Top Tummy Friendly Tips and Recipes
When it comes to a tummy friendly dinner salads are usually the main choices on the menu as they are easy to prepare, cool and taste delicious. But how many varieties of salad could there be? How do we drift from the common garden salad, to make a meal more interesting? Well, below I have included a recipe which will get your taste buds screaming for more!
One topic that needs to be considered is how are salads going to help with problematic tummies. The answer is FIBRE! Some people may think, ‘Well how am I going to get the amount of fibre I need from a salad?”. Firstly you need to consider what fibre is and how it works. There are two types of fibre – insoluble and soluble fibre. Insoluble fibre - found in breads, cereals, outer skins of fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds - absorbs water, softening the contents of the bowel and keeping you regular. Soluble fibre found in fruits, vegetables, dried beans and oats keep you fuller for longer as it slows down stomach emptying. Both of these are listed on a food package as ‘dietary fibre’ and have positive effects for tummy health. We should aim for 30 – 40g of fibre per day.
So there you have it, adding fresh vegetables and beans to a hearty salad will increase the fibre content and keep you full and regular.
Other top tips to keep your tummy happy are:
- Keep your water levels up, especially in the warmer months. Water is absorbed by dietary fibre, which helps with bowel motions.
- Limit your saturated fat intake, with your fat ratio leaning towards the mono and polyunsaturated fats. Fat can not only contribute to those unwanted extra kilos but can cause constipation and bloating.
- Reduce your alcohol intake. But if you do choose to drink, stick to the recommended serves - 2 standard drinks a day. One standard drink is 150ml wine, 240ml beer (choose low carbohydrate beer) and 30mls spirits. Also make sure you have 2 alcohol free days a week.
- Exercise! It not only gets your adrenalin going and blood pumping to your body, but also the blood pumping to your stomach. This tells your brain “Your tummy’s alive, so fight the bad stuff and get working!”
Click here for Baby Beetroot Salad recipe.