Digestive disorders

Our digestive system is something we often take for granted… until it goes wrong.

With age, your digestive system becomes less efficient, so you will need to change your diet to cut down on foods that are particularly hard to digest. These may include refined and processed foods and foods that are high in fat.

Instead, try and eat more fresh foods and fruit and veg which are rich in antioxidant nutrients such as beta-carotene, selenium, zinc and vitamins C and E.

You can also follow the ‘rainbow’ principle of eating fruit and veg of as many different colours as possible over the week. That way, you’ll be sure you’re getting the amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that will help keep your digestive system, and the rest of your body, functioning at its best.

Increasing your fibre intake and making sure you have plenty of fluid with your meal will help ease constipation.

If you find your appetite wasn’t what it was, eat smaller regular meals throughout the day and avoid eating your main meal late at night.

Eat slowly and always chew your food thoroughly – it will give your digestive system a ‘head start’.

If you suffer from heart burn or indigestion, avoid foods that you know from personal experience make the problem worse. These may include acidic fruit drinks, drinks that are too hot, spirits and fatty or spicy meals.

Finally, eating foods which contain prebiotic fibre such as Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Multi-Grain can help encourage the growth of friendly ‘probiotic’ bacteria in the digestive system to make it more effective.