A person’s total stress load is a combination of external stresses of all kinds (work/family pressures, distressing events, environmental pollution, food and dietary stressors etc.), and internal stress (i.e. dealing with our own personal emotions and issues such as general unhappiness, loneliness and grief). To improve the health of the digestive system, a person not only needs to consider the diet, and general dietary habits, but to also be aware of his or her stress level, confronting and communicating any negative emotion or feeling as effectively as possible, and in doing so, reducing the total stress load on (and in) the gut.

With regards to internal stress, it is wise not to suppress emotions, feelings or problems. Our emotions are held in the “emotional centre” of the body, or solar plexus, which happens to be exactly where our digestive system is! Furthermore, we produce the same neurotransmitters in the gut, as we do in the brain. In fact the gut has its very own nervous system that communicates directly with the brain. So what we are thinking is actually felt physically, in the stomach. The popular saying, “butterflies in the stomach” describes this perfectly. We perceive and “think” something or someone as nerve-wracking, or scary, but we actually “feel it” in the stomach! Of course we don’t feel nervous all the time, but many people today do have a low-grade “nervousness” or anxiety almost on a persistent basis, which is very real, and produces very real symptoms too… most often in the gut.

Stress affects the functioning of the pancreas too, the gland that is responsible for producing insulin to control blood sugar levels, and pancreatic enzymes for efficient digestion. Our capacity to respond to blood sugar levels decreases when the gut is stressed, as well as our capacity to digest food. Too much adrenalin causes ongoing digestive problems, as well as low energy.

So what can we do about it?

* Firstly, you might like to listen to this great audio postcard “Daily steps to healthy happy digestion”, which details over 20 easy strategies you can use to relieve any gut distress.

* Regards your diet, make sure you are eating quality, fresh food, and quality protein in the diet too. The neurotransmitters that affect our mood, motivation and concentration, are made from the proteins we eat. These “mood chemicals” are called peptides – i.e. small chains of proteins and amino acids. So we need enough protein from sources such as fish, lean meat, nuts, seeds, beans and raw leafy greens to manufacture these in sufficient amounts.

* Try not to eat if you are feeling particularly stressed or nervous. During stress, the release of adrenalin and cortisol causes an increase in heart rate and blood flow, away from the digestive system, to the muscles. Gut function automatically slows down and the movement of food through the system slows down too.

* Speak up and speak out! The body has to show emotion and stress somehow, and if it’s not communicated “out” of the body, the gut, and digestive function will suffer. Digestive problems soon manifest when constant stress is present.

* Deep belly breathing (with lying down or when comfortably seated) and regular oil massage on the abdomen (working in a clockwise way) is very effective at reducing stress that is impacting on digestive function. Try and do this regularly.

A breakfast “Green” drink – choose spinach or watercress and blend a handful in a food blender, with a chopped apple, some lettuce leaves, a slice of fresh peeled lemon or lime, a few fresh mint leaves, a thumb nail size of sliced fresh ginger root, and enough water to cover. Pour into a glass and drink.
 
* Other great juicing or blending foods include carrots, red peppers, cucumber and celery.

Lean meats or fish (excellent sources of branched chain amino acids) and plenty of green vegetables

Salad box – Use brown rice or other gluten-free grain/seed such as quinoa, and add the cooked grain to flaked fresh fish, or tinned fish (salmon, sardines, tuna), or lean meat such as grilled chicken or turkey, and serve with plenty of raw salad ingredients of your choice. Go for 7-10 different salad ingredients. Dress with some balsamic or apple cider vinegar – and season with fresh chopped coriander, basil, mint or other fresh herb.

A 2-3 egg omelette with chopped courgette and garden peas

A handful of nuts and 2 pieces of fresh fruit

A 40-50g portion of raw seeds

A good quality “raw” energy bar, e.g. Nakd bars or Trek bars – www.eatnakd.com

Homemade fig, hazelnuts & raisin bars

100g dried figs
50g raisins
20g hazelnuts

Place all the ingredients in a food processor with an S-blade, and process until the mixture mixes well, and begins to form a ball of dough. Turn the dough out onto a flat surface, and using your hands, shape into a large ball, ready for rolling. Roll the dough with a rolling pin, and then cut into equal-sized bars. Wrap each piece in kitchen paper (this will make them slightly less sticky), and refrigerate overnight, or until firm. These are best refrigerated for a couple of days.

Apple and Almond Granola…

50g organic almonds (soaked overnight and then rinsed and patted dry)
25g organic raisins
25g organic pumpkin seeds and/or sunflower seeds
1 large organic apple, cored and chopped

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and mix on “high” for 30-60 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, process again and then serve immediately into a bowl, and top with live natural yogurt.

Avocado and ricotta mash – mash a small ripe avocado with 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese or hummus, a little lemon juice, herb sea salt and black pepper. Eat with some raw veg crudités – choose a selection of raw carrot, courgette, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap or mange tout peas, cucumber, red pepper etc.

Quinoa kedgeree – Boil/steam 100g of quinoa, and add a flaked haddock fillet OR other fish, 1 chopped boiled egg and finely chopped fresh parsley, and/or coriander. Serve with a large green salad, or 2-3 steamed vegetables.

Chicken Miso Soup with Noodles, Ginger and Spinach
This is not only a delicious & highly nutritious soup-type meal, but it’s also quite “functional” too! It’s perfect to get more minerals into the diet, as well as natural salts for rehydrating after exercise!

Serves 4

Two tubs (300g each) fresh chicken stock (or make up from stock cubes)
2 sachets of Miso Soup, or 1 dessertspoon of Japanese Brown Rice Miso (try the brand Clearspring)
2.5cm piece root ginger, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut into thin strips, i.e. “julienned”
1 bunch spring onions, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
190g pack cooked skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced quite thinly
225g bag baby spinach leaves
250g noodles – try soba buckwheat noodles, or rice noodles

Place the stock, 500ml boiling water, miso soup paste or sachets and ginger in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the carrot and half the spring onions and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chicken and spinach and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir in the noodles, return to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly cooked through. Ladle into large bowls and serve immediately, garnished with the remaining spring onions.

Cooking tips and variations…
If you can find some dried mixed sea vegetables (e.g. arame, kombu) in a health food shop, add a handful to the soup at the same time as the noodles. You could also add 200g cooked prawns instead of the chicken, heating through with the noodles. You could also substitute the spinach for a 200g pack green pak choi, washed and chopped.

N.B. Particular amino acids called the branched chain amino acids – valine, leucine and isoleucine – or BCAAs are crucial for recovery. Branched chain amino acids are different from other amino acids that make up what we call “protein”. There are 22 amino acids found in the human body, yet hundreds found in food. BCAAs are potent stimulants for building and repairing muscle. Lean meats and fish, as well as non-meat sources such as hempseeds are excellent sources of BCAAs.

Did you that by taking some simple daily steps to allow the digestive system to function efficiently, many IBS-related symptoms can be alleviated, or indeed, cured! Taking care of digestion and being more aware of your eating patterns, also helps to prevent any future digestive disorder or discomfort. Try some of the following…

* Drink a glass/mug of warm water on rising – preferably with a slice of fresh lemon, and a “thumbnail” size amount of grated or chopped raw ginger root. This is very cleansing to the gut, and the whole body.
 
* Sit upright at a table when eating.

* Never over eat.

* Eat slowly, and with awareness, ensuring that you chew your food thoroughly.

* Did you know that simply chewing a few fennel seeds after a meal can help promote proper digestion.

* Be aware of your natural appetite & fullness signals and begin to work with them.

* Don’t eat if you feel stressed, angry, upset, over anxious, or “tight” in the stomach.

* Eat fresh “whole”, natural foods – especially an abundance of fresh vegetables.

* Take time to taste, chew & appreciate your food.

* Eat when you are hungry and don’t eat when you are not!

* Avoid drinking too much fluid with food, but drink water between meals.

* Do not drink tea or coffee with meals.

* Avoid late meals (especially high fat or calorie dense meals).

* If you currently suffer with poor digestion, try to eat fruit away from main meals.

* If you have been suffering with persistent digestive problems, avoid wheat and wheat-based foods for a period of 2 weeks and see how you feel.

* Deep belly breathing (lying down or when comfortably seated) and regular oil massage on the abdomen (working in a clockwise way) is very effective at reducing stress that is impacting on digestive function. Try and do both regularly.

Kitchen helpers…

* Homemade ginger tea (chopped/grated root ginger or ½ tsp of ground ginger in boiling water)

* Nettle, fennel, dandelion, peppermint, or camomile teas calm, cleanse and aid digestion.

* Use ginger and other spices (organic), regularly in cooking such as fennel, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, cinnamon and black pepper. It is best to buy whole seeds and pound in a pestle and mortar (or grind in a coffee grinder) before gently frying in ½ tsp of coconut oil, or sesame oil. Whole or ground spices can also be added to soups, stir-fries, when steaming/boiling, or straight onto salads.

Don’t forget…
Drink good quality herbal teas, especially if you have poor digestion. Some excellent brands include “Pukka” herbal teas or “Clipper” organic teas such as nettle, dandelion, chamomile, fennel or green tea, slippery elm, peppermint or spearmint.

Drinking green tea daily supplies effective “antioxidant” support, and nettle tea helps to boost vitamin B vitamin intake, as well as getting the bowels going! Senna leaf tea is also excellent for constipation, as is the “slimy” water of soaked whole linseeds, which is best taken last thing at night before bed.