When it comes to gut health, everyone’s requirements will be different. However, a balanced lifestyle, eating well, and making time for relaxation and proper rest can be great strategies to adopt.
Ten tips to keep your sensitive gut happy and healthy
1. Have a balanced diet
Make sure your diet has plenty of variety, not only carbohydrates, but also a good range of protein rich foods, essential oils from nuts, seeds and oily fish, dairy, lean meat, and cereals and grains rich in fibre.
2. Listen to your body
While most people tend to consume three meals a day, there is no physiological mandate for this. Some people find it helpful to prioritise a healthy breakfast to set them up for the day. Overnight oats with berries can be a good option to keep you feeling full, or avocado on toast with smoked salmon offers plenty of healthy fats, omega-3 and fibre-rich rye. Some people have such a sensitive gut they find it easier to eat smaller meals more frequently, while others may consume nothing between breakfast and an early supper. Listen to your gut.
3. Five a day
Rich in essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, ensuring you have five fruit and vegetables – that can be tolerated by people with a sensitive gut – a day can make a big difference to the health of your gut, but do take note of the fruits that can cause diarrhoea in sensitive guts and those that can cause bloating. Citrus fruits, berries, kiwi fruits, courgettes, squash, aubergines, tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce are quite acceptable.
4. Drink enough fluid
Having enough fluid with your food, aids digestion, ensures adequate hydration and may help to prevent constipation.
Listen to your body. Do not ignore a feeling of thirst. Take plenty of fluid with you if you are out in hot weather. There is no absolute rule for how much you should drink but remember that your food contains substantial amounts of fluid and alcoholic drinks, concentrated fruit juice and coffee and tea can cause dehydration.
Examine your urine as a guide. It should be a very light straw colour. Dark yellow to orange urine may indicate that you need to drink some water.
5. Dairy
Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium and essential vitamins, but they can also contain significant amounts of fat and lactose. If fat is a problem, drink skimmed or semi skimmed milk and if you are intolerant of lactose, consider lactose free milks or plant milks such as soya, rice or nut milks.
6. Know your onions, and other vegetables and fruits
Many fruits and vegetables are poorly digested. Although these help ‘feed’ the good bacteria present in the colon, maintaining a healthy environment and building gut immunity, stone fruits can retain water and cause diarrhoea while leeks, onions, beans, lentils, cauliflower and sprouts can increase gas production in the gut.
While it would be unwise to eliminate these foods from your diet, let your symptoms be a guide to prudent restriction.
7. Use your loaf
‘Bread is the staff of life’, but can occasionally be problematic. It contains small amounts of poorly absorbed fermentable carbohydrates (fructans), which may be a problem in those consuming large amounts (half a loaf a day).
If bread seems to be an issue, restrict your intake to no more than a few slices a day and get tested for coeliac disease. Wholemeal bread is said to be healthier as it contains valuable fibre, vitamins and minerals but the insoluble fibre may irritate sensitive guts.
8. Choose lower fat products
Many of us still tend to consume too much fat, risking obesity, type II diabetes and coronary heart disease, which can drastically affect the way the gut works. Fat can also stimulate nausea, indigestion, gallstones, gut spasms and diarrhoea.
Some simple ways to reduce your fat intake can be choosing skimmed milk, reducing your intake of cream, soft cheese and chocolate, having meat free days and restricting red meat and fried foods.
9. Give time to your meals
Don’t eat your meals on the run. Good comfortable digestion only takes place if you relax and allow yourself time to consume your food. Make meals an opportunity to relax with friends and eat slowly, savouring each mouthful.
10. Limit alcohol intake
A glass of wine can relax you and aid peaceful digestion, but drinking on an empty stomach or consuming too much may irritate the lining of the stomach, in extreme cases leading to serious gastrointestinal and liver disease.
NHS guidelines state both men and women should drink no more than 14 units a week, spread across three days or more.
Always take responsibility for your own dietary needs and consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet.
Sources: loveyourgut.com, nhs.uk