep a bottle of water on your desk at work to remind you to take a drink.
- Drink plenty of water before, during and after taking exercise - especially when the weather is warm.
So tomorrow make sure you have a water cooler break and not a coffee break. You may find your gut loves you for it!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Time to take some gut love action?
Today is commonly known as Pancake Day throughout the country, and while many people may be eagerly looking forward to pancakes at teatime, the actual day, Shrove Tuesday, has more religious significance.
Before the period of Lent, a period of fasting, many people with religious beliefs would say their confessions and use up food stuffs. Using foods such as sugar, fat and eggs was limited during Lent so these would be used up and have a last big feast.
Traditions have changed somewhat over the years, but interestingly while many people may not fast, the concept of ‘giving up’ in Lent seems to ring true with many people - regardless of religion.
And this idea mainly sees people give up some of the naughtier treats, things which predominantly aren’t always good for your gut. A few colleagues and I at Love Your Gut have made a chocolate pact and have decided that we will not eat chocolate or sweets during the next six weeks. It was a little tough, after having been given a fabulous chocolate recipe book for my birthday last week, but the book will still be there come April. Perhaps though, a little bit of the winter excess around my midriff may have reduced by the time we reach Easter Sunday. I’ll just have to be careful not to undo all the hard work with lots of Easter eggs!
For some people they may decide than rather giving up, they take up in Lent. For instance, have you been thinking about starting a new exercise programme? Did you get a fitness DVD for Christmas that is still in its wrapper? Is your Wii Fit wondering if you’ve disappeared off the planet? Or have you got a juicer collecting dust in the kitchen? Could you start the day with your own fruit smoothie?
Whatever it might be you’ve been putting off, how about making a concerted effort for the next six weeks? You may find your gut health improves as a result. And if you need some extra motivation, then share your goals here and we can support each other.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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’.
Posted in News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, January 4th, 2010
How can we keep our resolutions in 2010?
First of all, a very Happy New Year to all Love Your Gut followers. Hopefully the festive season was happy and restful and back into the new year - and new decade - with a bang.
Did you make any resolutions? Have you broken any yet? Well if you have it’s not a massive surprise as according to Yakult research carried out last year, 5 million Brits broke their New Year resolutions. Are we being unrealistic or are we starting too early?
Well a bit of both is the answer. Physically and mentally our bodies need time to recover from the festive activities and also going back to work can be a bit of a struggle. Experts actually estimate that the best time to start is a couple of weeks into the New Year.
According to the research, 52% of people confess to eating more than they do normally over the Christmas period, resulting in almost a third of us suffering from a digestive complaint.
Love Your Gut supporter and gastroenterologist Dr Simon Gabe says: “Digestive problems over Christmas are very common and can occur for a variety of reasons such as dietary changes, stress and gastroenteritis. Infections such as salmonella can and do occur from undercooked turkey, but it is more likely that symptoms suffered are due to a combination of dietary changes and stress.
So if our bodies have taken a battering over the Christmas period we need to ease them gently into the new diet and exercise plans we may have. Rushing into overdrive is only likely to force us into quitting, so we need to think about ways of making changes, small steps, bit by bit.
If you’re faced with a massive task, at work or college, looking at it as one massive task can be depressing and make you want to put things off. The same can be said with weight loss. You may want to lose a stone, but setting small, realistic stepping stones can help with that achievement. And don’t forget to reward yourself. If you’re getting up early to do extra exercise, allow yourself a lie in once a week too. You’ll know you’ve deserved it.
So what targets have you set yourself for 2010? I’ve set some health and lifestyle challenges and would be interested to hear what you’re doing and how you’re getting along. We’ve got about eight months until Gut Week so lets see what we can do between now and then! Good luck!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
What is St Mark’s Hospital Foundation?
Hi – my name is Maxine and I’m the Fundraising Manager for St. Mark’s Hospital Foundation, the charitable arm for St. Mark’s Hospital in Harrow.
I’m currently one of four fundraisers in the Foundation raising money for research, training and education here at St. Mark’s Hospital in Harrow (this is the part the NHS don’t fund). I’m very proud to work for St. Mark’s which has grown to become one of the top national and international hospitals specialising in bowel diseases. Each year we see over 26,000 outpatients, many of whom have disorders so serious that they are referred to our medical specialists from other hospitals throughout the UK. Everyone at St. Mark’s is dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from bowel cancer and other bowel diseases. I meet many patients who are very grateful to our brilliant doctors and nurses who do everything from looking after their nutrition, helping them to keep fit, giving them a better quality of life, and in some instances literally saving their lives!
We are very pleased to be associated with the Love Your Gut team to make people aware about the importance of good digestive health. As part of this partnership, we are very pleased that the LYG team will be visiting two of our Trust’s hospitals during Gut Week to speak with our patients and staff. As part of Gut Week, we have also organised a parachute jump taking place on Saturday, 29th August – we have a number of very brave people who are willing to throw themselves out of a plane to help others – they are truly fabulous.
We have many events coming up, such as running, walking, cycling, concerts, comedy nights – and are always looking for people to take part or just come and attend – so as well as getting fit, keeping healthy, you can raise money for a very good cause. And yes, some of us in the team get involved too – this photo was taken a few weeks ago in Hyde Park for a 10k run/walk organised by a couple of ladies whose mother’s both suffer with Crohn’s disease. There were over 150 runners/walkers and we all had a fabulous time – as well as completing our 10k, we met a lot of inspirational people and were entertained by singers, dancers, a band – oh, and not to mention getting to meet the very charming Duncan James from Blue. The event has raised an amazing £17k to date which will go towards one of our research projects.
To find out more about our charity and further information on any of the above, plus how you can help, please visit www.stmarksfoundation.org.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, August 17th, 2009
Gut Week countdown - seven days to go
The digestive health event of the year is just around the corner and the Love Your Gut team are gearing up for what they hope will be the biggest event yet.
While we’re busy putting together packs for ‘Gut Week on the Road’ or dealing with media enquiries, we hear of companies who are also aiming to get Gut Healthy too!
Some have made displays in their offices, others are hosting events, or are even making sure that the menu choices in their staff canteens are serving meals which are little bit gut friendly. And if you’ve not noticed before, we have some on this website, so why not try your hand at creating some delights?
But most of all, we hope that the week will encourage people to talk about digestive health and digestive problems. If you’ve made the first step on getting online, then why not order a free digestive health pack, or if you have a digestive query or problem, then send your question to our team of doctors. And if you still want to make your own display then drop an email to info@yakult.co.uk and we’ll send you some posters and balloons today!
So, what have you done for your gut today? Don’t delay any longer!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
Exercise - more than having a trim tum
In a busy week, it may be hard to fit in those five lots of 30 minute sessions of exercise. And as the summer sun seems to have been a distant friend since Wimbledon finished, sometimes the weather hasn’t always been a motivator to get us out there and getting fit.
As a previous post has shown, many of us are embarrassed by our tummies, but what you might not realise is that exercise isn’t just good for keeping us in shape, it also helps to exercise the muscles of the digestive tract, helps control weight and can help reduce stress.
Did you know that our digestive tracts are ringed with muscles that contract to help food through? Well like other muscles in the body, these are stimulated by exercise - and regular exercise can help the bowel muscles contracting at a health rate.
So how can we get more active and keep it fun?
Personal Trainer, Sophie Christy offers these tips:
- Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, five times a week. As a general rule this should make you a little warm or sweaty, and slightly out of breath but no more than that.
- Exercise doesn’t need to be in extreme bursts - half an hour could be split up during the day -so morning and afternoon for instance.
- A lifestyle activity such as ‘walking the dog’ or ‘walking to the shops’ counts as part of your exercise.
- Vary your exercises - do flexibility exercises such as yoga or pilates, aerobic exercises such as walking or swimming and anaerobic exercises such as weight bearing exercises.
- If you are at risk from obesity or need to manage your weight because of a medical condition then you may need to increase to 45-60 minutes, five times a week. Speak to your GP or a trainer before undergoing any new regimens.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Don’t forget your stomach on the big day
Hitting the middle of summer, even if the sun isn’t shining, means coming to the peak of the wedding season.
And while it should be the happiest day of their lives for the bride and groom, it seems that over 2.5 million weddings have infact been hampered by digestive problems.
A Gut Week survey, carried out in 2006 showed that stress has a big impact on the gut and especially ahead of big occasions. As well as weddings, exams, driving tests and job interviews have all been affected by digestive problems.
So how are stress and problems such as diarrhoea linked?
Gut Week expert, Dr Tony Leeds says: ”Stress is a common trigger for digestive disorders: it can have a bad effect on the digestive system and can cause diarrhoea, nausea and stomach-ache. When we are stressed we’re more likely to indulge in lifestyle habits that are bad for the digestive system – smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, taking less exercise and eating an unbalanced diet – which all increase the risk of digestive health problems like constipation, diarrhoea or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). According to research taken at the time of this study, 65% of us take no action at all to protect our bodies from the effects of stress. ”
So if your big day is fast approaching, what does Dr Leeds suggest you should do?
“ My advice is to sleep well - ideally for seven hours daily, exercise sufficiently, eat a healthy diet, avoid smoking and drinking alcohol to excess, drink sufficient water and try the effect of a regular probiotic.”
If you’ve got other great tips on how to combat stress then please share them. Am sure many an anxious bride will be pleased to hear them!
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 20th, 2009
Heat up the summer with this recipe
Stuffed red peppers
These are wonderful to eat hot or cold. Red peppers are a nutritional feast on their own, but when you add the valuable antioxidants and other phytochemicals from the sweet corn, watercress, fibre from the brown rice and prebiotics from the onions, you’ve got an all round feast.
Serves 4
Per serving
320 calories 14g fat
5g saturated fat 6g fibre
Ingredients
110g (4oz) brown rice
1 large onion (chopped)
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
200g (7oz) frozen sweet corn
1 bunch or bag watercress
4 large, flat bottomed red peppers (cut in half, de-seed and remove membrane)
8tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 quantity hot tomato salsa (see p47)
Method
1. Cook the rice according to instructions on the packet. Sauté the onion gently in the oil until soft – about 5 mins.
2. Drain the cooked rice, pour into the onion mixture and stir until coated with the oil. Add the sweet corn and mix thoroughly.
3. Mix in the watercress leaves. Soak the peppers in boiling water for 5 mins. Remove and stand in a large baking or casserole dish.
4. Spoon the rice mixture into the pepper. Add 5tbsp of water to the dish. Cover with foil and bake at 180C/350F/gas 4 for 30 mins.
5. Remove the foil and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 10 mins.
6. Serve with the hot tomato salsa on the side. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for
10 mins.
7. Serve with the hot tomato salsa on the side.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
Brits admit to over indulging
Once in a while, surely it’s ok to break from the healthy diet and treat yourself?
Well of course it is, the problem is, a new Love Your Gut survey has exposed that some of us, like our junk food a little bit too much!
In fact, last year’s city of culture, is this year’s city of junk as it’s been revealed that Liverpudlians eat more junk food than any other people in Britain.
Residents of the north west city scoff six chocolate bars or cakes, six biscuits and four packets of crisps each week – an average of two fatty snacks each day.
And on top of that, they treat themselves to a weekly takeaway meal as well as one time-saving ready meal as well as four fizzy drinks and six alcoholic drinks a week.
It would seem that people in Wales are also tempted by junk, as those in the capital city of Cardiff confessed to munching on 14 cakes, chocolates bars and biscuits each week, making them second unhealthiest, followed closely by those from Belfast.
But if you want to join the healthy brigade then it may be an idea to move to East Anglia. People in Norwich were found to be the healthiest in the country – eating just three packets of crisps and four biscuits a week.
Second place went to people from Portsmouth, followed by Plymouth, Leicester and London.
Of course treats are fine every once in a while but having large amounts of junk food, week after week can be bad for your whole body.
This is a view echoed by Dr Simon Gabe, Consultant Gastroenterologist at St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow. He says; “The long-term health implications for people eating too many of cakes, chocolates, crisps and fizzy drinks can be quite serious. Diabetes, obesity, joint problems, high blood pressure, heart disease are just some of the problems people might encounter if they eat too much of this sort of food.
“I am not suggesting that people shouldn’t eat things they enjoy, just have a banana instead of a piece of cake, a small bag of nuts and raisins instead of a bar of chocolate and by making a simple change like that once or twice a week, they can do themselves a lot of good.
?
Some good news, is that people do seem to be identifying they have a problem – almost two thirds of people have said that they do eat too much junk food and more than a third owning up to supping too many fizzy and alcoholic drinks.
So what can we do to get ourselves back on track? Well it can be simpler than you think. We need to think about eating more fruit, vegetables, starchy fibre-rich foods and fresh products and fewer fatty, sugary, salty and processed foods.
To understand more about a good digestive diet, and to get a free diet and health plan book, go to www.insideoutdiet.co.uk
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
And how does this affect the digestive system? Well a common effect of dehydration on your digestive system is constipation. So while you may not feel that dehydrated, certainly in your day to day you may not be noticing it and this is because thirst is not a good indicator, you may notice it more when you go to make a bowel movement.
