Diet and health

Reducing the amount of stress in your life and eating a well-balanced diet can help to keep your mind, body and digestive system in good working order. As well as being linked to what you eat, the health of your digestive system is also affected by the way you eat. So you can still experience diarrhoea and other digestive problems even if you’re eating all the right things.

Help prevent diarrhoea with healthy eating habits

Making a few changes to your lifestyle and the way you eat can help to keep your digestive system in good working order. Here are a few key things to remember when eating:

• It takes an average of 18 hours for your body to digest a meal, so help to make it easier by chewing your food thoroughly
• Smaller, lighter meals are easier to digest than large, heavy meals, so try eating a little and often
• Your digestive system is at its slowest at night, so try to eat at least 3 hours before bedtime. If you’re peckish later on, try eating a banana or light salad – as lettuce contains a substance called lactucarium, which aids sleep
• Eat a well-balanced, high fibre diet and avoid fatty and spicy foods – or any specific foods you have identified as ‘triggers

You could also try to take some exercise as this aids digestion and can reduce stress. And making time for lunch or regular breaks throughout the day can also help.