Recipe of the Week

Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.

With the welcome growth of interest in the microbiome (that murky world of good and bad bacteria that live in our gut) we are finally talking about one of the most basic of human activities...our poo!  It has previously been a rather indelicate subject that needed to be kept under wraps and certainly not discussed in polite company.

At the age of 9 years old I was admitted to hospital with abdominal pains only to discover that I was simply constipated! My parents immediately changed my diet to address the problem but I remember vividly the embarrassment of returning to school where I had to explain why I had been in hospital.  Problems with our bowels was far too embarrassing a subject at that time so I told everyone I had had my appendix out!  Thank goodness that now we can be more open about it. 

Recent television programmes are helping to break down the barriers further such as 'Know your S*** - Inside our Guts' (Channel 4) where people are being most candid about their bowel problems and given guidance on how to solve them. It was with some surprise that even my husband showed an interest and was prepared to watch such a programme to the end.  Those of us who care passionately about our health are now hopefully listening too.

Poo Frequency

It is good to hear that a healthy poo habit has quite a wide NORMAL range.  It can be anything from 3 times a day to 3 times a week!  Hopefully you fall within that range. If not, then maybe you should look at what is needed to get you there. It may be you need more fibre in your diet (see below), or to drink more water or move more, with the best solution possibly being a combination of all three!

Fibre, Fibre and more Fibre!

Government guidelines tell us we should eat 30g of fibre a day but it appears that most adults are eating far less than that. But what does 30g look like?  Nutrition labels can guide you but are very confusing at the same time, so take a look below at the British Nutrition Foundation's suggestions for increasing fibre in your diet in just one day and see how easily you can reach, or even exceed, that magic 30g.

Exercise and Constipation

If you have constipation then exercise can help speed things along. It lowers the time that it takes for food to move through the large intestine. Aerobic exercise is the best as when we get the heart pumping harder, we stimulate the natural squeezing (or contractions) of our intestines.

Also, wait an hour or so after eating a meal before doing exercise. After we have eaten, the blood flows to the stomach to aid digestion and it would obviously cause a bit of a battle if the blood is trying to keep your muscles moving at the same time! A regular walking programme (which we promote every single week) is all that is needed to get your digestive system working at its best.

Exercise and your Gut

We all know that exercise is good for us for all sorts of reasons but experts are beginning to link regular exercise with good gut health. The earliest evidence that physical activity might influence our gut bacteria came from animal studies where scientists compared rats on a running wheel with sedentary rats. 

The active rats ran an impressive 2.2 miles a day and had more butyrate in their gut than the sedentary rats. Now, don't be confused by the name of this bacteria but just understand that it is a 'good' bacteria that has a whole range of health benefits, not least that it nourishes the lining of our gut, helping to prevent what is called a 'leaky gut'. That has been linked to inflammation and possible ill health.

More recent studies have been done on humans and thankfully similar conclusions have been found. One such study followed 14 people living with obesity and 32 people of a healthy weight.  They all had to follow a programme of exercise 3 days a week for 6 weeks. Their gut bacteria was tested at the start and at the end of the 6 weeks. The good bacteria increased in those of a healthy weight but not in those who were obese, demonstrating it is more difficult to improve your microbiome if you are overweight. So, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is really important. Of course, scientists are looking for much more evidence before they can reach clear conclusions here, but it looks promising that being active and a healthy weight significantly benefits our gut.

Interestingly, a final sample was taken 6 weeks after the exercise programme had finished and the microbiome returned to its less healthy state in both groups. Clearly exercise needs to be regular or the benefits are quickly lost.

These are relatively small studies and more research needs to be done to give us firm evidence that exercise plays a significant part in our gut health. However, it does seem likely that being active on a regular basis is helping to keep our 'good' gut-bugs happy!

Did you know... 

Prebiotics and  Probiotics. Advertisements for various "biotic" supplements have been around for years, so what are they?

Prebiotics are defined as a group of nutrients that feed our gut microbiota, and are degraded by it. The products that are made as a result of this degradation are released into our bloodstream, where they can benefit our overall health. Prebiotics can change the composition of our gut microbiome for the better for example, by supporting the immune system by increasing the number of protective micro-organisms. Studies have shown that they can even decrease the number of harmful micro-organisms, too. Fortunately, we can up our prebiotic intake through our food choices. Some of the best sources of prebiotics include chicory root, garlic, onions and artichoke.

Probiotics are live micro-organisms that, when taken in the right amount, can provide health benefits for our body. They usually come as supplements, although they can be added to, or found naturally in, some food and drinks too. The most common probiotics typically include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. They are usually added to yogurts and cheese, or found naturally in some fermented food or live yogurt. Probiotics can help to maintain a healthy balance in our bodies. Certain types of probiotics can help to aid digestion and improve some stomach-related health concerns. Natural ‘good’ bacteria work to keep us healthy all the time, but supplementing might help address other concerns, especially after illness.

It’s important to note that different strains of bacteria may have specific benefits on certain conditions, whereas others may not. Not all benefits can be delivered by one product or food. There are plenty of ways to include more probiotic foods into our diet. These might state ‘probiotic’ on the label, or use words like ‘live-cultured’ or ‘active cultures.’ Some probiotic foods to look out for are live yogurt, some cheeses, kefir, uncultured buttermilk, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut and fermented olives.

By far the best way for us to keep our body healthy is to eat a wide-ranging diet of fresh food and if we’re thinking about taking a probiotic supplement, it’s worth talking to a doctor or a specialist.