Zip into that dress with quick fixes to bloating...

• Make raw juices and drink them as soon as you make them. When freshly made they contain enzymes that aid digestion. Good options would be papaya and pineapple which help support protein digestion.

• Posture is key; back straight and hold your tummy in, this will strengthen your core muscle groups in your abdomen.

• Cut out refined foods such as anything white and fluffy (bread, cakes) and pasta; they make you bloated as they are difficult to digest and are 'water loving'. Too much 'water loving' means they can cause water retention and weight gain around the stomach.

• Chew your food to a pulp; digestive enzymes (amylase) are in your saliva and are crucial to the initial part of your food digestion. Without this process large food particles end up in the digestive tract producing by-products of gas.

• Have a handful of nuts; they contain the fat digestive enzyme lipase.

• Stick to small portion sizes and eat every 3-4 hours; over eating and missing meals disrupts insulin causing fat storage.

• Exercise; go for a run and do crunches, it stimulates digestive flow to reduce constipation.

Improving Digestion to reduce bloating and weight gain

Just after Christmas and nobody wants to be sporting a Santas belly from feeling bloated from festivities.  We can get a little carried away at Christmas with warm cosy food choices and a bit more of a tipple to get into the festival spirit that can cause us to feel a bit bloated. 

Digestive enzymes

Our body naturally produces enzymes as part of the digestion of food, these are stimulated initially in your saliva; and stomach acid produced in the stomach when you smell food and begin to chew. This process continues throughout the body also being produced by the pancreas. As we get older, follow a poor modern diet or are under stress this can impact on digestion leaving us feeling bloated due to our food not being fully broken down.

Below are this weeks tips to encourage a healthy digestion. 

Tips to support digestion for a flat tummy

1. 1.  It seems obvious but chew your food properly, so many of us are guilty of not doing this.  This is your first point of digestion! Ideally put your knife and fork down between each bite and chew to a pulp

2.2.  Go for a nice winter walk after dinner to stimulate digestion.

      3. Drink plenty amounts of water, sometimes being bloated is due to water retention because you are dehydrated

       4. When having protein such as meat and fish add pineapple or papaya to help tenderise them.  The tenderising is due to pineapple containing bromelain and papaya containing papain which naturally digest protein.

5.       Have lemon water first thing in the morning to kick start digestion.

6.      Just before each meal have a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to encourage stomach acid.

7.       Taking a digestive enzyme with each meal

8.       Slippery Elm Soothes the digestive tract  and aids milk digestion

9.       Zinc contributes to normal carbohydrate metabolism

10.   Green tea supports the breakdown of fat which can be supportive to weight control   

Go with your Gut Feeling

Go with your Gut Feeling The digestive system is commonly thought of as your second brain. This is because it contains a number of mind functioning hormones and billions of different types of bacteria. Go with your Gut Feeling The digestive system is commonly thought of as your second brain. This is because it contains a number of mind functioning hormones and billions of different types of bacteria.

Our bacterial friends look after us by encouraging vitamin B to be produced as this supports our happy hormones, our immune system and food digestion which helps with maintaining a flatter stomach.

With friendly bacteria being so good to us, here are a few tips to help you look after them.

Prebiotics keep your friendly bacteria happy

Prebiotics tend to be the insoluble part of the food that is not absorbed by the body but works in the gut by feeding the good bacteria. Popular prebiotics such as F.O.S. (fructooligosaccharides) are found in foods such as bananas, chicory, onions and G.O.S. (galactooligosaccharides) which is naturally found in breast milk.

Reduce bloating with digestive enzymes

The body naturally produces digestive enzymes and raw foods naturally contain them. Digestive enzymes are effective in breaking down food groups such as carbohydrates, protein and fat into smaller molecules that are easier for the body to digest and absorb. Improving digestion helps with reducing any possible bloating and helps the body in absorbing the nutrients from the food.

Added flavour to keep tummy bugs at bay

Flavour your food with garlic, oregano, ginger, cloves and coconut oil to look after your digestive health as these help to eradicate any harmful bacteria from the system. These ingredients can be especially good for you when you are travelling to protect your digestive system from viruses and infections that you may pick up from the food and water in foreign countries.

What to consume for a healthy digestive system:

Prebiotic foods Salads Slippery Elm Aloe Vera Juice Bio-live yogurt Drink 1.5L of water a day Fibre

Stay healthy,

Looking after a healthy digestive system

Introduction

A healthy digestive system is the cornerstone of health.  When the body is not digesting food well, it can greatly affect ones overall wellbeing, and result in poor assimilation of nutrients from foods.  The gastrointestinal tract digests the food that we eat and absorbs nutrients and water, whilst expelling undigested components as waste products.  The gut wall secretes a wide variety of components to aid digestion and eliminates millions of cells each day which must be continuously replaced.  The gastrointestinal tract contains many different species of bacteria which interact with each other and the body.  These bacteria are known to play an important role in maintaining the health of not only the gastrointestinal system, but also the immune system. 

What would you consider the most common gut related health conditions?

As we see the demands of a busy modern lifestyle increase so have digestive complaints. 40% of the population experience at least one form of digestive discomfort at one time. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most popular medical diagnosis of gut related conditions, yet something of an enigma. It is defined as ‘a very common syndrome of abdominal pain and disordered bowel habit for which there is no organic explanation’. The condition affects 15-20% of the population in westernised nations, providing between 25 and 50% of patient referrals to hospital gastroenterology. The main symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain and spasms, bloating, gas, and diarrhoea alternating with constipation. Bowel movements usually relieve discomfort.

 Is Britain seeing increased prevalence of such conditions? If so, why?

Yes, stresses incurred by a modern busy lifestyle have an impact on the digestive health due to an increased intake of convenience foods and limited time to adequately digest food in a tranquil environment. The annual increase of IBS being diagnosed is still not a true reflection of the real scale of the problem as many people suffer without seeking advice.

What are the dietary lifestyle culprits that exacerbate problems?

The cause of IBS may be multi-factorial and differ from individual to individual. In broad terms the key factors are likely to be a high intake of refined foods, coffee, tea and sugar, antibiotics and stress induced bacterial imbalance/overgrowth limiting gut motility, digestion and absorption of foods. The common stress response of the digestive system manifests itself in a system shutdown, limiting digestive enzymes and stomach acid production which equates to undigested food particles irritating the gastrointestinal tract and a reduction in intestinal microflora.  

When blood sugar rises too rapidly due to refined sugar and caffeine, gastrointestinal peristalsis slows down. There is also a recognised connection between IBS and food intolerances and allergies. Approximately two thirds of IBS patients have at least one food intolerance and some have multiple. The typical culprits for intolerance tend to be dairy, citrus and grains.  

 What dietary advice should retailers be giving to their customers?

With the presence of IBS symptoms, limit or avoid offensive foods such as dairy, wheat, refined and citrus foods at all costs so as not to irritate the intestinal lining. If there is a suspected presence of Candida follow a candida diet which means avoiding all foods containing sugar or yeast, and limiting fruit to two portion at most per day, so as not to feed the yeast/fungal infection. Any foods containing tyramine such as port, red wine, or beef, can cause a digestive response in some and therefore should be limited.

Encourage a diet rich in brown rice, lentils, millet, fish, probiotic yoghurt and vegetables to support cleansing of the intestine and recolinisation of a healthy gut flora.  If there is a case of low stomach acid a salad a day may prove to be beneficial due to the digestive enzymes they contain that can aid the breakdown of food as does apple cider vinegar, papaya and pineapple.  Adding peppermint, camomile and fennel to foods or as a drink may soothe the digestive tract.    

What would you consider the top five supplements for gut health, and why?

Psyllium Intensive Comes in a powder form containing psyllium Husk, prune Juice, burdock and rhubarb to aim at promoting a healthy digestive system. The inclusion of Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) alongside probiotics Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains aim to maintain and heal a healthy gut flora.

Eradicin A potent formulation of broad spectrum antimicrobial antibacterial from freeze dried garlic, oregano oil, cinnamon oil and cloves to aim at eradicating pathogenic bacteria and encourage good bacteria in the gut.

Intestinal Bowel Supplement comes in a capsule form that combines peppermint, ginger, fennel, chamomile and cardamom oil to aim at soothing and supporting the digestive system and gastric secretions.  

Bio-Acidophilus Forte comes in a capsule form containing 30 billion potency per daily intake to end of shelf life if stored correctly. The Hypoallergenic and dairy-free formulation contains Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum & lactis may reduce the colonisation of unfriendly bacteria and yeast organisms by producing lactic acid and natural antibiotics. An inclusion of Fructooligosaccharides (F.O.S.) when ingested, provide a specific food source for the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria

Polyzyme Forte capsules are a high potency, broad-spectrum enzyme preparation that also contains lactobacillus acidophilus to help maintain healthy gut bacteria flora, supporting the maintenance of a healthy digestive system. 

What can therapists and retailers do

Make people aware of the warning signs :  Abdominal pain, blood present in stools, pain from passing stools, alteration to bowel habit, nausea and vomiting, feeling full, bloating or flatulence, loss of appetite, heartburn and reflux, unexplainable weightloss, change in stool colour ie black, dark red, pale or containing mucus 

Reasons to take a probiotic containing lactobacillus salivarius

WHAT IS LACTOBACILLUS SALIVARIUS

Lactobacillus salivarius is a rod shaped, anaerobic, non-pathogenic bacteria of the lactobacilli species, which produce acids during fermentation and are unaffected by stomach acid. It is one of the many microorganisms that make up the beneficial bacterial ecology of both the oral cavity and the small and large intestines. These characteristics, amongst others, provide a range of benefits to the body, therefore making it a common and effective choice for use as a supplemental probiotic. However it is not a colonizing bacterium and therefore will need supplementing for as long as is necessary, dependent on the purpose for which it is being employed. 

FUNCTION IN THE BODY

Lb. salivarius acts in many beneficial ways, starting with the fermentation of disaccharides into monosaccharides, and the breakdown of proteins.  The fermentation process produces, as by-products, hydrogen peroxide, acetic and lactic acid. These aid in the maintenance of an uninhabitable environment for other pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and parasites, including Salmonella, Shigella and E. coli (Ito et al., 2003). This bacterium therefore serves as an immune system enhancer by providing antibiotic, antimicrobial and pH balancing by-products, stabilizing the small intestine pH between 6.0 and 6.7. This may not however be isolated to this region alone and may also prevent growth of pathogens in the vagina and stomach.

Many probiotic bacteria also produce Bacteriocins, heat stable, potent antimicrobial substances, and Lb. salivarius is no exception. The strain Lb. salivarius UCC118 for instance, has been shown in trials to be highly effective at killing Listeria monocytogenes (Corr et al.,2007) and inhibiting both growth of, and secondary inflammation due to, Helicobacter pylori (Corr et al., 2007) which has been linked to pathologies as varied as stomach ulcers and G.I.T cancers.

Some of the many benefits of Lb. salivarius supplementation include: 

Digestive imbalances:

Constipation: By aiding in the breakdown and digestion of foods, the reduction of intestinal wall inflammation, acid by-product production and Lb. salivarius can assist in healthy stool formation, gut motility and therefore normal transit time.

Diarrhea: By eliminating pathogens, or simply preventing their colonization

Bloating: By aiding in carbohydrate digestion, Lb. salivarius prevents increased pathogen related fermentation and its associated production of large quantities of carbon dioxide and subsequent flatulence.

Cancer: By neutralizing carcinogenic nitrates present in food and drink, and aiding in efficient protein breakdown preventing putrification and subsequent toxicity within the gut.

Nutritional Status: By increasing the endogenous synthesis of B-complex vitamins, aiding the body’s metabolism, and also increase the bioavailability of nutrients in general

Urinary Infections: By its acidic nature Lb. salivarius may stabilize the vaginal pH between 3.8 and 4.5, inhibiting the growth of Enterococcus, a bacterium commonly found in reoccurring urinary tract infections (Ocaña et al 1999).

Yeast and Fungal Infections: By making the oral cavity and vagina an inhospitable pH environment for yeast and fungi such as Candida albicans.

These benefits, and many others, make Lb. salivarius an invaluable tool in aiding a patient’s return to, and maintenance of, optimal health.

References

Corr S, Li Y, Riedel C, O’Toole P, Hill C, Gahan C (2007) Bacteriocin production as a mechanism for the antiinfective activity of Lactobacillus salivarius UCC118, Proceedings Academy of  Natural Sciences 18:7617-7621

Ito A, Sato Y, Kudo S, Sato S, Nakajima H and Toba T (2003) The Screening of Hydrogen Peroxide-Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Application to Inactivating Psychrotrophic Food-Borne Pathogens”, Current Microbiology 47: 231–236

Ocaña V, Pesce de Ruiz Holgado A, Nader-Macías M (1999), Characterization of a Bacteriocin-Like Substance Produced by a Vaginal Lactobacillus salivarius Strain, American Society for Microbiology 65: 5631–5635