Lately, gut health shots seem to be everywhere. But are they any good for your digestion. And are they actually worth your hard earned money? As an IBS nutritionist, this is my specialist subject. So recently, the Sun newspaper asked me to spill the beans on gut shots. What are ‘gut health shots’? The article was prompted by the publicity of the Zoe and M&S gut shot. Gut health shots are small bottles of probiotic or prebiotic drinks with the claim to improve your gut health. Some of them work through adding live friendly bacteria into the digestive tract. Others work by increasing t ..read more

Struggling with IBS-D? Did you know it could be related to bile acid diarrhoea (BAD)? You might not have heard of this, but some studies show that around 34% of people with Diarrhoea predominant IBS may have BAD. What are bile acids? Bile is made in the liver, and stored in the gallbladder. When you eat your gallbladder releases bile to help the breakdown of fats in your food.  Bile acids are made from cholesterol, and help fats emulsify so they can be better absorbed throughout the small intestine. They should mostly be reabsorbed back into the bloodstream to be recycled as the food w ..read more

Stop scrolling all those blogs about better gut health! This is my best gut health advice, the one thing you need to do to get better digestion.  If you’re looking to improve your gut health my number one tip is to eat more variety.  Specifically, we need to aim to eat 30 different plant based foods a week. If this sounds too difficult for you please keep reading, because I want to show you how it’s possible. And it can even be enjoyable! If you have IBS and can’t see how on earth this might work for you then you might need some personalised support – check out my 1:1 consult ..read more

If you’ve tried taking prebiotics for your IBS you might have noticed they can really make a big impact. And not always in a good way! Prebiotics are a type of short chain sugars found in plant foods, and they also help to feed our healthy gut bacteria. Many people with IBS and SIBO have problems with gut bacteria, but it can be tricky to know how to tackle this unless you run a stool test, or SIBO breath test. I know this can be a confusing area, so let’s take a look at different prebiotics and how they affect our gut. Prebiotics or probiotics? Firstly let’s clear up the name prebiotic. Al ..read more

Ever interrupted a meeting with a loud stomach rumble? Or heard sounds in there like a blocked drain is being cleared? Whilst it can be embarrassing, stomach noises aren’t normally anything to worry about, it’s often just food and liquid moving through your digestion. The main causes of tummy rumbling (medically referred to as Borborygmi) are explored below. Normal digestion can create noise When food hits our stomach there is a muscle contraction that helps to break the food down. Our stomach acid and digestive enzymes can also add noises as the chemical breakdown of food creates gas and m ..read more

Have you ever noticed how many times you chew your food? It might be something you think about much, but when I’m working with my clients it’s something I ask people to think about.  I’ve got four reasons why you should probably be chewing more than you currently are to support IBS symptoms. The importance of chewing your food The aim of chewing our food is to liquidise it before it goes down into your stomach. The optimal times to chew our food is thought to be about 30, but that will probably feel like a lot when you first try this. If you’re interested in making a simple change t ..read more

Some of my clients with IBS, also present with hair thinning and / or hair loss. This article will look at the link between hair loss and irritbale bowel syndrome The gut / scalp connection Our digestive tract is not just for digesting food, the gut is connected to lots of other body organs, especially our immune system. There are key elements of digestion which might affect your scalp and hair health: Your need adequate stomach acid to absorb many of our nutrients essential for hair growth (e.g. protein and B12). Absorption may be impaired if your stomach acid is low, for example you’re on ..read more

There is a growing body of evidence about the link between the brain and our gut, so how does meditation help improve gut health? Many of my clients notice that when they are more stressed their digestive system will be affected.  We are all familiar with stress symptoms like headaches, insomnia and anxiety but our digestion can certainly be affected as well.  There is a complex pathway between the brain and the gut with messages going up to the brain and back down again. The pathway includes messages from and to our nervous system and the mechanics of our digestive system.  T ..read more

Stop scrolling all those blogs about better gut health! This is my best gut health advice, the one thing you need to do to get better digestion. Hi I’m Anna Mapson, a registered Nutritional Therapist working with people who have IBS and SIBO to find a diet that works and stops uncontrolled bowel changes and painful or embarrassing symptoms. You can check out my 1:1 three month programme The Gut Reset to see how my personalised nutrition works. If you’re looking to improve your gut health my number one tip is to eat more variety.  Specifically, we need to aim to eat 30 different plant b ..read more

You might not often discuss your bowel habits with your nearest and dearest, but here’s a list of red flags for bowel movements you would need to speak to your doctor about. Red flags to look out for around bowel movements In general terms ongoing bleeding or pain that doesn’t go away needs investigating. Don’t be embarrassed about going to the doctor, they have honestly seen it all before. If you’re worried about it then speak to your doctor to see if there is an issue. How to check for red flags You may not actually look at the toilet, but it can tell you a lot about your digestion if y ..read more