Understanding your gut

Blog Article | By Simplyhealth | 5 April 2023

Gut health is one of many hot topics when it comes to health and wellbeing, with new research being carried out in this area all the time. In this article, Christina McAfee, Clinical Product Manager at Simplyhealth and HCPC Registered Dietitian, looks at what we currently know about how the health of our gut can affect our overall health and happiness.

Lady holding hands over stomach

Why is gut health important?

There are trillions of bacteria living inside our gut and research shows that these bacteria could be having a huge impact on, not just our digestive health, but also our heart health, mental health and immunity 1&2.

Our gastrointestinal tract, often referred to as our gut, is the pathway where food enters our bodies to the point where it exits.  Our gut contains trillions of microbes, collectively known as our gut microbiota.  These microbes produce certain hormones and vitamins and are essential to our health.

The gut is responsible for digestion and absorption of our food.  If our gut lining isn’t full of a range of healthy microbes, it can mean that we are not able to fully digest and absorb food in the way that we should and consequently we don’t get all the benefits from the food we’re eating.

Something that many of us don’t realise is that most of the cells that make up our immune system are actually found in the gut.  This means that having healthy gut bacteria can result in fewer illnesses, allergies, and autoimmune conditions.  There is evidence now to suggest that the health of our gut affects a much wider range of conditions than previously thought, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and colorectal cancer.  Further research is being carried out into the interaction between our gut and our brain and the thinking is that gut health may have an impact on mood and conditions such as depression and even Alzheimer’s3.  

daughter placing veg in mother's stomach in a smiley face shape

How do I know if I have a ‘healthy’ gut?

While there is no definition of a ‘healthy gut’, digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhoea and stomach cramps can be clear indicators of imbalanced gut microbiota.  However, you can also have an imbalanced gut microbiota and experience no digestive symptoms1.  Unfortunately, there is not always an easy way to know how healthy your gut is, but there are steps you can take to ensure you are supporting your gut health as much as possible.

Man clenching stomach

What can I do to look after the health of my gut?

The health of our gut microbes is largely dependent on the type of food we eat, so diet is one of the key factors to consider when thinking about improving gut health.  One of the most important things we can do is to include plenty of fibre rich plant foods in our daily diet.  Evidence shows that when we make positive dietary changes, such as increasing the amount of dietary fibre we eat, improvements in gut health can be seen rapidly, meaning that it’s possible for us to start making a difference to our gut health right now3.

In the UK we eat, on average, around 20g of fibre per day; 10g less than what’s recommended for good gut health in adults4 You can increase the amount of fibre you eat every day by incorporating new foods into your diet and by making some simple higher-fibre swaps:

  • Choose a high fibre breakfast cereal such as porridge or wheat-based cereals
  • Switch from white bread to wholemeal, granary or even 50/50 bread
  • Try whole wheat pasta and brown rice instead of the white varieties which have less fibre
  • All fruit and vegetables contain fibre, so continue to aim for the recommended 5-portions per day. Remember fresh, frozen, tinned, and dried all count!
  • Keep the skins on fruit and veg where possible, as the skin is the greatest source of fibre.  For example, try incorporating jacket potatoes or baby boiled potatoes into your weekly menu as an easy way to increase the fibre content of meals.  Try cooking your carrots with the skin still on, just wash well before use and prepare as normal – you won’t notice a difference!  Similarly, for fruits such as apples, pears and peaches, eat them with the skin on too
  • Include some dried fruit as part of a meal, for example along with your breakfast cereal
  • Graze on unsalted nuts and seeds as a snack or add them to breakfast cereals or salads.  Seeds can also make a nice addition to soups or as a topping for yoghurt
  • You can increase the fibre content

Evidence suggests that the key to optimising gut health appears to be by, not only increasing the amount of fibre we eat every day but also including a wider range of fibre rich foods3&4.  of stews and curries by adding pulses like beans, lentils and chickpeas 

Family doing yoga together

Is there anything else that may affect my gut health?

The health of our gut is not dependent on diet alone and several other factors can also have an impact.  These include some medications, such as laxatives and antibiotics, which can cause imbalances in gut bacteria and negatively affect our gut health. Other factors include:

Stress

Stress is an important factor that is sometimes overlooked when it comes to gut health.  It is now well recognised that stress can affect our digestion.  When we’re feeling stressed this signal travels to our gut and can manifest in a variety of common gut symptoms, including constipation, diarrhea, pain, and bloating.  Unsurprisingly, digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stomach ulcers can be negatively affected by increased stress.  It’s therefore important for our gut health that we reduce and manage our stress levels as much as we can5.

Movement

Becoming more active appears to improve gut health by increasing the diversity of our gut microbes6.  Having a sedentary lifestyle; where movement is limited for large portions of the day, can result in reduced stimulation of our gut muscles which, in turn, results in the slowing down of digestion.  It’s therefore important to try and increase our movement in order to optimise our gut health.  Raising your heart rate for 30 minutes most days can make an important difference6.

Sleep

There is emerging evidence to suggest that poor quality sleep can negatively affect our gut microbes.  Lack of quality sleep can also cause increases in stress hormones and inflammation.  It affects the levels of our hunger and fullness hormones we produce, which is why when we’re tired, we crave certain foods and can affect how much we eat, all of which will have a knock-on effect on digestion7.  As a general rule, we should aim for 7-9 hours’ sleep per night. You can help to improve your quality of sleep by limiting caffeine intake at least five hours before your bedtime8 and establishing a relaxing bedtime routine to help you wind down.

Probiotics

You may have heard of probiotic drinks and yoghurts that contain live bacteria and are designed to help improve gut health.  These products will help increase the specific strains of bacteria that are contained within them but only while you continue to take them3.

Key takeaways:

  • Different types of fibre can affect our gut in different ways
  • If you are planning to increase your fibre intake, do so gradually over several weeks to allow your gut to adjust to the higher fibre intake and to avoid bloating and wind
  • Bloating and wind are normal parts of the digestive process, and we all experience them – these symptoms should not be anything to worry about unless they are interfering with your day-to-day life, they are new, painful or uncomfortable.  If you have any concerns, please speak to your GP
  • It’s important for our gut health, and our overall health, that we are getting enough hydration and adults should be aiming for around two litres of water every day.  If you’re increasing your fibre intake you may also need to increase your intake of fluid to make sure the fibre is able to do its job properly within the gut
  • When you look at food labels, foods that have 3g of fibre per 100g are considered a source of fibre and those with 6g per 100g are considered high-fibre foods – you can use this as a guide to help make higher-fibre choices
  • If you have any concerns about your gut health, you should speak to your GP in this first instance

A helping hand from Simplyhealth 

Through our health plans, customers can access a range of services to help support them with health and nutrition, such as:

24/7 video GP service

  • GPs are on hand to provide advice or reassurance for nutrition queries, or any other medical concerns

24/7 advice and counselling helpline

  • Available to provide emotional support for those who may be struggling to cope with the impact that digestive, or other health issues are having on their day-to-day life

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  • Access to our exclusive discounts platform SimplyRewards, which includes a wealth of offers on health and wellbeing products, including nutrition brands

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