Too much rich food and drink over Christmas can leave you feeling heavy and bloated. This article explores ways to deal with digestive disorders and improve your health.
Rich meals, puddings, excess alcohol and the stress of Christmas can wreak havoc with your digestive system leaving you sluggish, bloated and uncomfortable. If you’re particularly sensitive this can lead to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a common gastrointestinal condition that affects at least 10-20% of the UK population, according to NHS Direct. It can lead to stomach pains, diarrhoea and constipation. Here are 12 suggestions to improve your digestive health.
- Eat more fibre – Fibre fills you up and helps you digest and pass food more efficiently. Try to eat around 18g a day – research by The British Nutrition Foundation shows that the average is around 12g a day. Fibrous foods include wholegrains, fruit, pulses, seeds, beans, vegetables, wholemeal bread, pasta and rice. Flaxseeds are particularly good at waking up your digestive system – sprinkle a few on your muesli for breakfast.
- Eat regularly – we often miss meals and eat on the hop at odd times, which puts a strain on your digestive system. Try and eat three balanced meals a day to get your digestive system into a routine. If you work shifts and it’s difficult to manage three large meals keep snacks in your bag – dried fruit, oat cakes or cereal bars, nuts and water.
- Watch your portion sizes – oversized portions can lead to bloating. 2-3 oz of pasta, couscous or rice is adequate for a main meal – this equates to a cupful. When you’ve finished eating give your brain 20 minutes to register whether it’s full or not. If you are still hungry have a small snack.
- Eat more slowly – eating too quickly gives you stomach ache and indigestion because your body isn’t prepared for the food. It also means you eat more than you need. Don’t eat in front of the computer or at your desk because doing two things at once means you will speed up.
- Chew properly – each mouthful needs to be chewed several times for optimum digestion. Chewing produces saliva, which coats food with an enzyme called amylase. This aids the digestive process. Smelling food also triggers saliva production as your body anticipates the taste. Savour the flavour and smell as you would a fine wine.
- Drink more water – water aids digestion, washes out toxins and helps food move through the intestines more efficiently. Aim to drink around 2 litres a day – keep a small glass on your desk and refill it – it is less daunting than a large bottle.
- Eliminate suspect foods – common culprits are dairy and wheat. Try cutting these out of your diet and reintroduce slowly to see if you are intolerant.
- Swap tea and coffee for herbal teas – peppermint, ginger and fennel are particularly good for digestion.
- If possible eat your main meal at lunchtime and have a light supper a couple of hours before bed. It’s difficult and uncomfortable to sleep on a full stomach.
- Chew sugar-free gum – it stimulates saliva, aiding digestion and cleans your mouth.
- Make time to exercise, breathe and relax properly – stress is a key factor in poor digestive health.
- Try probiotics – dietary supplements which contain ‘friendly bacteria’. Yakult and probiotic ‘live’ yoghurts may help.
Making a few small changes can make a difference to how bloated you feel. Chew each mouthful thoroughly, eat smaller portions and stop when you begin to feel full. Wholegrains and fibrous foods will help the digestive process, and keep you feeling full for longer.
The copyright of the article How to Restore Your Digestive Health in Women’s Health is owned by Nicci Talbot. Permission to republish How to Restore Your Digestive Health in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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