Improving gut health in the cold weather

Improving gut health

♪♫ Oh the weather outside is frightful….♪♫

Winter is now well and truly upon us, bringing dark mornings and nights, cold and wet weather, and lots of winter bugs doing the rounds. Supporting our gut can help to keep us healthy throughout the winter months and we have compiled our top tips for keeping our digestion on track and improving gut health.

Eat well – wholesome, nutritious hot meals help to keep us warm and support overall health. Include lots of seasonal vegetables, which provide fibre for gut support – soups, stews, casseroles, and curries can be easy and nutritious, particularly if we include lots of vegs, such as parsnip, carrots, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, leeks, pumpkin, cabbage, and winter squash. Read more HERE

Hydrate – Drinking enough fluids is a must to remain healthy and many of us a mildly dehydrated for much of the time. As well as lots of water, include gut-supporting teas, such as peppermint, fennel, ginger, dandelion, and camomile. Bone broth is also great for supporting a healthy gut and can be included as a warming drink throughout the winter months.

Get outside – staying indoors can help the bad bugs to circulate and conversely, getting outdoors exposes us to a wider range of bacteria strains and can help to support the diversity of bacteria in our microbiome. And connecting with nature has been shown to reduce stress levels, which also has a positive effect on our gut bacteria, which in turn will improve gut health.

Stress management – the gut-brain connection means that stress can affect gut function, increasing or slowing gut motility, and potentially exacerbating conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Taking time for yourself, to relax and reduce stress may help to support gut health – and is particularly important at this crazy time of the year.

Exercise/get active – whilst physical activity helps to keep our bowel movements regular by supporting gut motility, research has also shown that exercise can help to support the diversity of bacteria in the gut (and a more diverse microbiome has been shown to be important for health). Read more HERE

Laugh and have fun – laughter has been shown to both reduce stress hormone levels and boost the production of immune cells in the body, both of which can help to support gut health. Laughing also works your abdominal muscles, so it could be considered a form of exercise!

Follow a basic supplement regime to help support immunity – as more than 70% of our immune system is based in our gut, supporting immunity may help to support gut health. Nutrients that support immunity include vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc, and supplementing dietary intake for these particular nutrients may be beneficial for some.

And don’t forget your gut bugs – supplementing with a probiotic can help to support your microbiome, supporting the balance of bugs and thus all the functions they provide in the body, including gut health.

Other articles related to improving gut health include:

• Is exercise good for your gut health?
• Support your gut, Support your health
• 10 ways to improve gut health
• Seven things you can do right now to improve your gut health
• 6 ways to improve gut health

Want to know more about improving gut health?

Pro-Ven Probiotics aim to provide the best support for both you and your health. If you wish to know more about improving gut health this winter and staying healthy please do not hesitate to call us on 01639 825107 or alternatively, learn more via our blogs or in-depth proven research.

ProVen Probiotics, Unit 2 Christchurch Road, Baglan Industrial Park, Port Talbot, SA12 7DJ. Tel: 01639 825107