A Guide To Gut Health

08 Nov A Guide To Gut Health

Posted at 11:34h in Advice by

The benefits of good gut health extend far beyond our digestion function. We are increasingly learning of the extent to which the state of our gut impacts on our overall health and wellbeing, including our weight, our immune health and our mental health.

Our bodies contain roughly 39 trillion bacterial cells and 30 trillion human cells, so we’re arguably more bacteria than human. Much of this bacteria resides in our gut and is known as our gut microbiome. In addition to helping our gut digest food, our gut bacteria carry out many other important roles, including producing vitamin K and B vitamins, vital for energy production.

Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is vital for many aspects of health.

IBS

Compromised digestive health, often labeled Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), affects up to 20% of the population in the UK. Common symptoms can include stomach pains and cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. These symptoms can significantly impact your daily quality of life.

Mild IBS symptoms can often be improved by taking steps to support your gut health which we will discuss below. However, some symptoms such as unintentional weight loss, rectal bleeding, severe pain and abdominal massess can indicate more serious issues. Always speak to your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms as they will be able to test for issues like coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer and infections.

EATING FOR BETTER GUT HEALTH

So what can you do to optimise your gut health? Let’s keep things simple; the best way to see a positive change is to focus on whole, natural foods and avoid processed foods. Your gut loves variety so eat a wide range of fibre rich plant foods, especially vegetables. Think ‘eat the rainbow’. Probiotic (beneficial bacteria that lines the gut wall) and prebiotic foods (food for beneficial bacteria) are also highly supportive of gut health. Include kefir, tempeh and sauerkraut for probiotics and garlic, onions and leeks for prebiotics.

FOODS TO AVOID

As well as keeping highly processed foods to a minimum, it’s also worth working to establish whether specific foods worsen your gut symptoms. To do this you can and keep a food and symptoms diary noting down everything you eat as well as any symptoms you experience to identify any food triggers.

Eliminating these from your diet for a period of time can help you establish for sure whether they are the culprit. Common IBS triggers include dairy and gluten containing foods.

IS THERE A PILL FOR THAT?

Supplements can be beneficial when it comes to improving your gut health. The key is to choose the right supplement for you. If you feel as though certain foods are harder to digest, or like they sit in your stomach, try a broad spectrum digestive enzyme supplement that can support the breakdown of food.

If you often suffer with bloating, probiotics could help. These are the beneficial bacteria that line your gut wall. A daily supplement like Symprove can make a big difference.

If you often experience constipation, avoid irritating laxatives like herbal, senna based products. Start with a good fibre supplement like Renew Life Daily Digestive Fibre. Magnesium and triphala are also good supplements to try.

DIGGING DEEPER

The gut is a complex organ. If you suffer with IBS symptoms and haven’t been able to tackle them through improving your diet and trying supplements like those suggested above, further investigations can be done to get to the route of the issue. At our clinic, we offer a comprehensive at home gut health test that can give insight into the underlying issues causing symptoms. If you’d like to find out more please get in touch.

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LINDA ROBINSON

Linda is our Practice Coordinator, helping to keep the clinic running smoothly.

 

Originally from Texas, Linda completed her MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan. Linda has worked as a Strategy Consultant across multiple industries globally in cities including Kyoto, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco. She developed an interest in nutrition whilst volunteering for an organisation that provides cooking and nutrition education to children and families.

Linda is now settled in London with her husband, two children, and her very bouncy, sociable dog.

SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.


Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team and heading up the day-to-day running of our clinic.

 

Coming from a background in town planning, Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, continually ensuring we are delivering the very best service to our clients.


A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 where she lives with her husband, two children, and her rescue dog Skyy.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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