Keeping your digestive system healthy
Taking care of your digestive system is very important for your general health and wellbeing.
Here are some handy tips for healthy digestion:
Don’t skip breakfast: Eating regular meals helps establish regular bowel habits and breakfast can help stimulate a regular trip to the loo.- Make time to go to the loo: Set time aside in the morning or 30 minutes after a meal at a place where you have privacy, won’t be hurried and feel comfortable. It sounds silly but too many people ignore the urge to go and that’s when waste begins to build up and cause constipation.
- Eat small regular meals (around every 4-5 hours): This is better for your gut than waiting a long time then eating a big meal as it has the chance to pace itself and is not overloaded.
- Avoid eating big, heavy, rich meals late at night: It’s common sense really isn’t it? Too much food late in the evening is going to sit heavily on you stomach. Try and eat bigger meals at midday, when the food is more easily digested.
- Drink enough fluids: You need to be drinking 6-8 glasses of fluids a day (about 1.2 litres) to keep things moving. Ideally, no more than two of these should be caffeinated drinks. More often choose water, juices, and soups too.
Eat fibre-rich foods: You need to eat between 18g to 30g of fibre a day for your digestive system to work efficiently and move your food along your digestive tract. A sensible guideline amount is 25g, and the content of fibre in a food product is usually shown on its labelling.- Consider taking probiotics: Probiotics claim to promote the growth of so-called ‘friendly bacteria’ which are needed for healthy gut function. You can take them in supplement form or in probiotic drinks and yoghurts sold in supermarkets.
- Take regular exercise: Try to aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking or other vigorous exercise at least twice a week or even every day as it helps stimulate a regular bowel habit.
