When the weather is warm it can be easy to eat things that aren’t necessarily the best for us. Why have a salad when you can have fish and chips with a nice cold beer? But, it turns out, the last thing you want to do is upset your gut during a heatwave.
It’s predicted that temperatures will reach up to 30 degrees in the coming weeks and to keep our gut happy, we should be doing things like optimising hydration and eating enough fibre.
Dr. Zoe Williams is working with Activia to share tips on what temperature-friendly foods are good for your gut.
Mixed beans
We should all aim to eat 30g of fibre a day, as it’s essential for helping with hunger, and is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes – but getting enough can feel like a challenging task. Some simple swaps in your weekly shop can make all the difference, and meals like a mixed bean salad or on-the-go healthy whole meal wrap can help you get well on the way towards your fibre goals.
Raspberries and strawberries
Summer is a perfect time to try out new recipes with fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables which are good for the gut microbiome. Fruit and veg are a key help with hydration, ensuring we get enough vitamins and minerals in our diet, and are another source of fibre.
As warm-weather staples, raspberries, and strawberries are good sources of fibre, and great value for money when in season in the summer months.
We can’t actually digest fibre, but our gut microbes can. In fact, our gut microbes break down, or ferment, dietary fibre, producing beneficial compounds which are sent all around the body. When these little organisms are well-fed, they multiply, meaning you’ll have more of the good ones in your gut.
Water
In warm weather, we need to stay hydrated both for our overall well-being, but also for our gut. Whether it’s just a hot day, or you’ve indulged in a beer garden pint, water helps us to break down food so that our bodies can better absorb nutrients.
Those who drink a lot of water are also found to have gut bacteria that is more diverse – which is a positive! The more diverse your gut bacteria, the healthier your gut.
Snacks on the go
Whether it’s a bag of mixed nuts or a back-up banana in your bag, we know that a regular eating pattern is best for our gut. So, try to keep a nutritious snack with you at all times to prevent you from reaching for the easy sweet treats when hungry, if you’re out and about when you reach your usual mealtime.