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- Nurturing your gut health is key to fighting stress.
- Nutritionist Lucy Williamson shares top tips for improving gut health.
- These include a healthy diet, exercise, and taking regular breaks.
Nutritionist Lucy Williamson has shared some top tips for improving gut health to mark Stress Awareness Month.
Get more rest and work on your sleep quality
"Our body heals as it sleeps, and our gut health also thrives when we're at rest.
Eat well
Aim to eat 30 different types of plant-based foods every week to nourish gut health and ensure a good intake of natural antioxidants -- "micronutrients" in plants nourish our gut bacteria and help with everyday natural detox too.
"This isn't as hard as it may sound; the '30 target' includes herbs and spices, as well as fruits and veg."
READ MORE | 3 ways to unlock the power of food to promote heart health
Don't rush
Take time to enjoy food slowly and with good company.
"This gives our body time to digest properly. Even before we eat, our mouth is already starting to prepare our digestive system by producing saliva.
"A stressed gut is an unhappy gut."
Take a break
Taking regular breaks to reduce tension is great.
"A short meditation or a box breathing exercise can be really helpful -- breathing more slowly and deeply greatly helps to relieve stress."
READ MORE | I am what you eat: can you 'catch' a bad diet from the people you surround yourself with?
Keep moving
Take regular exercise breaks.
"Just half an hour of brisk walking each day will help."
