How has January been for you? Being back at work, with the festive season over, gloomy mornings, Christmas debts and failed detox regimes – it’s no surprise that everyone’s feeling miserable and low.

Why not try lifting the mood with the following suggestions:

1 Mood foods: Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids block chemicals called cytokines that can cause low mood. Oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, and tuna), flaxseed oil, nuts and seeds are all good sources. Some studies also link diets low in folate to low mood. Cabbage, broccoli and sprouts are good sources of folate.

2 Foiling the norovirus: The health protection agency says levels of infection of the “winter vomiting bug” are at their highest since 2002 in England and Wales, and that around 100,000 of us every week will go down with this horrid, though rarely dangerous, bug. The Royal College of GPs says we can do much to prevent the spread: improved hygiene (rigorous hand washing, cleaning surfaces, and loos – anything that has been in contact with an infected person) and keeping infected people away from others for at least 48 hours after symptoms end are your best bet. Looking after your gut health may also help with increasing the strength of your immune system.

3 Probiotics/Prebiotics: 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.

4 Eating breakfast: Attempts to reverse festive weight gain often involve meal-skipping. However, low blood sugar can affect energy and mood.  So why not have a bowl of porridge, its low-fat and filling, the warmth provides mood-friendly B vitamins, iron and zinc, and keeps blood glucose levels steady.

5 Exercise and sleep: Regular exercise will make you feel more energetic, especially during these gloomy days, your body’s defences will also benefit. You may be tempted to eat more during the colder months. Exercising will help you manage your weight better and keep your body in shape, especially if you want to tackle the January bulge. Sleep experts advise establishing a regular pattern of seven to eight hours per night: keep your bedtime and waking times consistent to reset your body clock.

Give the above a go and see what changes you may feel!

You may be unaware but not only does exercise keep you nice a toned but it also helps us internally. For example if we consume more energy than we are expending, it is stored as fat. Fat can build up as cholesterol along the arteries which will cause the blood flow to be reduced and potentially cause a heart attack if the artery becomes fully blocked. Exercise also helps to maintain the muscles within our internal organs for example in our intestines muscles are required for peristalsis (the movements of food down the digestive tract).

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.

The government’s recommendations are to exercise for thirty minutes five times a week. Whilst these seem quite a while to spend exercising within your daily routine this thirty minutes doesn’t actually have to be for example going to the gym or participating in sport. It could be as little as walking to work instead of catching the bus, going up the stairs instead of the lift or going for a walk over lunch.

If you plan on going to the gym or doing a class it is good to plan when you are going to eat after a big meal, give your body a chance to digest it before you start jumping around! Therefore it is advised to wait around an hour after a big meal before engaging in any rigorous physical activity. This is also be after eating, blood flow increases to the stomach and intestines to help the body digest the food. However, if you exercise right after eating, the blood flows toward the heart and muscles instead. Since the strength of the gut’s muscle contractions directly relate to the quantity of blood flowing in the area, less blood in the GI tract means weaker intestinal contractions, fewer digestive enzymes, and the food waste moving sluggishly through the intestine. This can lead to bloating, excess gas, and constipation.

A few tips to consider before and during your travels:

• Look after your gut – Before traveling try to improve the health of your gut through diet. Consider including prebiotic foods in your diet such as asparagus, onions, and artichokes, eating a well-balanced diet and taking a regular probiotic product.
• Be prepared – pack some high-fibre cereal or dried fruits in your suitcase so you can have it for breakfast or as a snack. It is often a challenge to eat enough fibre whilst being on holiday, which can soon effect on your digestion.
• Stay hydrated – Dehydration is a major cause of gut problems when you’re on holiday so drink plenty of water and juices throughout your holiday, especially if you’re in the sun or on the plan as the dry cabin air can dehydrate you.
• Stay active – long periods of inactivity can make the digestive system sluggish so if you’re travelling on the plane do your leg exercises as suggested in your flight handbook or walk up and down the aisle every so often. When you’re relaxing by the pool or lying on the sun loungers, get up and move around every hour.
• Finally visit your GP prior to travelling to see if there are any vaccinations you may need to have before travelling to your chosen destination.

• Meet friends in your local park and go for a walk. This activity is free; you get to catch up on the gossip as well as you will also be exercising. Physical activity no matter how little is a good way of burning off that extra weight you may have gained during your festive celebrations. Exercise can also help our digestive health as carrying excess weight around the midriff can really affect the digestive system as it can put pressure on the stomach, squashing food mixed with stomach acid back into the gullet – which can cause heartburn.

• Buy frozen vegetables instead of fresh vegetables. This is a cheaper way of getting your five a day. Frozen vegetables contain the same amount for vitamins and minerals to help keep out gut healthy. They are cheaper and there is less wastage as you don’t need to make sure they are eaten before they go off.

• Make some soups and stews. These are relatively cheaper to make as you usually use cheaper cuts of meat and then bulk up on potatoes and vegetables and grains. Soups and stews are also good ways of getting fibre into our diet which will help us to maintain a healthy gut.

• Start your own ‘come dine with me’ on a set budget. This is a sociable way of having fun but also saving money as whilst you are out the expense for the meal you cook you know that you will be returned the favour. You don’t have to do it all on one week, decide with your friends how frequently and go from there. You could even have a ‘Love Your Gut’ Theme!

We hope you have all had a fantastic festive season and are ready to start 2012 off with a bang! The New Year is the perfect  time to start a fresh and kick start all the things we want to do or improve in our lives. Whilst New Year’s resolutions are what most people do at the start of the year, may we suggest that you put together some New Year’s ‘objectives’ instead. This will perhaps be more achievable by the end of the year rather than feeling failure if you have not been able to keep your resolution. With objectives you can also set out ways in which you can achieve the objective and if it has not went to plan you can re-adjust it to help you achieve it in a different way.

Since Love Your Gut is all about health and wellbeing may we suggest the following objectives for you to aim to achieve by the end of 2012.

• By the end of 2012 I will exercise at least _X_times per week.
• By the end of 2012, I will have increased the amount of fruit and vegetables I have in my diet each week (this will help increase your vitamin and mineral intake and help with you immune function.
• By the end of 2012 I will cut down on the amount of sugary snacks I have during the day.
• By the end of 2012 I will have replaced white pasta, bread and rice with either brown or wholemeal goods (this is an excellent aim to increase your fibre intake which will help with your digestive health).
• By the end of 2012 I will have ensure that I will have at least one hour of ‘me’ time per week (this will help digestive health too as it will help you to de-stress).

Quiche

For a standard Quiche base:

• 175g  plain flour,  plus extra for dusting
• salt
• 75g butter, plus extra for greasing

Quiche filling:

• 2 eggs
• 150ml milk
• 50g grated cheese
• salt and pepper
• leftover meat and vegetables of your choice

If you still have too much food left over, quiche is something that can be frozen and used at a later date. To help our digestive health, why not use wholemeal or brown flour to increase the fibre content.

Pizza

Topping

• ½ Onion
• 200g Canned tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon herbs
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• salt and pepper
• leftover meat and vegetables

 Pizza Base

• 650g 00 flour (strong white flour)
• 7g sachet of easy-blend yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 375ml warm water

Whole meal flour can also be used for the pizza base to help with our digestive health.

Noodle Stir Fry

• 1 Tablespoon Oil
• 2 Garlic cloves
• A Thumb of Ginger
• 1 Small Onion
• 2-3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 pack of Noodles/Rice
• leftover meat and vegetables

Christmas is a time were we all indulge in a few too many chocolates, have one to many tipples which often results in regrets come January. Why not try these healthy, gut loving lower fat tips which aim to help reduce the guilt of over-indulgence in our festive feasts.

• Use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat milk: Sauces such as cheese sauce, breads sauce, custard are served with other foods and so you won’t realise the difference in taste.

• Use low fat spread instead of butter for making pastries.

• Use whole meal flour for pastries and cakes: This will increase the fibre content making you fuller for longer, help to main your digestive health whilst also being able to indulge.

• Use natural fruit juice instead of adding the full amount of sugar to a recipe (for example look at the recipe for scones in our October 3^rd Blog.)

• Serve frozen natural yoghurt instead of ice cream.

• Opt for low fat cheese or cheese with fruit such as Wensleydale with cranberries.

• Use smaller bowls to serve chocolates and sweets and smaller plates for dinner: As a nation our portion sizes have got bigger and we tend to fill our plates and finish them when we actually do not need to eat as much. This is especially true during the Christmas period.

• Make your own cranberry sauce: Shop bought sauces tend to contain more sugar and preservatives. Why not try to make your own, this way you can control the amount of sugar you add and it will also be additive/preservative free.

• Feeling sluggish after you delicious Christmas Dinner? Why not take a stroll outside?  Yes we are in the winter season but wrap up warm and enjoy the crisp air instead of slouching by the T.V. Mentally this will make you feel more alert as well as help you burn some calories.

• Don’t over buy: Christmas can be expensive and we tend to buy more food than is needed. Write a shopping list and stick to it, that way you will save some money which is great at this time of year as well as there will be less food for you to over indulge on.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Cream Broccoli-white bean soup

Ingredients:

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets and stems thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 ounce shaved Parmesan, for serving

Method:

• Steam broccoli florets and stems until tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Let it cool slightly. Leave 1/2 cup florets for garnish.
• Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 6 minutes.
• Add beans and stock and bring mixture to a simmer.
• Remove from heat and add broccoli, puree in a blender until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each bowl with broccoli florets, toasted pine nuts, and shaved Parmesan.

Mixed Bean and vegetable soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1½ pounds of mixed vegetables
• 1½ pounds of mixed root vegetables
• 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
• 2 teaspoon of curry powder
• ¼ cup of freshly chopped parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups or chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 small chopped zucchini
• 1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

Method:

• Heat oil in a heavy stock pot
• Add all the vegetables, except the zucchini, parsley and beans
• Cook over a high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly
• Add the garlic, curry powder and the bay leaves, and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf
• Puree about ½ the soup in a blender, once pureed return to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Add the zucchini and parsley and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.

Fennel soup with winter greens and bacon recipe

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 2 large leeks, sliced and washed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 3 fennel bulbs, coarsely chopped
• 900g potatoes, roughly chopped
• 1.2 litres chicken stock, hot
• 10ml whipping cream
• 1 small savoy cabbage or other winter greens
• 175g pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, dried
• Handful of roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves

Method:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft. Add the fennel seeds and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chopped fennel and the potatoes.
• Cover the vegetables with a sheet of wet baking paper and put a lid on the pan. Cook gently for 10-12 minutes, until the leeks are soft. Remove and discard the paper. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.
• Leave the soup to cool slightly, then pour half into a food processor or blender and whizz until smooth. Press through a sieve into the remaining soup in the pan. Stir in the cream and season to taste. Gently reheat the soup but make sure it doesn’t boil.
• Meanwhile, make the winter greens and bacon. Discard the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Roughly tear the remaining leaves, discarding any hard stalks, and blanch them in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes. Refresh under cold running water and drain.
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Add the cabbage and thyme, and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage is tender. Season well.
• Ladle the soup into deep bowls and spoon the winter greens and bacon into each bowl to serve.

In addition to the hearty soups above, you should take a probiotic and/or prebiotic as it may h
elp to perk up your gloomy days. 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 your gut. Why not also have 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.

So why not try one of the above recipes this winter, along with a probiotic and/or prebiotic as part of a healthy balanced diet?

Warming food suggestions:

• Porridge topped with blueberries (or another readily available citrus fruit) – This will give us a warm and filling start to the day whilst also supplying us with a good source of fibre for our digestive health but also some antioxidants from the blueberries which will also help us to fight those common infections.

• Wholemeal bread toasties (work facilities permitting) with filling of your choice. – This will add more fibre to help keep your bowel movements regular.

• Scotch broth – An oldie but a goodie for this time of year. Soups are so nourishing and filling. Scotch broth is packed full of lentils and beans also keeping our digestive system in full working order. 

Practical tips:

• Before heading out for a razzle ensure you have something filling to eat. This will be kinder to your tummy and digestive system if you end up having one to many.
• Drink lots of water to maintain your hydration – Alcohol is a diuretic so drinking a glass or two of water before going to bed after a night out will maintain your hydration and help make you feel better the next day.  
• Try to go for a quick brisk walk (even if it is just around the block) – This will help to prevent the after dinner slump where you want to have a nap as well as burn off some of those calories you have consumed.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• Two carrots
• 5 large potatoes
• 25g stewing beef
• 2 Tbsp Worcester sauce
• Salt and pepper to season

1. Peel and chop onion, potatoes and carrots.
2. Sautee onions until soft and add stewing meat and cook until brown.
3. Add the remainder of the ingredients (carrots and potatoes) and fill saucepan up with water.
4. Once the stew reaches the boil, turn temperature down and leave to simmer until potatoes are soft and most of the water has been absorbed.
5. Serve immediately or cool and place in fridge or freeze for a later date.