HEALTHY GUT

When you have a happy gut and all the benefits, you’ll never look back.

Eat the right foods

Your daily diet should include a wide variety of fresh, fibre-rich fruit, veg and whole grains, which help supply dietary preand probiotics. Good sources of prebiotics include asparagus, onions, bananas, oats and raw honey. For probiotics, fermented foods like kefir, kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut are great, along with yoghurt with live, active cultures.

Eat mindfully

Take time to savour your food instead of hoovering it down or eating on the run. Eating slowly helps improve digestion. Importantly, it also reduces the chance of overeating since your brain has time to register that your stomach is full. Overeating can lead to indigestion, heartburn and uncomfortable bloating. It also places an extra load on your liver and pancreas that need to work harder to break down food. Long term, overeating can lead to weight gain, which comes with its own health complications. Slow your roll!

Manage stress

Being chronically stressed creates inflammation, which can damage the gut lining and disrupt the digestive system. It’s so important to take time out to regroup and relax. Whether it’s yoga, fast walking, meeting up with friends or curling up in a chair with a book, find what works for you and do it often.

Get enough sleep

The more we learn about the critical role of sleep for overall wellbeing – including for digestive health – the crazier we are not to create opportunities to hit the sack earlier and minus our everpresent electronics!.

Run for your life

Or, at the very least, make a promise to simply become more active every day. It’s a difference maker for gut health and so many other areas of wellbeing. Get up and get moving!