Posts Tagged ‘Gut Health’
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Where has this month gone? Can you believe its February next week?
How has January been for you? Being bac
k 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!
Tags: breakfast, Exercise, fruit and vegetable, Gut Health, prebiotics, probiotics
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Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Staying healthy and maintain a healthy gut is not just about what we eat but also about how physically active we are too. With an ever increasing technological society we have become less and less active as time has moved forward. Things like lifts and escalators mean we don’t need to use the stairs or drive through car washes instead of manual carwashes all factor into us being less active. Even things such as electric tin openers reduce the amount of energy we expend on a daily basis. This all contributes to not only our overall health but also our gut health.
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.
Tags: bloating, constipation, digestive health, gut, Gut Health, gut tips
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Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
It’s that time of the year! Planning a ski trip or have one booked already? Whatever your plans are, a ski trip is always an excitement!! It is always a good idea to take a few precautions to help you minimise the chances of digestive health problems when you arrive at your destination so that you can enjoy your much deserved holiday!
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.
Tags: fibre, gut, Gut Health, gut tips, healthy diet
Posted in Ask the Doctor, Gut Health | No Comments »
Monday, January 9th, 2012
After the festive period our wallets tend to be rather tight and it may be hard to meet and ends financially particularly due to January being a five weekend month. However this doesn’t mean you need to sit in and doing nothing for the whole month. With a little initiative and thought there is lots of fun and delicious food to be had. Why not try the below tips to help you get through January without having to stretch ourselves too much.
- 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!
Tags: digestion, digestive health, fibre, fruit and vegetable, good digestion, Gut Health, healthy diet, minerals, vitamins
Posted in 5-a-day, FIBRE, Gut Health, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, October 31st, 2011
Find yourself scooping out the pumpkins for the children and not too sure how you can use all the flesh? What not try these delicious recipes!
Pumpkin soup
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin
- 1 white onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 3 tbsp virgin olive oil
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 glasses dry white wine
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 lemon, juice only
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7.
2. Peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Dice the flesh into large cubes and put in a roasting tray. Scatter around the chopped onion and garlic and tuck in the rosemary sprigs.
3. Drizzle over the honey and olive oil and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and golden. Baste half way through to stop the honey catching on the bottom of the tray.
4. Meanwhile bring the stock to the boil. When the vegetables are cooked, put in a blender with the hot liquid and white wine. Blend until smooth before adding the cream and lemon juice.
5. Return to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
Pumpkin Jam
Ingredients
- 825g pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Method
Mix pumpkin puree, spices and dry pectin in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Mix in sugar all at once. Stirring constantly, return to a full boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer immediately to sterile containers. Seal and chill in the refrigerator until serving.
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 60ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 180g self-raising flour
- 130g wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch salt
- 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
- 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 100ml plain yoghurt
- 275ml milk
- 1 tbsp honey
- 240g cooked pumpkin, cut into ½cm/¼in cubes
- handful pumpkin seeds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Oil a 12-hole muffin tin and line with 12 squares of baking paper. Push the squares down into each hole so that the paper sticks up.
- Sift the flours, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the salt and rosemary. (Reserve any wholegrain left in the sieve.)
- Meanwhile in another bowl, mix the eggs, yoghurt, milk, honey and vegetable oil until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold the ingredients together, but be careful not to over-work the mixture.
- Sprinkle the reserved wholegrain, pumpkin and the pumpkin seeds over the muffins. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the muffins are well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Tags: Gut Health, halloween
Posted in Gut Health, Recipes, Uncategorized | No Comments »
