Top 10 Ways to a Healthier Tummy

1. Drink your sours
A glass of warm water with lemon juice first thing in the morning helps to stimulate gastric juices, cleanse the bowel and aid with digestion. And drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a little water, 15-20 minutes before a meal, helps with better breakdown of food.

2. Eat your sours
Adding fermented foods to your diet, such as sauerkraut, kombucha or kimchi, means you're also boosting the healthy probiotic bacteria in your gut. These microbes improve digestion and are critical to your overall health.

3. Try "Get my guts sorted" by HUMANATURE
This "pre-biotic" flavonoid cocktail calms the insides and can assist with a healthy response to inflammation, sensitivity and gluten intolerance. It does so with its key ingredient Enzogenol, a super antioxidant derived from the NZ pine.

4. Embrace fibre
Consuming soluble and insoluble forms of fibre is essential to gut health. Good sources of insoluble fibre include wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains; get soluble fibre from oat bran, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

5. Wise up
Every body's different. Some find lactose difficult to process, others struggle with the stimulating effects of spicy foods — even the acids in a tomato. If you suffer from a mysteriously dodgy tummy every now and then, keep a food diary, to keep track of possible causes.

6. Stay hydrated
Eight glasses of water a day is the old maxim but in 2004, the Institute of Medicine set our ideal daily water intake at higher than 3.7 litres for men and 2.7 litres for women. That includes our intake from all beverages and water-containing foods, with watermelon and cucumbers topping the list for the most hydrating.

7. Choose the right fats
Foods that are high in processed and saturated fats can lead to constipation as they take longer to digest — and fat malabsorption can lead to liver congestion. But our guts benefit from eating more of the right fats, found in avocados, olive oil and fatty fish. These fats help the body produce bile, which is vital for elimination and digestion.

8. Eat smaller portions
Large meals can overburden the digestive system, leading to bloating and lower energy levels. The bigger the meal, the bigger the crash — and the higher your craving for a sugary hit to help you get through it. Practising eating until you're 80 percent full is a fantastic habit; if you find that challenging, try tricking yourself by serving your meals on smaller plates.

9. Avoid toxins
Excess alcohol, caffeine and refined sugar can have a damaging effect on the gut, by killing off the good bacteria and encouraging the growth of bad bacteria. Alcohol also suppresses the production of prostaglandins, hormonal substances that moderate inflammation; it can also reduce the amount of nutrients absorbed by the body. Likewise, too much caffeine can upset the natural balance of acidity in the stomach.

10. Manage stress
Stress encourages blood flow away from the gut, demanding the body's resources focus on our muscles, so it's possible to run away! That's not great news for digestion. But by maintaining a regular exercise regime, you'll not only relieve stress and keep weight off but encourage the digestive system to keep moving. Eating mindfully and calmly is another beneficial way to aid digestion and stay in touch with what your gut is telling you.

To find out more go to www.humanature.co