Are you eating mindfully?

How we eat can be as important for gut health as what we eat.

Life can be busy and stressful and the knock-on effect to our eating habits can wreak havoc on our digestion. We can’t always control outside stressors, but we can look at ways to minimise their effect on our gut. Dietitian, Dr Sarah Schenker, gives her top tips for eating more mindfully:

Go slow and chew: ‘It’s not always possible, but wherever you can try not to eat anything substantial on the run. Take time to sit and chew your food properly. Chewing is a vital part of the digestion process and swallowing food that hasn’t been properly chewed can lead to digestive issues.

Be prepared: ‘Snacking is often where healthy diets go wrong. When we’re rushing around we tend to grab at something to keep us going, without really thinking, and if we’re not prepared we often grab the wrong foods which may hurt our guts later. Stock up on gut-friendly snacks such as nuts and berries or you try pre-preparing some healthy snack recipes.

Keep a food and symptom diary: ‘It can help prompt you to think about what you are eating and the impact it might have on your gut later. When we eat without thinking, we also often eat the same things every week. By keeping a record it can help us increase the variety in our diet which can be key for gut health. See our guide to symptom tracking and if you haven’t already started tracking your symptoms don't forget you can download our symptom tracker. Consider giving it a go now.