Posts Tagged ‘digestive system’
Monday, September 12th, 2011
Will you be having your 5-a-day today?
Fruit and vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals. It’s advised that we eat five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. Fruit and vegetables are a good source of dietary fibre. Many people do not consume enough during the day so their gut has to work harder to get the waste out of the body, hence risking constipation
There’s evidence that people who eat at least five portions a day are at lower risk of heart disease, stroke and gut-related cancers.
What’s more, eating five portions is not as hard as it might sound. Just one apple, banana, pear or similar-sized fruit is one portion. A slice of pineapple or melon is one portion. Three heaped tablespoons of vegetables is another portion.
Having a sliced banana with your morning cereal is a quick way to get one portion. Swap your mid-morning biscuit for a tangerine, and add a side salad to your lunch. Add a portion of vegetables to dinner, and snack on dried fruit in the evening to reach your five a day. If you still find it difficult, why not enjoy a smoothie for breakfast or part of your lunch?
Alongside your 5-a-day, why not have a probiotic too? This will contribute towards a healthy digestive system.
Tags: 5-a-day, dietary fibre, digestive system, fibre, fruit and vegetable, good digestion, Gut Health
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Monday, August 22nd, 2011
When we think of summer we think of sun, sea, sand, holidays, relaxing, BBQ’s and……. picnics in the park. A typical picnic involves sandwiches, juice, crisps. Why not try these gut loving alternatives that will not only keep our digestive system in check and provide us with a good variety of nutrients but will give us an exciting burst of flavours and textures compared to a standard picnic.
Orange chicken mini kebabs:
These are quick and easy to prepare in advice and are a zingy addition to a traditional picnic whilst also providing us with vitamin C to ease the digestive path and get things moving. You can add a variety of spices to flavour the chicken or just plain grill before adding to the skewers.
Peeled grated carrots with chopped dates (with cumin, minced chilli, lemon or lime juice, mint or parsley):
This unusual combination with provide us with a great source of fibre.
Roasted pepper cous cous salad:
Cous cous salad is quick and easy to make and goes well with a variety of fruit and vegetables which will also help top up your ‘five a day’.
Cold Teriyaki chicken wings/thighs:
Combine equal parts soy sauce, mirin and saké with a little sugar and sesame oil; boil for a minute. Use this to baste chicken thighs or wings you grill it. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or chopped spring onions – ginger and/or lemon are good too. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before putting into the fridge until you are ready to go on your picnic
Other ways to top up for fibre content to keep your digestive system healthy are:
- Swop white bread/roll to brown or whole meal bread/rolls.
- Aim to have at least 5 different types of fruit and vegetables within your picnic. This will be easy to achieve if you prepare a variety of salads and fruity desserts.
- Ensure that you store all food correctly. By placing ice packs at the bottom of your picnic packet will ensure you food is kept cool for as long as possible meaning germs ad bacteria will find it hard to grow and multiply.
Tags: bacteria, dietary fibre, digestion, digestive health, digestive system, fibre, good digestion, picnic, Vitamin C
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Monday, August 1st, 2011
Are you finding yourself in front of a BBQ frequently? Whether it be you hosting it or being invited to one…too many BBQs may not be healthy…
Meat can form part of a healthy balanced diet if you make healthy options. It is a good source of protein in your diet, as well as vitamins and minerals. However, some meats are high in saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and having high cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease. Also, eating a lot of red meat (such as beef, lamb and pork) and processed meat has been linked to the likelihood of bowel cancer. Processed meat refers to meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives. This includes sausages, bacon, ham, salami and pâtés. If you currently eat more than 90 grams (cooked weight) of red and processed meat a day, the Department of Health advises that you cut down to 70 grams.
Sausages and burgers are favourite choices at a BBQ. However too many of these meats may cause a favourable environment for “bad” bacteria (such as salmonella and E.coli) to multiply in your digestive system, causing gastrointestinal problems such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea.
So be prepared by topping up on your “good” bacteria (that may help to reduce the chances of the tummy problems mentioned), which are found in probiotic products, during the busy BBQ season!
Tags: bacteria, bowel cancer, constipation, diarrhoea, digestive system, healthy diet, red meat, vitamins
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Monday, August 16th, 2010
It is only seven days until the digestive week of the year, and we’ve got quite a week in store! 
Not only have we been talking to journalists across the country and will be conducting our own Gut Week on the Road programme, but we will be adding a new dimension to the campaign with Web TV!
Yes, at 3pm on Monday 23rd August, loveyourgut.com will be hosting a live TV show with a celebrity doctor. Not only will he be able to give you the lowdown on the importance of digestive health and provide some top tips on how to improve your gut health but he’ll be taking questions live in the studio.
So if you’ve been wondering what to do to get your self in shape and ready for any Autumal hibernation then this is the time to get active! And all you need to do is come back to www.loveyourgut.com and click on the bar at the top of the homepage!
Hope to see you then! And remember, if you want to bring a bit of gut love to your workplace then order a display pack today by emailing info@yakult.co.uk and mark your email Gut Week Display.
Tags: digestion, digestive system, Gut Health, gut tips, Gut Week
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Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
As we get closer to Gut Week (23-29th August), perhaps it’s time to focus in on some of the areas of the gut that we tend to ignore – or at least try to!
Everyone’s gut makes noises. Some of us may only have these on occasions, whereas others might be blighted by uncomfortable and irritating noises on a day to day basis. How do you deal with these? Well sometimes, you have to get to understand your body well enough to know that your gut ‘talking’ could be part of its way of showing you it’s working efficiently.
Burping for instance is regarded as uncouth, but eructation, as it’s properly called, is simply air escaping from the stomach or oesophagus. If you think that with each mouthful of food or drink you take in air, and while most escapes through a breath or is absorbed in the blood, some needs to use other routes.
Technically burping three or four times after a meal is about normal – making a big show of it isn’t though! And what about when you hear a noise AFTER eating? Why on earth does that happen – I mean it’s not like you can be hungry! No, it’s actually caused when partly digested food entering the small intestine is processed by bacteria which help to break it down. A by product of that is gas and it can cause a gurgling or popping sound from the abdomen.
It can be fascinating understanding more about the workings of the digestive system, but more than that, the more we know, the more we can understand but also recognise the warning signs and the healthy signs. And of course if you’ve had some warning signs which are persistant then maybe it’s time to speak to your GP or practice nurse. And that’s what Gut Week is about. Understanding more about the digestive system, thinking about how to look after it and knowing when to take action. And if even a few of us take those steps, we could be a bit closer to better digestive health.
Tags: digestive system
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