From popping a probiotic to de-stressing, here’s how to improve the health of your gut

Discussing your toilet habits might once have seemed rude, but we’ve become a nation that loves documenting our digestion and its side effects.

“Books, documentaries and podcasts on gut health have really brought it to the forefront,” says Natalie Lamb, nutritional advisor at Bio-Kult. “People are definitely more open to talking about their tummy troubles, and that’s made it less taboo.”

It’s not breaking news that the gut may hold the key to good health. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates reckoned it was the organ where all disease began, and now we have science to back it up.

With almost 70 percent of your immune system cells housed there, everything from insomnia, bad skin, mood swings, joint pain and weight fluctuations can signal that your insides are struggling.

Add daily stress, a poor diet, alcohol, food allergies or lack of sleep, sunshine or exercise, and it’s no wonder your gut microbiome (AKA the bacteria) isn’t happy. “Even actions like not chewing food thoroughly or eating on the go can impact your gut health,” reveals Eve Kalinik, nutritional therapist and author of Be Good To Your Gut.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, some medicine can actually make things worse. After lifestyle, antibiotics are the biggest saboteurs of gut health. Simon Gaisford, professor of pharmaceutics at UCL, says just a single dose can cause a “significant reduction in the diversity of the gut microbiome.”

That’s why in France doctors often prescribe a course of probiotics alongside antibiotics to ensure bacterial equilibrium. Here’s what you need to do to strengthen your insides and achieve gut harmony…

Pop a probiotic

Working like a support system for your gut, probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria that can heal the gut lining and aid digestion.

“They’re effective because they produce lactic acid, which has two effects. Firstly, it lowers the pH level of the immediate environment, which has been shown to reduce disease-causing pathogens. Secondly, lactic acid helps the good bacteria flourish,” says Simon.

But not all probiotics are created equal. For a start, they need to be stable and able to survive the harsh acidic environment of the stomach. That’s why there’s speculation about the best way to ingest them.

Liquid products can get to work straight away without getting caught up in the digestive process, unlike tablets. They’ve also been found to endure stomach acid better and that’s why you’ll often find them in yoghurts.

However, an independent study by King’s College London found water-based formula Symprove worked the best at getting the live bacteria to your gut. “It’s the probiotic formula that I always recommend to my patients,” says Dr Rangan Chatterjee, GP and founder of The 4 Pillar Plan.