How to age well - the gut / inflammation link
Many of us, when we reach our 40s or 50s, start to worry about how we are going to age. We may be supporting our parents through distressing illnesses like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, or perhaps we've have already lost one or both of our parents.
If you answered yes to any of the first 7, then your GI tract is likely to need support. If answered yes to four or more of the remaining questions, then you may also digestive support. Poor gut health can cause whole-body symptoms, even if you aren’t experiencing any actual digestive problems.
By middle age, our mortality starts to feel very real.
Obviously there are some things that are beyond our control, but many aspects of how we age are down to our nutrition and lifestyle. So how can we support healthy ageing?
LOW GRADE INFLAMMATION AND THE GUT
Low-grade, systemic inflammation is now understood to be the basis of most age-related diseases like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, some cancers, and diabetes.
Good gut health is crucial to keep this low-grade inflammation in check – it helps to regulate immune function throughout the entire body. Research shows that gut dysbiosis (dysbiosis is the term for a bacterial imbalance within the digestive tract) is a common cause of inflammatory conditions and contributes to unhealthy aging and reduced longevity.
Gut problems become more common as we get older, but the good news is that you can improve your digestive health which then will put your body into more of an anti-inflammatory state.
**** More information about my Gut Recovery Programme is here, and please do get in touch if you have any questions about it.
PREBIOTIC FOODS
Prebiotic foods contain non-digestible fibre compounds that are degraded by your gut microbes. Not only can they help lower inflammation in the gut, research shows that people consuming more prebiotic fibre tend to have healthier cholesterol levels and lower risk markers for cardiovascular diseases amongst other benefits.
Good sources of prebiotic fibres include:
Onions
Leeks
Garlic
Green bananas (I keep mine in the fridge and use them in smoothies)
Chicory root
Asparagus
Artichokes
What can you increase or add into your diet regularly to keep your gut microbes happy?
Broad bean, saffron and new potato salad
Serves 4 - 25 min
This week’s recipe is from Riverford. And did you know that cold potatoes are another excellent source of prebiotic fibre? Once they’ve been cooked and cooled the starch becomes resistant, which then becomes food for our microbes.
Ingredients
800g new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in halves, or quarters if large
good pinch of saffron threads
200g podded broad beans (about 600g in their pods)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
juice of ½ lemon (to taste)
salt and pepper
Method
Step 1: Put the potatoes in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover them, along with a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 12–15 minutes, until tender.
Step 2: Once the water comes to the boil, put the saffron threads in a large bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the boiling water. Leave the saffron to steep. While the potatoes are cooking, bring another pan of water to the boil.
Step 3: Add the podded beans to the pan and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh in a bowl of cold water, then drain again. If the beans are large, you might want to double-pod them, but there's no need to do so if they're small and the skins are tender.
Step 4: Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and toss them in the saffron liquid. Leave to cool. Add the broad beans. Toss in the olive oil and parsley and add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Variations: This will work with other beans or peas too. Or try tossing in some cooked, shredded spring or summer greens, spinach or chard leaves.