Fibre for constipation

When it comes to tackling constipation, it doesn’t have to be just prune juice. There are plenty of other delicious, natural solutions to help keep you regular. Choose fibre-rich foods like  wholemeal bread, wholegrain pasta and brown rice. Wholewheat and oat based cereals, such as porridge and muesli, are also fibre-rich sources. Beans, lentils, peas and nuts also provide fibre to help the digestive process. Most people in the UK don’t eat enough fibre - the official recommendation is at least 30g a day.

Fluids for constipation

It's not just your kidneys that benefit from being well hydrated – your bowels benefit, too. Being well hydrated is especially important if you are increasing your fibre intake, as water is needed to soften the roughage to keep things moving easily through the bowel. All fluids count – water, tea, coffee, soup, milk, and foods with a high water content such as fruits and vegetables are also useful for bowel health.

Weight loss and heartburn

Fatty foods and carrying extra weight both increase your risk of heartburn, a burning sensation felt in the centre of your chest caused by stomach acid travelling back up the oesophagus. Weight loss can help control symptoms, and a lower fat diet may help manage it too. A healthy diet and regular exercise are a critical part of any weight loss programme.

Heartburn and smoking

If you smoke – you increase your risk of more than 50 serious health conditions – and your digestive system is not immune from the effects. Smoking can weaken the valve at the top of the stomach that normally helps to prevent stomach acid washing back. Smoking triggers acid prodution and heartburn. Smokers also have a higher risk of a number of gastrointestinal conditions including peptic ulcers and some cancers. See your GP, pharmacist, or NHS smoking cessation clinic for help to quit now - for the good of your gut.

Eating to beat bloating

A simple step to curb the discomfort of bloating, indigestion and heartburn, is to eat smaller, more frequent meals. But if bloating is a constant side-effect of eating you may need specialist advice on how to reduce your intake of fermentable foods in your diet to help you to beat the bloat. Ask your GP or gastroenterologist for a dietitian referral for a trial of the FODMAPs diet. Specialist advice is essential to make sure you don’t end up with a nutritionally imbalanced diet.

Exercise for bloating

Staying active is excellent for your digestive health. Taking a brisk 20 – 30 minute walk, 4 times a week, can improve your bowel function and reduce   bloating. Exercise, along with sufficient hydration, keeps things moving and helps eliminate waste. Exercise is also an excellent reliever of stress that can be a key trigger of digestive problems.

Salt and bloating

People in the UK tend to have too much salt in their diet – and if you have any heart, kidney or liver complaint you will probably be advised to reduce your salt intake. It's recommended that adults consume no more than 6g of salt a day. Food labelling makes it easy to see how much salt is in a product, but portion size needs taking into account as well. Flavour with alternatives like salt-free spice blends, pepper and other herbs and spices.

Friendly bacteria

Probiotics are often referred to as 'friendly bacteria'. These are helpful bacteria that help support our gut health  They occur naturally in fermented foods like yoghurts, sauerkraut and kimchi, and can  be added as a probiotic supplement to juices, snacks and supplements. Reseach has shown some probiotics may be helpful in managing symptoms of gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Stress and your digestive system

Stress is a well known trigger of tummy trouble. Intense emotional states can influence your digestive system. Learning stress management techniques may help reduce your IBS or indigestion symptoms. Exercise, relaxation techniques like massage or meditation, and getting plenty of sleep can all help you maage your stress levels.

Foods for tummy trouble

What you eat is obviously one of the most important factors in your digestive health. Avoid, or limit, foods that you find trigger unpleasant symptoms such as wind, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea. Foods like beans, fizzy drinks and fatty or fried foods, can all result in excess wind. If your upset tummy has happened after antibiotics, you may have a temporary lactose intolerance. Limit milk to a dash in drinks, and slowly build milk intake up again over a week or two until the bloating symptoms settle.

Drinking and stomach problems

Regularly drinking more than the recommended daily limit for alcohol risks your health – including the health of your digestive tract. Drinking too much hinders your ability to absorb important nutrients, and can increase stomach acid secretion which can damage the lining of the stomach. Excess alcohol also increases your risk of constipation, diarrhoea, heartburn and liver problems, as well as oesophageal cancer.

Mindful eating for wind

Rushing your food causes you to swallow air, triggering burping or wind. Taking time to be mindful of what you eat, and slowing the pace at which you eat, will help you reduce gulping air into your digestive system. Slow down and chew each bite thoroughly. Whilst sugar-free sweets are good for your teeth, the’re not that helpful if you suffer from bloating. Sugar-free sweeteners sorbitol and xylitol can cause bloating when eaten in large amounts.

Kitchen hygiene

Tummy trouble like diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting can be caused by lack of attention to food hygiene resulting in food-borne illnesses. Abide by the basic rules and ensure foods are stored correctly and cooked at the correct temperature for a sufficient amount of time. When cooking meats there are some key rules that include - never washing a chicken carcase before roasting., and making sure you cook burgers thoroughly – the fact they are made from minced meat can increase the risk of infection if undercooked.

Lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance – the inability to digest the natural sugar in milk – can cause painful symptoms including abdominal bloating and diarrhoea. Avoid lactose containing dairy foods such as milk and non-bio yoghurt. However, cheese is so low in lactose it can usually be eaten without triggering symptoms. And yoghurt that has ‘live’ cultures should be tolerated as the bacteria digest some of the lactose for you before eating. It is possible to buy lactose-free cows' milk, and soya milk and yoghurts are good alternatives to cows' milk.

When to seek medical advice

Most digestive problems are not serious and can be treated easily but when pain or discomfort disrupt your everyday life, it's time to get medical help. Symptoms that are a cause for concern include pain, persistent bloating, difficulty breathing or swallowing, fever, inability to keep food down, blood in vomit or stools (poo) or unexplained weight loss. Severe abdominal discomfort may indicate a number of conditions including food poisoning, appendicitis, Crohn's disease, ulcers, or IBS.

Related reading

• Irritable bowel syndrome: Triggers and prevention
• Diverticulitis symptoms
• Myths and facts about constipation
• Wind and your digestive system
• Understanding constipation