Forget you are what you eat; you are what you digest. If your digestion is poor, however healthy your diet, you won’t be giving your body the nutrients it needs to reach your true health potential.

Symptoms such as tiredness, stress, bad skin and hair, poor immunity, weight gain and low energy are all outward signs that all is not working as it should be on the inside.

Taking care of your gut:

If your gut isn’t healthy, neither is the rest of your body. Digestion consists of three processes – absorption, assimilation and excretion. If any of these aren’t working properly it can affect your whole wellbeing. Read on to find out how you can make sure your digestion is in good working order and lower your risk of leaky gut and all kinds of other problems.

Leaky gut syndrome:

Your gut is colonised by bacteria – both good and bad – which must be in balance for you to be in tip top digestive health. Unfortunately, if your diet is poor and stress levels are high this balance is likely to be upset and a poorly recognised but extremely common condition called leaky gut syndrome may develop.

A leaky gut is bad news for a number of reasons. Not only can it trigger stomach upsets, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea it can also trigger a lethal combination of nutritional deficiencies and toxic overloads that increase the likelihood of blood sugar imbalances and weight gain. Even worse it can make your gut hyper-permeable and more likely to allow unwanted particles into your blood stream. This can cause your immune system to be on high alert all the time, as it does not recognize these foreign particles and the result is food allergies, mysterious pains, inflammation, fatigue, dizziness, fogginess and poor concentration.

Chew it over:

If you don’t chew your food properly you give more work to the rest of the digestive system which puts it under stress. As well as making food easier to swallow, saliva contains enzymes that contribute to the chemical process of digestion.

If food is not properly chewed nutrients remain locked in and undigested matter feeds bad bacteria, which can lead to bacterial overgrowth, wind and other symptoms of poor digestion. Chewing also relaxes the lower stomach muscles and triggers nerve messages which activate the whole digestive process. Aim to chew food until it is small enough to swallow easily. As a rule of thumb if you can tell what kind of food you are eating from its texture, not its taste, you haven’t chewed it enough.

Say the f word:

Fibre or roughage stimulates your digestive tract and helps it work more efficiently. It also promotes health-giving bacteria in your large intestine, softens stools to prevent constipation, slows down the absorption of carbohydrates (which in turn helps to reduce food cravings) and aids weight control. The best way to get your fill of fibre is to eat a combination of different fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Drink up:

Sufficient fluid intake is essential to keep food moving down your digestive tract and to flush out toxins which would otherwise stay in your bowel. Aim to drink three to four pints of liquid – preferably filtered or mineral water – every day. Sipping between meals rather than drinking with food helps your body to absorb nutrients. Add a slice of lemon to pep up plain water and experiment with non caffeinated herbal teas and well diluted pure fruit juices.

Don’t count alcohol in your daily fluid intake. The odd tipple is fine but if you drink too much you inflame your stomach lining and unsettle your blood sugar levels which can lead to a down turn in energy.

How you eat:

How you eat is as important as what you eat for a healthy digestion. Keep your portions moderate, eat at regular times – your digestion system works best when it knows what to expect – and take the time to chew every mouthful and savour every bite.

Probiotics:

Probiotics are the good guys, the healthy gut bacteria which are important for the assimilation of nutrients and for making B vitamins, which are vital for a healthy nervous system. They create the right environment in your digestive system and act as a food source for good bacteria, ensuring the right type of bacteria colonise the gut. A number of factors can disrupt the balance of bacterial in your gut, such as stress, illness (especially diarrhoea), thrush and antibiotics. Probiotics have been used to help ease problems such as thrush and chronic fatigue. They may also have other benefits. Recent research from Sweden, for example, showed that a group of employees who took probiotics had less absence from work than those who were not given them. Other studies have found that probiotics can help manage irritable bowel syndrome or IBS.

If you have a hectic lifestyle, are prone to colds and/or flu, are taking antibiotics or have a history of stress related digestive disorders such as IBS you could benefit from probiotics. You may want to take probiotic supplements, but probiotics are also found in fruit and vegetables like bananas, artichokes, leeks, onions, garlic, asparagus and chicory. (A good probiotic I use in the clinic is Bio Kult). Cultured or fermented foods such as live yoghurt, miso, and tamari also contain various types and amounts of these ‘friendly’ bacteria.

Be active:

Regular aerobic activity (at least 30 minutes of any activity that makes you feel slightly breathless and sweaty five or six days a week) helps stimulate the muscles of the digestive system, helping you to digest food better and expel waste more efficiently.

Watch your stress levels:

Your stomach and intestines are very sensitive to stress and when you feel anxious digestion shuts down to help your body focus on preparing the flight or fight response. This means that food is only partially digested, leading to poor digestion and eventually nutrient deficiency. Finding ways to manage and cope with stress is important for your digestive health as well as your emotional health. It is also important to eat in a relaxed and calm state.

The only thing predictable about the menopause is its unpredictability. Healthy eating combined with regular exercise is one of the best ways to protect yourself against the symptoms of the menopause but for those times when a hot flush or a low mood catches you unawares the on-the-spot solutions below are all designed to help you get on with your day.

Hot flushes: If you’re under stress this may make things a whole lot worse. For immediate relief try some deep abdominal breathing as it can help reduce hot flushes significantly if they are triggered by stress. It really helps to relax into your flushes, rather than panicking. Keep calm. It will be over before you know it. If it’s an emergency, excuse yourself, go to the bathroom and run some cold water over your inside wrists for a few minutes.

For the future invest in a good natural deodorant (or see page 7) wear clothes made from natural fibres – they allow your skin to breathe and cool down quicker than synthetics – and wear layers so you can disrobe at appropriate times when you feel yourself getting hotter. It’s also a good idea to drink plenty of water or calming camomile tea and take a black cohosh supplement as it’s proven to help hot flushes naturally. Stimulants like caffeine or nicotine or alcohol should be avoided.

Memory loss: Don’t panic if you are speaking to someone and have forgotten their name – or even what you are talking about – as this will make things worse. Listen to what they are saying and look for triggers you can pick up on. You could say something like, ‘Can we go over that point again so I can be clear in my mind?’ Don’t give yourself a hard time or tell yourself you are losing it because mental decline is not inevitable with age.

The secret to an agile brain is to keep using it every day and to feed it correctly as this avoids blood sugar swings which can stress the brain and cause confusion and memory loss. Studies show that kids who had fizzy soft drinks and sugary snacks for breakfast performed at the level of an average 70 year old in tests of memory and attention. To avoid blood sugar swings make sure you never skip breakfast, and eat fresh, natural unprocessed meals and snacks every two to three hours throughout the day. Research also shows that the herb gingko biloba can help boost brain power but consult your doctor before-hand if you are on any medication.

Mood swings: Fluctuating blood sugar levels can not only trigger memory loss they can also increase the risk of mood swings so eat small, low GI snacks throughout the day and avoid sugar and caffeine. Fruit, a handful of nuts, oatcakes or houmous is ideal when your mood takes a nose dive. A brisk walk or listening to energising music can also help as can acupressure. In Chinese medicine the skin between your thumb and forefinger is a good point for reducing stress. And don’t forget aromatherapy essential oils; sage is good for tearfulness and irritability while geranium is uplifting and balancing.

Insomnia: Rather than just lying there worrying about the fact that you can’t sleep – get up and try to relax a bit. Address any specific reasons for your insomnia – a snoring partner, room too hot or too cold and so on. Once you’ve removed any obvious causes work on your mind. Try self-hypnosis and breathing exercises. Get comfortable and without moving your head roll your eyes upwards slowly. Take a deep abdominal breath, hold for a moment and as you exhale close your eyes, relaxing the muscles around them. Breathe slowly and let the relaxed feeling spread from your head to your toes. If this doesn’t help try a simple repetitive task, such as ironing or folding laundry, and you’ll soon find that your eyes get heavy.

For future reference if you suffer from insomnia keep your last meal of the day light and during the day try to eat foods that contain tryptophan such as organic milk, egg whites and tuna. Tryptophan helps the body to produce melatonin, and melatonin is the hormone that promotes sleep. Some foods, however, are rich in another amino acid, tyramine. Tyramine causes the release of a substance that stimulates the brain and keeps you awake. Avoid eating bacon, cheese, sugar, ham or tomatoes. And always avoid other stimulants, like caffeine (and remember this comes in colas and chocolate as well as coffee) and alcohol.

Dry vagina: Low levels of oestrogen as you approach the menopause can make your vulval skin thinner and drier. In the long term think about including more hormone balancing skin lubricating foods rich in isoflavones (soya and legumes) and omega 3 (nuts, seeds and oily fish) in your diet and drink plenty of water.

You can also use a natural lubricant gel and one that many women have found effective is Sylk. Sometimes it may be that you are not aroused enough – most women need around twenty minutes to get turned on. Ask your partner to spend more time on foreplay – sensual touching and caressing – to help you feel closer. The saying if you don’t use it, you lose it doesn’t just apply to your brain it apples to sex too. Regular sex can keep your vagina healthy and happy. Although vaginal dryness is common during the menopause some women do still lubricate rapidly when aroused and the most likely reason for this is that these women continue to have sex once or twice a week.

Research shows that approximately 2.5 litres of water is required each day for a fairly sedentary adult in a normal environment to replace the total loss of water that occurs though urine, faeces, skin and lungs. To replace this water loss about 1 to 1.2 litres needs to be in drinks, (mainly water or cold herbal teas), 0.9 litres needs to be taken though food and 0.3 litres (about 1 glass) can be made by the body.

If you don’t drink enough water studies show that there may be an increase in pulse rate, an increase in respiration, tingling and numbness of fingers and feet and a diminution of blood volume. All these bodily changes can cause difficult breathing, poor circulation, gastro-intestinal upsets, blood sugar swings, nutritional deficiencies, nausea, poor concentration, aches and pains and mood swings.

And because thirst begins after you are already mildly dehydrated you shouldn’t wait until you are thirsty to begin hydrating.

The message is simple: raise your glass and drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water a day normally; more if you are exercising vigorously.