Your gut health

Do you want to improve the health of your digestive tract, but you’re not sure where to start? Registered nutritional therapist and author of ‘The Gut Makeover’, Jeannette Hyde is on hand with the answers.

Why has gut health become such a hot topic?

Gut health became big news after a group of universities in the US collaborated on The Human Microbiome Project and discovered that the gut holds trillions of bacteria, which is far more than previously thought. An avalanche of research since has found that this bacteria is powerful and controls much of our health – not just digestive symptoms, but also weight, mood, immune system and skin. Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease are others that have also now begun to be connected.

What is the biggest issue people face today when it comes to maintaining a healthy digestive system?

The problem is that our Western diet is the worst possible combination of foods for a healthy gut. To make the gut microbiome (gut bacteria) flourish you need to eat an unprocessed, real-food diet. A massive diversity of different-coloured fresh plants (vegetables, herbs, fruits), extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds should be dominating. The trouble is that our diet is full of sugar, white refined carbohydrates that quickly turn to sugar, artificial sweeteners that disrupt gut flora, stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol, reduced fat processed fats and very little diversity.

What other benefits, aside from weight loss, are connected with boosting the health of your gut?

Here are just some of the benefits people have reported they have seen dramatically improve within one month of following ‘The Gut Makeover’ style of eating: better mood, reduced anxiety, improved memory, more energy, better sleep, banished cravings, improved digestion, no more bloating, skin improvements, reduced stiffness in joints, an improvement on menopausal and pre-menstrual symptoms, sinus issues improved, headaches gone and dark circles under the eyes cleared up.

What are prebiotics and probiotics?

Prebiotic foods contain special fibres, which help our bacteria proliferate dramatically. They are contained in foods such as bananas, apples, asparagus, onions and garlic. Probiotic foods contain special groups of bacteria, which are created by fermenting that food. You then eat these foods to plant these beneficial bacteria in the gut.

What do the terms gut flora, microbiota and microbiome mean?

These terms are all being used interchangeably nowadays in research and mainstream media. They all refer to the same thing: the trillions of bacteria living in and on us, which need to be in harmony living together.

Where did popular phrases such as ‘gut instinct’ and ‘trust your gut’ come from?

These phrases are probably to do with the signals that pass from brain to gut when we feel nervous and we feel butterflies. What is really interesting is that researchers have now discovered that these signals also pass from gut to brain. So if, for instance, you have IBS, you’re likely to feel more anxious and low emotionally too.

What is the biggest misconception about the gut?

Many people haven’t made the link between all those over-the-counter digestive medications and their weight. The mainstream mantra is still about counting calories. Nor have they realised that repeated doses of antibiotics may be causing them weight issues, too. When the microbiome is out of balance, we can feel hungry all the time and are unable to recognise when we are full.

How can you tell the difference between good bacteria and bad bacteria?

You will know by your symptoms if your gut bacteria is out of balance; you need the beneficial ones to be dominating. Symptoms that indicate they may be out of balance can range from anything from being overweight, having IBS-type symptoms, catching colds frequently and having low energy. You can have a stool test to check what the picture of your gut bacteria looks like at mapmygut.com.

What are the best foods to include in your diet for a healthy gut?

A massive range of plants. I say between 20 and 30 different varieties a week. Make your shopping trolley an explosion of colour and fibre. On ‘The Gut Makeover’, you’re invited to eat seven cupfuls of plants each day. Recipes in my book include lots of warming soups, Mediterranean salads, roasted vegetables, stews and Sunday roasts with piles of interesting veg.

Aside from eating the right foods, what else can you do to ensure that your gut is healthy and happy?

Chew every mouthful properly and try to sit down somewhere and relax while eating. If you eat fast and don’t relax, undigested particles of food may reach your colon and these can help the bad bacteria proliferate. You need your parasympathetic nervous system (the ‘rest and digest’ one) switched on for digestion to work properly.

Jeannette Hyde is a registered nutritional therapist and author of ‘The Gut Makeover’ (£9.99, Quercus)  and ‘The Gut Makeover Recipe Book’ (£8.99, Quercus). For more information, visit jeannettehyde.com