From pain and flatulence to diarrhoea and constipation, IBS is unpleasant to say the least. And nearly half of us battle this daily discomfort, with statistics suggesting as many as 40 per cent of adults have irritable bowel syndrome to some extent.
But we needn't suffer in silence. Dr Simon Smale, a consultant gastroenterologist at Manchester University, claims we can transform our gut health with his 18 easy tips. And some are so simple you could even start tonight.
Don't leave long gaps between meals: ‘Diet is important and it should come as no surprise that what you put in the tank influences your symptoms,’ advises Dr Smale. But as well as what you put in the tank you should also watch how long you leave it in between filling this so-called tank. ‘Start by eating regularly, by not leaving long gaps between your meals and certainly don’t skip meals,’ says Dr Smale.
Try two coffees a week rather than a day: Avoid excess caffeine says Dr Smale. Caffeine can have a negative effect on the gut and can promote wind and gas, so try to limit yourself to a couple of cups of coffee a week rather than a couple of cups a day.
Ditch the fizz and try a herbal tea: Carbonated drinks that are full of sugar have got to make a swift exit from your cupboards immediately if you suffer from gut health problems. Ditch those fizzy drinks and drink water instead. Water comes with an added bonus as it will help lubricate your gut to keep everything moving; if water feels too boring try a herbal tea for healthy flavour hit – you’ll feel ten times better. Plus, drinking too many fizzy drinks could even make you feel anxious. This is due to the gut brain connection. A diverse gut biome links to higher blood tryptophan and trytophan turns into serotonin, the brain chemical we need to be happy.
Go to bed at a similar time every night: Often it seems that people who sleep badly are the ones who end up with gut dysbiosis or an imbalance in the gut and so it follows that by looking after our sleep we could improve our gut bacteria.
Get up from your desk every hour: It seems obvious that it’s not exactly healthy for those of us who sit at a desk all day, and unfortunately it’s bad news for our gut health too. Moving around encourages peristalsis, which is a fancy word for helping food and waste move through the bowel quicker. We need to move for our gut bacteria to thrive, this is because the movement triggers the short chain fatty acids which keeps the gut lining healthy. Try getting up from your desk and moving around once an hour. Go for a walk around the office or walk up and down the stairs a few times, that way people wont think you’ve gone made by walking in circles.
Try incorporating yoga into your daily routine: You may be running at one hundred miles per hour, and unfortunately most of us have jobs that require nothing less, but try as much as you can to chill out, as over-stressing can be bad news for your gut. It turns out IBS could also be worsened by your mental health. Stress is considered a key cause of IBS symptoms, suggesting whatever is going on in your mind could be having a direct impact on your gut health, which again links to the brain-gut connection. Try to relieve your stress with yoga or meditation. Taking 20-30 minutes out of your day to practice yoga will significantly help your stress levels.
