Your Good Gut Guide For Autumn

With a change in season comes a change in lifestyle. Shades are swapped for slippers, salads for soups, and we spend more time snuggled up on the sofa than a sun lounger.

But while we may be tempted to spend an extra few minutes in bed and avoid our morning run, or skip the gym on the way home in favour of an early night, we need to ensure our bodies are still getting the nutrition and activity they need and not fall prey to an autumnal descent into hibernation. One common side effect of a more regular indulgence in comfort food and drop in activity levels can be gut problems. Belle About Town offers you a Good Gut Guide for the autumn and winter months.

Bloating

Bloating is a very common gut problem. Research shows that over two thirds of people experience bloating a few times a month or more, with a quarter of those suffering a few times a week. As the festive season approaches, over indulgence can often trigger bloating symptoms. The most obvious symptom is a swollen and ‘full’ abdomen. Probiotics and Prebiotics can help reduce the effects of bloating and help maintain good gut health. But what are they, and what’s the difference?

Probiotics

• Probiotic bacteria, or ‘friendly bacteria’ as they are often known, are thought to assist the body’s naturally occurring gut flora and increase their numbers. They are often recommended for gut-related problems, such as diarrhoea or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or after a course of antibiotics that has resulted in constipation.

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  The reason for probiotics is that the body contains a system of microbes, collectively known as the gut flora. A number of bacteria in the gut are thought to be thrown out of balance by a wide range of circumstances, including the use of drugs, excess alcohol, stress, disease or exposure to environmental toxins. In cases like these, the bacteria that work well with our bodies may decrease in number, which allows harmful competitors to thrive, causing ill-health.

• Maintenance of healthy gut flora depends not only on probiotic intake, but also on a good intake of prebiotics.

Prebiotics

• Prebiotics are nutrients and constituents of food that our gut flora feed upon, thus increasing their numbers. Prebiotics include compounds known as fructo-oligosaccharides, which are found naturally in many plants, including leeks, onions, wheat, garlic, chicory root and artichokes.
• The prebiotic inulin is now being added to breads and cereals, and research has shown that having about 5g of inulin per day can optimise the gut flora and improve digestion. Prebiotics help the proliferation of the ‘friendly bacteria’ in the gut, which in turn aids digestion, improves gut health and boosts the immune system. It may also help reduce the severity of food poisoning and the effects of food intolerance.

Why not try:

A daily dose of a high quality probiotic supplement, such as ProVen Probiotics Adult Acidophilus and Bifidus – 25 billion, or Bio-Kult – a unique probiotic supplement with 14 strains of beneficial probiotic bacteria – to help to improve symptoms. 

Consultant Dietitian, Helen Bond told Belle About Town: ‘You can improve your microflora with probiotics, which are friendly strains of gut bacteria. You can boost your level of probiotics with yogurt or drinks, fermented foods such as kimchi or sauerkraut, and fermented milk drinks, like kefir. The richer and more diverse the microflora in your gut, the healthier and more resilient to illness you will be – so it’s in your best interests to take action to keep your bacteria in fighting form.”

Six ways to improve gut health in everyday life:

1. Don’t eat right before bed. Your digestive system needs to rest at night.  Be sure that you stop eating a couple of hours before going to bed to ensure that your stomach has time to reset before the next day.

2.  Eat Fermented foods.  Fermented foods can help your gut bacteria flourish and help support your digestion and immunity.  Equinox Kombucka is a raw and organic fermented drink full of naturally occurring organic acids, along with B vitamins, antioxidants and enzymes. But be warned, anything that basically suggest you’re eating vinegar means that, well, you probably are. It’s not going to win any taste awards!

3.  Drink Plenty of Water.  Belly bloat and constipation can get worse with dehydration.  Be sure to have a minimum of 8 glasses of water every day in order to keep your water consumption levels carefully.

4.  Boost your fibre intake.  ‘Oats are one of the foods that naturally contain prebioticfibre. Prebiotics are substances that help nourish the friendly bacteria in your gut and increase their numbers. Try Nairn’s Scottish Porridge Oats, which are also certified gluten-free. What’s more, oats provide slow-releasing carbohydrates that can help manage your blood sugar. Certain vegetables and fruits are also great sources of prebiotics, such as onions, Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus.’ 

5.  Eat yogurt everyday. Yogurt isn’t better than other fermented foods, but it is widely available and easy to integrate into meals and snacks – so it’s easier to make a habit of yogurt-eating. Try to buy plain, organic yogurt (which you can sweeten with honey or jam if needed) since it delvers the most nutritional value.

6. Supplement. LQ Digestive Care 50ml bottlesTaking a daily supplement such as the can restore the balance of bacteria in your gut. Full of naturally good stuff like Collagen, Ginger, Aloe Vera and Bladderwrack, this may be sickly tasting but it does good from the inside out. Vegetarians note that the drink contains marine collagen though, so seek an alternative!

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is a common condition of the digestive system with nearly 1 in 4 people in the UK known to suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Although we tend to want to snuggle up during winter, we don’t want this to be due to your IBS pain. Symptoms can include abdominal pain and discomfort, diarrhoea, constipation as well as bloating of the abdomen.

Why not try:

Buscopan IBS Relief is an effective fast acting antispasmodic treatment that starts to work within 15 minutes. Buscopan IBS Relief is gentle on the stomach, acting directly in the bowel just where it’s needed. It can be taken at the first signs of every flare-up, whether the symptoms are mild or severe. Very little is absorbed into the bloodstream and it is well tolerated. Visit www.buscopan.co.uk for more information.

Dr Anthony Hobson of The Functional Gut Clinic, says: “My best advice to IBS patients is not to be stigmatised by the condition. Lots of people are afraid to talk about their digestive health, but

it’s very important that you share your diagnosis with your friends and family, so that they can understand what’s going on. Once it’s out in the open, then it gives you the mechanisms that you can try and control this, either through diet, about planning your day. And if you do feel unwell, people will understand.”

Constipation

Nearly a third of adults suffer from constipation. Poor diet and inactive lifestyle are the most common causes. When it comes to endless parties and winter get-togethers, we can often forget to fuel our bodies with the nutrients it requires.Constipation is a common problem which may often cause people to feel sick, bloated or achy from lack of goodness entering the body.

Why not try:

Care Senna Tablets a herbal remedy tablets.Each tablet contains senna, a herbal remedy traditionally used as a laxative. Suitable for adults, children over 12 years old and the elderly. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should consult their doctor before use. Senna tablets should never be used to aid weight loss.

Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is normally caused by a bowel infection or poor food hygiene, but it can also be due to a food allergy or side effect of a medicine. Watery or loose stools, stomach cramps, feeling sick and vomiting, a headache and having no appetite are some of the most common symptoms of diarrhoea.

Why not try:

A rehydration sachet such as Dioralyte will replace any essential fluids the body may have lost during a season of over-indulgence. They provide fast and effective treatment of fluid and electrolyte loss associated with acute diarrhoea. The ingredients in Dioralyte (glucose and mineral salts), are scientifically balanced to promote absorption of fluids and electrolytes – just what the body needs to rehydrate. It is suitable for adults and children of all ages, however infants under the age of 2 years with diarrhoea should be seen by a medical practitioner as soon as possible.

Expedition Doctor, Dr Daniel Quemby, told Belle About Town: “People suffering with diarrhoea might be at risk of dehydration because the fluid (and food) they’ve consumed won’t be retained by the body as it would normally. When they go to the bathroom, the vital fluids the body needs will be lost and therefore there will be a deficit in liquid – this is when you’re at risk of becoming dehydrated.”