Love Your Gut Week urges the nation to learn to love their gut

Commissioned by Love Your Gut ahead of this year’s annual Love Your Gut Week (16 th -22 nd September), the survey shows that just under two thirds of the population have no idea how vital gut health is to their overall wellbeing, and that just thirty-one per cent think it’s ‘somewhat important’.

Despite the fact that one in five of those surveyed admitted to experiencing gut health problems, like stomach aches or an urgency to pass stools more often than normal, at least once a week, a quarter of men and women are too worried to discuss their gut health in case

it might be something serious, with a fifth overall being too “embarrassed” to talk about their concerns.

Weekly gut problems are experienced more by those living in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

They are also less likely to have a diverse diet or take exercise, both of which are known to support better gut health.

Love Your Gut spokesperson and Registered Dietitian, Jo Travers, said: “Looking after your gut is important and talking about your concerns is nothing to be embarrassed about. Gut health can have a huge impact on your overall wellbeing. That’s why I’m sharing simple, practical ways on how the nation can ‘Learn to Love Your Gut’ - from stress reduction techniques to how much sleep you really need, clever diet tweaks and exercise tips.”

Gut Healthy Tips by Jo Travers

Keep Hydrated

“Staying hydrated will improve almost every bodily process including digestion, energy levels and sleep. Aim for 6-8 glasses of water every day, and don’t forget that you can absorb water from foods such as cucumbers, celery, watermelon, strawberries and tomatoes.

“You can use your urine as a guide. A very light straw colour shows you are well hydrated, while dark yellow to orange urine may indicate that you need to consume more fluids.”

Eat more plant-based foods

“Aim to eat 30 different plant-based foods each week. These can include fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, beans, chickpeas, lentils, herbs and spices. The greater the variety of plant foods you eat, the greater the variety of good bacteria your gut can support which will help

maintain your overall wellbeing. It’s easier than you think to eat the ‘magic 30’ if you try these tweaks:

 Beans – they’re affordable and convenient when bought in tins, and by adding a

medley of different beans to your stews, soups or salads you’ll increase diversity and

boost your fibre intake

 Supercharge salads by adding a chopped apple for added taste and crunch

 Sprinkle nuts and seeds and add tasty berries onto your morning yoghurt

The ‘Gut Health’ survey, conducted by Mortar Research, surveyed 2045 adults in the UK, ages between 30-55 years old. The sample was nationally representative of gender and region. The survey asked respondents about their gut health and how important it is to them.

 Add different colours of the same veggies to your meals such as red, yellow and green peppers in a stir fry. They all count separately towards your 30 plant foods a week

 A different spice or herb added into meals each day adds variety to your dishes and is a tasty addition that counts towards your plant-based thirty.”

Keep moving

“Exercise is always recommended for overall health and gut health is no exception! It supports immune function, enhances microbiome diversity and facilitates smooth digestion, potentially alleviating symptoms of constipation. Just under half of those surveyed (43%)

don’t exercise at least once a week, but even a gentle walk is good for stimulating muscles in the gut to keep your digestion moving,” Jo explains.

“Simple exercise tips that can be incorporated into your everyday routine include:

 Sit on the floor to watch television to help with posture, strength and flexibility.

 Take up a virtual walking challenge to keep you motivated, and you could even partner with your favourite charity to raise money.

 Exercising while cooking – waiting for your food to heat up in the microwave or on the stove is the perfect time to fit in some exercises. Why not try squats or calf raises?

 Hula-hooping for 30 minutes a day during an episode of your favourite television show

 Putting on some music and start the day with a dance – this is also known to improve brain health, as well as help movement through the digestive system.”

Make sleep a priority

“Good gut bacteria thrive in a well-rested body, but you need to establish a consistent bedtime routine where you allow yourself 7-9 hours in bed. This can include:

 reading a book instead of looking at your phone or watching television before bed

 keeping the room dark and cool

 choosing breathable bedding like cotton sheets to help manage body temperature during the night

Be nourished by nature

“Being in nature can nurture a healthy gut. All things have their own microbiome and when we come into contact with these different microbiomes, it supports our overall health and wellbeing. Plants, soil, animals and green spaces all have beneficial bacteria so try to walk

through a park or get out in the garden to boost your exposure to these good bacteria that can, in turn, improve your own gut microbiome and wellbeing.”

Master stress management

“Stress, whether physical or psychological, triggers a chain reaction in the body, including the production of the stress hormone called cortisol, which may disrupt the communication pathways between the gut and the brain, which could create favourable conditions for harmful bacteria and inhibit the growth of some helpful bacteria.

“While we aren’t always able to control what happens in our lives, we can control how we respond to it by learning stress management techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness to help make our gut microbiome more resilient.”

Know your fermented foods

“Only 15 per cent of the survey participants regularly included fermented foods in their diet, despite the fact that fermented foods can encourage the growth of good gut bacteria. The easiest way to consume fermented foods is through dairy products that contain live microbes such as fermented milk drinks, yoghurt, sour cream and most cheeses.”

About Love Your Gut

The Love Your Gut national campaign has been raising awareness of the importance of gut health for over 25 years. This year’s annual Love Your Gut Week takes place 16 th -22 nd September and shines a light on the simple ways we can all learn to both love and listen to

our gut.

Follow on Facebook @LoveYourGutOnline and Twitter: @loveyourgut and join the

conversation with #LoveYourGut

 For more information and useful resources like the FREE Love Your Gut Digestive Health Assessment or the Love Your Gut Information Pack and Love Your Gut Eating Well Guide visit www.loveyourgut.com

Gut Talk

10 Essential Terms for Understanding Your Gut

Gut terms we often hear but don’t always understand or know what they are or mean can be confusing. From where the ‘gut microbiota’ can be found, to the differences between ‘probiotic’ and ‘prebiotic’ and what ‘fermented food’ actually is, Love Your Gut outlines the ten most commonly used gut terms to help you understand what’s up with your gut.

1. Bacteria – Bacteria are among the smallest living things. A single bacterium consists of just one cell, yet it can carry out all seven life processes: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrition. There are trillions of bacteria in your digestive system and having the right mix of bacteria here is vital to help digest food.

2. Digestion – This term describes how the digestive system breaks down food into smaller nutrients to help them be absorbed into the body to provide us with energy and keep us healthy.

3. Fermented Foods – Fermented foods may be beneficial for gut health by encouraging the growth of live microbes, sometimes referred to as “good bacteria”. The scientific definition of fermented foods is “foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components’. Or, in other words fermented foods are produced by increasing the content of microbes such as bacteria or yeast.

“One of the ways to consume fermented foods is dairy products that contain live microbes such as:

yoghurt, fermented milk drinks, sour cream.

4. Gut – Also referred to as the digestive or gastrointestinal tract. From start to finish, the entire gastrointestinal tract is formed of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.

5. Gut Microbiota – Our bodies are full of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Collectively, these micro-organisms are known as the gut microbiota or gut flora. Like a fingerprint, your gut microbiota is unique to you, meaning no two human gut microbiotas are the same.

6. Gut Microbiome – The combination of all the different microbiota living in the gut, their collective genomes (DNA) and the substances that they produce is called the microbiome. The microbiome is the collection of all the different micro-organisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, fungi) and their genes living in the gut. The gut microbiome not only influences gastrointestinal health, but also immunity and cognitive functions 12 , 13 including learning, consolidating memory, mood, mental processing, attention and concentration.

7. Microorganism or microbe – These describe the microscopic, individual bacterium, viruses, archaea and fungi inhabiting the gut.

8. Prebiotics – Prebiotics do not contain live microorganisms and instead act as a ‘food source’ for the beneficial bacteria already residing in the gut, which provide health benefits to your body. Most fibres are prebiotics and they can also be found in some foods in small amounts such as Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, apples and bananas.

9. Probiotics – Probiotics are live microorganisms (“good bacteria”) that can benefit our health by improving the balance of the gut microbiota. They are available in many different forms such as yoghurts, tablets, capsules and sachets.

10. Synbiotic – A term used when probiotics and prebiotics are combined.

The campaign is supported by Guts UK Charity, St Mark’s Hospital Foundation, The IBS Network and the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology.