Different ideas to help keep your bowel happy!
If you are really feeling like a kick start this 21 day gut reset programme is fantastic! It will shift the pounds, excess bloat and will help to give you your mojo back. Price £225. This can be paid by instalments @ £75 per week for 3 weeks. You can order this from me on 07813158445 or You can order all Synergy Products in my shop.
This is a high protein, high phytonutrient and low carbohydrate nutrition plan.
21 day programme which is scientifically formulated to enable the gut microbes back into balance.
The process is designed to cleanse and detox the body and to rebalance the microbiome.
The gut is the hub of all our systems and its health affects our immune system, our mood, digestion, our ability to lose weight and much more.
Food ideas
In the morning instead of having toast or breakfast cereals, which don’t really fill you up anyway and are loaded with sugar, try this:-
I make this the night before as it allows the seeds to swell up making them more palatable in the digestive system. I put the following ingredients in a jar or small tupperware pot. Frozen raspberries or blueberries, plain full fat yoghurt, (I use YeoValley) a good tablespoon of linseeds and chia seeds, (these are handy to use Linwoods Milled Seeds) I sometimes make stewed apple and add a big tablespoon to the mixture. I also add delicious raw honey which I buy from The Raw Honey Shop in Brighton.
It’s really delicious but otherwise get raw honey from a health shop. Don’t use the cheap jars of honey in supermarkets, its more sugar than honey. I then mix it all up and leave in the fridge for the morning or mid snack or after dinner dessert. It’s delicious and packed with bowel moving ingredients! This covers people who say they haven’t got time in the morning. It literally takes minutes! You can have this anytime if you are in a rush and don’t have time to eat anything.
Also a great bread to make is:-
Almond & Hazel Bread (14 small slices)
250g ground almonds, 100g ground Hazels (grind in a food processor)
120g grated courgette (you could try carrot or celery instead, or weigh out leftover pulp from juice if you are juicing)
3 large eggs – beaten, 50g melted butter, ¼ tsp caraway seed
1 level tsp baking powder, pinch of salt
Thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix in the beaten eggs and melted butter. Line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Pour in the mix and bake at 180C or 160C fan for 30 minutes then 170C or 150C for fan for an additional 15 mins or until done.
Serve with something delicious like Raw Honey or this is delicious too, Meridian Cocoa & Hazelnut Butter
Flaxseeds/linseeds are excellent for constipation or an impacted bowel. They must be soaked in water first, overnight. Make the above recipe with the linseeds otherwise just put 4 teaspoons of seeds into a glass, fill the glass 1/3 full and leave overnight. This will make the water quite gloopy due to the release of oils from the seeds. Just add more water or juice and drink the mixture. They are a very effective remedy for constipation.
These can help with constipation, Ortis chewy fruits and fibre from Holland and Barrett, might be cheaper online though.
By adding a couple of spoonfuls of chia seeds to your water everyday will help slowly hydrate you and keep you feeling full for longer, have less need for snacking, therefore eating fewer calories.
This sauerkraut is absolutely delicious. FULL of good live probiotic. Add to salads or eat with some salmon or chicken. Very quick and easy.
If you are constipated then I highly recommend colon cleanse tablets which you can buy from my clinic. They cost £20 for 100 tablets. I usually suggest starting with 1 with dinner but don’t be afraid to take more if you are still finding yourself not going to the loo. See below for all the details on these supplements.
These are delicious bars to have as a go to snack Juice Bars £15.99 for 12
BodyPrime – a natural food supplement containing apple pectin, prune powder and highly absorbable magnesium.
These can be bought online or via my clinic. £28
BiomeActives Probiotics – These can be bought online or via my clinic. £37
ICF Colon Cleanse 2
Therapeutic action: This stimulating tonic is both cleansing, healing and strengthening to the entire gastro-intestinal system. It stimulates your peristaltic action ( the muscular movement of the colon ) and over time strengthens the muscles of the large intestine, halts putrefaction and disinfects, soothes and heals the mucous membrane lining of your entire digestive tract. This herbal tonic also improves digestion, relieves gas and cramps, increases the flow of bile which, in turn, cleans the gallbladder, bile ducts and liver, destroys Candida albicans overgrowth and promotes a healthy intestinal flora, destroys and expels intestinal parasites, increases gastrointestinal circulation and is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal.
Dosage:
Start with only one capsule of this formula during or just after dinner. This Formula works best when taken with food, The next morning you should notice an increase in your bowel action and in the amount of faecal matter that you eliminate. The consistency should also be softer. If you do not notice any difference in your bowel behaviour today or the difference wasn’t dramatic, then tonight increase your dosage to two capsules. You can continue to increase your dosage every evening by one capsule until you notice a dramatic difference in the way your bowel works. There is no limit. Most people need only 2-4 capsules. It has taken most of us years to create a sluggish bowel, so let us be patient for a few days and increase by one capsule each day only.
This formula can be taken for a week, a month, sporadically or is perfectly fine for long term use.
If you find you are the other extreme and your stools are too loose, with an urgency to go to the bathroom or after meals then I recommend colon cleanse No 3. I also stock these at the clinic. They are the same price £20 for 100.
I always recommend taking probiotics. There are many different type of probiotics but if you are looking for just a general every day one then this is a very good reasonably priced one.
Ecodophilus 60 – £21 (available at my clinic)
Yakult and Actimel do not provide much in the way of probiotics. The latter 2 are just very sugary drinks with little probiotic!
Other useful things to help with constipation!
Epsom salt baths, you can buy Epsom salts from health shops, online or supermarkets.
Magasorb – £21 (available at my clinic) which is a Magnesium supplement.
This will help the perastalsis (contractions of the bowel) and is also great for sleep.
Wheat Belly is a great read to see the detrimental affects of gluten on our digestion system. Avoid gluten at all costs, even if you just try this for 1 month. This will make such a huge difference to your gut. Don’t go crazy buying gluten free products as these are usually full of sugar.
And obviously lots and lots more water!
Quinoa is a great alternative to rice and pasta. It is a complete protein rather than a carbohydrate which is far less stodgy! You can buy this from most major supermarkets. I eat it hot or you can eat cold added to salad for bulk.
This is also very tasty from Marks and Spencers, M&S super Grains & Beetroot is very easy, hot or cold and just add a salmon fillet or piece of chicken, pack in your lunch box and off you go. So much better than grabbing a sandwich and packet of crisps or chocolate bar. You can just add chicken or salmon to bulk it up and can make this the night before work.
Also get a flask for work and fill up with soups. There are loads of different ones you can buy ready made in the fridge section in supermarkets or make your own!
It is also a good idea to take digestive enzymes if you feel any of the following symptoms.
Gas and bloating after meals
The sensation that you have food sitting in your stomach (a rock in your gut)
Feeling full after eating a few bites of food
Undigested food in your stool
Floating stools (an occasional floating piece is fine, but if all your poo consistently floats, that might be a sign something is wrong)
An “oil slick” in the toilet bowl (undigested fat)
The good news is that digestive enzymes are very safe and reasonably cheap, you can always try them and see if you notice any difference in your digestion. To help digest the meal you are eating, it’s best to take the enzymes during or immediately after the meal. Similase are a good brand – £42 (available at my clinic).
A charcoal cleanse can also help people who have embarrassing gas, which often smells offensive and leads to uncomfortable bloating.
How does a charcoal cleanse work?
Charcoal is like a powerful hoover. It deep cleans your digestive system. As the charcoal passes through, it absorbs trapped painful gases, tiny particles of rotting food, bad bugs, parasites and any other ‘intruders’ that might be causing havoc in your gut. It acts like a magnet sweeping up unwanted debris.
Charcoal is also pretty effective at helping to reduce the effects of a gut infection like food poisoning so often handy to take on holiday. Take 3 capsules before meals and 3 after meals until symptoms subside.
5 day Charcoal Cleanse using Activated Charcoal – £21 (available at my clinic)
Take two Charcoal capsules half hour before lunch, two half an hour after lunch and repeat at dinner, with a small glass of water. Don’t take the Charcoal at the same time as any other supplements or medications. Charcoal absorbs!
Sometimes charcoal can slow down transit time in the bowel. If this happens, take a natural laxative such as ICF2 (see above). Charcoal shouldn’t be taken if you have a health condition that severely slows down your gut transit time such as MS or Parkinsons. Charcoal can also speed up transit time and may give you loose stools. This is also quite normal, and part of charcoal’s ability to purge. The charcoal will also make your stools go black which is perfectly normal.
Another good supplement to take if you feel as if you have a bug or unwanted intruder, if there is dysbiosis of putrefactive bacteria in your gut causing uncomfortable bloating is Eradicin Forte £31 (available at my clinic). This acts as a natural antibiotic with slow release garlic, cinnamon, clove and oregano oil.
A very good all in one product, if you find your digestive problems are fairly recent and not too chronic is Lepicol plus £15 (available at my clinic).
This contains prebiotics, probiotics, digestive enzymes and psyllium husk. This is a very reasonably priced supplement which is a good start if your issues are not too complex. This can help with constipation and diarrhea.
Flax Farm has an abundance of everything to do with Flaxseeds/linseeds which are so good for the bowel.
I put the flax oil over everything!
Most importantly when nature calls, you must go to the toilet. It is not good at all to ‘hold’ on if you are out and about because you don’t like using public toilets or work toilets etc. If you ‘hold’ on, by the time you find the ‘right’ time to go to the toilet, your bowels no longer want to go and constipation is already setting in. If you are worried about smells in the toilet and feel embarrassed if other people are around Poo Pourri is very useful to carry around or take to work. You spray it into the toilet BEFORE you go and it eliminates smells rather than exacerbates them like ordinary air fresheners do! You can get this from Amazon.
After your colonic take it easy!
The effects of your colonic will go on for a number of days (2-4) after your treatment. They will be varied from a boost in energy level or occasionally a headache or feeling a little tired. Bowel movement may take a few days to return to normal. This is a time to give your digestion and yourself a break by eating foods which are easy to break down and by taking time to pamper yourself. You may also feel a little cold afterwards; make sure to keep warm, drink warm herbal tea or soup and bring an extra layer with you just in case.
Beneficial Foods
Vegetables in all forms, especially steamed or in soups
Brown rice, porridge, quinoa and millet are rich in beneficial fibre and will help the friendly bacteria in your gut as well as improve your transit.
If you feel you have serious gut problems that are not going away even though you feel you are doing all the right things. You have made several trips to the doctors to no avail, then I suggest you get some tests done to eliminate what you have and haven’t got. I cannot diagnose what you have, I can only treat your symptoms. If you know exactly what is going on in your gut through proper testing then you know what you are dealing with and I can help and treat you accordingly. The Biological Testing Services offer a stool testing service with home test kits for the diagnosis and treatment of Candida and other imbalances of gut bacteria which I can arrange for you. The stool tests are sent off to a Laboratory in Germany and then your results will be emailed back to me.
If you want to order any well known brands of supplements a good website is The National Dispensary If you use my name as a practitioner at check out and use the code MBOU10 you will receive a further 10% off. Any problems with this please contact me and I can always order you any supplements you need and send you them.