Staying healthy is child’s play

Top tips on keeping your energy up for play time with the kids

Parenthood can be highly demanding on the physical front, making taking care of your body even more important.  It’s often the simple things that make a big difference to how much energy you have, but sadly it seems that it’s the little things we’re most likely to ignore.

Research conducted by Activia shows that women in the UK don’t recognise basic digestive health problems. Despite over 8 in 10 of all British women believing they have a healthy digestive system, 61% still experience bloating.

Despite 88% of women suffering digestive complaints at some point, only 3 out of 10 have been to see a doctor about it. Interestingly northern women have poorer digestive health than their southern counterparts with nearly three quarters of them likely to experience bloating or gurgling at any one time.

These health complaints don’t just affect us physically.  44% of British women who experience digestive discomfort say it makes them feel uncomfortable in their clothes or skin; 23% feel bad tempered and 1 in 5 suffer from a loss of confidence.  This is true reflection that British women are suffering in silence with a condition that can be improved with very easy steps. 

What became evident from the survey was that areas reporting the lowest levels of bloating, the highest consumption of probiotic yogurt was reported. Highest yoghurt consumption was evident in the South West, Greater London and the East of England – all areas that correlate to comparatively low bloating levels. 

The World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) offer the following tips on reducing the likelihood of suffering from bloating: 

• Eat slowly – of those who experience digestive discomfort, only 15% take more time to eat meals
• Avoid eating copious meals – 7 in 10 women questioned made no change to their portion sizes or amount they ate, despite suffering from digestive discomfort
• Restrict your intake of pulses, cabbage, cola, soft drinks and chewing gum, particularly sugar-free
• Consume fermented dairy products and probiotics with proven benefits on digestive health – such as Activia 

Nutritionist Fiona Hunter says: “Digestive health is an excellent indicator of our overall health.  Discomfort isn’t just something women get from time to time.  It really is something that shouldn’t be ignored.   If things don’t improve, talk to your local practice nurse or GP.”