Digestive Health

A healthy digestive system doesn’t just affect how your stomach feels – although no one wants a bloated, sore, or upset stomach – it can affect your sleep, heart, skin, immune system, and, of course, your bowel movements.

According to our latest study, people experience an average of 5 bowel movement-related issues a month. If you’re regularly feeling bloated, experiencing discomfort, or having to strain on the toilet, then you’re far from alone. The good news is that we can choose what we consume, as well as how we live our lives. In other words, you have the power to keep your gut microbiome healthy.

Digestion is incredibly important for overall health and wellbeing. Our bodies need nutrients from the food and drinks we consume for energy, growth and repair.

When talking about gut health, we are referring to the gastrointestinal system (GI system), also known as the digestive system or GI tract. There is a passageway between your mouth and anus in which every piece of food you eat will begin its journey from being chewed and swallowed until it is either absorbed into the body or removed as waste. Food takes around 14 – 58 hours to move through the entire digestive tract, with the average time being a little over a day (28 hours). This varies wildly from person to person, however and some research suggests it may actually take longer.

The GI tract includes the oesophagus, the large and small intestines, stomach, colon, and anus. Each part of the digestive system helps to move food or drink through the GI tract as they are broken down in a process called peristalsis – a series of involuntary muscle contractions which moves food and liquids through the body.

With the help of saliva, stomach acid, and bile, the food is broken down and then turned into a liquid mixture called chyme. When food is broken down into small enough pieces, the nutrients can be absorbed into the bloodstream, the large intestine absorbs water, and waste matter turns into stools which are then removed through the anus.

A healthy digestive system ensures your body is getting the nutrients it needs from the food you eat. Research suggests that our gut health plays a fundamental role in our overall health.

Some symptoms that point to issues in the digestive system are pretty obvious – bloating, excess gas, diarrhoea, constipation, and heartburn. Other symptoms are less obviously (but still importantly) linked to our digestion – like fatigue, low mood, anxiety, and a lower immune system.

We have a symbiotic relationship with our gut microbiome, so we give them shelter and, when everything’s going smoothly, they help keep us healthy. We are still discovering how the gut microbiome works, but evidence suggests that these little microbes have a big impact on everything from our emotions to our food cravings. A study on rats who were fed microbes from depressed people started exhibiting symptoms of anxiety and depression, and tests on the microbiome of fruitflies suggested that the contents of their microbiome influenced the kinds of food they wanted to consume.

• It seems that we can change our gut microbiome through the food that we eat. The more diverse foods filled with vitamins, minerals, fibre, and nutrients we consume, the more varied our microbiome will be – which is good for our guts. Deep fried foods and food without much nutritional benefit (like crisps, cookies, and sweets) can also disrupt the gut microbiome and lead to digestive problems.

We know that the gut microbiome sends signals to our brains to ask for different types of nutrients, so it makes sense that the more diverse types of foods we eat, the more microbes that like that type of food will  grow, and the more signals we will get for that type of food. If we keep feeding the microbes that love crisps, we may start craving more crisps. If we feed the microbes that like berries, then we may start craving more berries.

This creates a two-way cycle, where our gut microbiome influences our cravings, and we influence our gut diversity with the foods that we eat. The good news is that if you change the foods that you eat, you should be able to change the makeup of your gut microbiome and help maintain your gut health.

An imbalance of gut microbiota is called gut dysbiosis. When you have gut dysbiosis, you have a lack of healthy gut bacteria and/or an abundance of harmful bacteria. There is a lack of diversity in the gut, and the harmful microbes are outnumbering the friendly microbes.

Symptoms of bad digestive health include:

• Bad breath
• Pain in the stomach
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Excess gas

We are still learning about the gut microbiome, but it does seem that the makeup of the gut microbiome can affect our immune system. Health conditions which may be affected by the gut include :

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Obesity
• Metabolic syndrome
• Some forms of inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid and ankylosing spondylitis
• Autoimmune disorders
• Sleep problems
• Skin problems like psoriasis
• Sugar craving
• Fatigue & sluggishness
• Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• Anxiety and depression

Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain living friendly microorganisms. It is thought that consuming these microorganisms can help increase the amount of healthy bacteria living in the gut. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are foods that these healthy probiotics can feed on. The idea is that prebiotics can help improve gut microbe balance by feeding the good bacteria and keeping them healthy.

Probiotics foods include kefir, yogurt, tempeh, sauerkraut, miso and kimchi, which are all fermented foods. You can also buy probiotic supplements. Some supplements only contain one type of microorganism, while others may contain several.

Probiotics may help maintain the diversity of the gut microbiome. Prebiotics provide nourishment for healthy bacteria,  helping a diverse and healthy ecosystem flourish.

What looks normal for one person may be alarming for another – so it’s important to get to know your own bowel movement habits and look at how they feel for you. According to our survey of 5,055 people in 2023, on average people are pooing once a day. Twenty per cent describe their bowel movements as ‘soft’, while 19% say they strain on the toilet.

A normal bowel movement consists of soft but well formed (about the width of a banana) stools that are easy to pass. The consistency, shape, texture, and smell can change depending on numerous things like the quality of your diet, fibre, how much water you drink, how much you exercise, stress, alcohol, and so on.

Changes in bowel habits aren’t necessarily a cause for concern. The research from 2023 found that people are experiencing 5 bowel-related symptoms a month, with the most common being bloating (37% get this at least once a week), followed by their bowels not feeling completely empty (21% once a week), and changes or irregularities in bowel movements (19% once a week).

Normal stools tend to be soft but formed, whereas stools that are regularly hard and lumpy or loose and watery may be a cause for concern. Take note if your poos are regularly very short or long, very thin or excessively wide, pebble-like, or smell extra nasty, as this may indicate an underlying health issue. You should speak to your doctor if you notice blood in your stool, or if you are having red or green stools, black or tarry poos, or pale stools. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong – poo can be discoloured by certain foods after all, but it could also indicate blood in the stool or another underlying health concern.

Some people poo three times a week, while others poo several times a day. If you are regularly pooing more than three times a day, your stools are frequently loose and watery, and if you’re experiencing discomfort and regular urgency (like you’ve got to run to the toilet, or you might not be able to hold your bowels), then this could be a result of irritable bowel syndrome, a food intolerance, or a possible infection.

On the other hand, if you frequently find that your poos are hard and dry, and you often find yourself straining on the toilet and feeling like you haven’t fully emptied your bowels, you may have constipation. Almost 20% of the people surveyed said it takes them a long time to pass a poo at least once a week, and 16% have dry or lumpy poos fairly regularly. This can just happen sometimes and may not mean anything, but if it’s a regular occurrence then you may want to look into modifying your diet and lifestyle, or looking into natural or over-the-counter stool softeners.

How can you support your gut health naturally? We directly affect our guts with the foods and drinks we consume, so focusing on maintaining a balanced, healthy diet is a good place to start.

Add more fibre to your diet

Fibre is a carbohydrate found in plant-based foods like fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Fibre contains parts of plants that the body can’t digest and absorb, so it passes through the digestive tract somewhat intact and is expelled the same way. This is why fibre can help bulk up stools to help them pass easily, and keep you full for longer. This is how fibre can help keep your bowels moving. There are two types of fibre:

• Soluble fibre dissolves in water to create a gel-like substance that slows down digestion. Soluble fibre can be found in peas, beans, oats, bananas, carrots, and barley.
• Insoluble fibre doesn’t dissolve in water, so it helps move things along in the digestive tract, bulks up stools, and can be helpful to keep your bowels regular. Insoluble fibre is found in whole wheats, nuts, beans, green beans, and potatoes.

Probiotics and prebiotics

Healthy guts have diverse microbe colonies that feed on a wide range of (mostly) healthy foods. You can influence the makeup of your gut microbiome by the foods you eat, and you can also directly ingest friendly microbes through probiotic foods like tempeh, yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, miso, and kimchi.

While you’re growing your healthy microbe community, you can also keep them well-fed and healthy by eating prebiotic foods – which feed the gut microbiome and help keep the gut healthy – such as whole grains, artichokes, garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, oats, barley, apples, flaxseeds, seaweed, avocado, and coco.  Aim to eat 30 different plants a week to help keep your healthy microbes happy.

Listen to your body

The food that you eat should help you feel good in your body. If you feel bloated, or nauseous, or have an upset stomach after eating certain foods, there’s a chance you may be intolerant. Cut out potentially problematic foods – one at a time – to see if it makes a difference.

Stay hydrated

Drinking water helps with digestion. Water can help break down food, so the nutrients can be absorbed, soften stools to make them pass easily, and support a healthy gut microbiome. Try to always keep a water bottle with you, and drink during or after meals to help with digestion.

Get regular exercise

Exercise has many benefits, and a potentially surprising perk of regular exercise is that it improves gut health! Our gut has muscles which help move food through the digestive tract and out of our bodies. Exercise can help strengthen all muscles – including those responsible for peristalsis (the involuntary, wave-like motion which helps move food through the digestive tract) – and so strengthening the muscles that line the GI tract can make it easier to empty your bowels. If that wasn’t enough, exercise also improves circulation, which helps move blood and oxygen around the body. Circulation helps the gut to maintain its balance and stay healthy and strong. A faster metabolism can influence how quickly we digest food – and you can increase your metabolism through exercise.

Manage stress

Imagine you’re about to walk onto a stage and deliver a speech to 20,000 people. How do you feel? Is there a jumpy feeling in your stomach? Do you feel nauseous? Are you worried you might have to bolt to the toilet? Our bodies evolved with a fight or flight response, which can help us run away extra fast if we come across a lion or freeze to avoid unwanted attention from the group of hyenas across the clearing. Stress directly impacts the digestive system: studies on humans have found that stress can reduce the friendly bacteria present in the gut.

Stress slows digestion, which can lead to bloating or constipation. It can also prompt your body to expel waste, which can result in diarrhoea and stomach pain. The good news is that we can physically reduce stress symptoms by calming the nervous system. This can be as simple as putting your hand on your stomach, taking four deep breaths in, and four deep breaths out. Mindfulness – where you bring yourself into the present moment rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past – can also help reduce stress and promote relaxation. Meditation, exercise, mindful movements like yoga, being in nature, spending time with loved ones, platonic touch, cuddling with pets, journaling, and allowing yourself time to rest can also be very helpful.

The makeup of our gut can be changed for the better – and the worst. Some substances and behaviours can negatively affect gut health.

• Smoking weakens the oesophageal sphincter, which prevents your stomach acid from rising back up your food pipe – leading to potential heartburn and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).
• Smoking can also make painful sores in the lining of your stomach (peptic ulcers) more likely.
• Alcohol can cause inflammation in the gut, it can increase the chance of leaky gut syndrome, and can irritate the gut and worsen IBS symptoms as well as disrupting the balance of the gut microbiome.
• Antibiotics can also disrupt the gut microbiome.

Deep fried foods and food without much nutritional benefit (like crisps, cookies, and sweets) can also disrupt the gut microbiome.