Home About Paula Breakfast Club Talks and Workshops Your Health Food Industry What's New Contact Links Sitemap In the News        Introduction Nutrition in the News - Kelloggs Survey: 56% of children skip meals - Mediterranean Cooking - SPARTAN Challenge News Archive Press Kit World Digestive Health Day, 2008 Thursday 29th May 2008 is World Digestive Health Day, and to mark this, Danone commissioned a survey on the Digestive Health of 650 women in Ireland. Danone invited me to speak at the launch of the survey, at which I was interested in hearing about the findings. The results of the survey showed that while four out of five Irish women believe that they have a healthy digestive system, a startling 66% still experience bloated feelings. One aspect of the survey which I thought was very interesting was the suggestion that poor digestive health has a serious negative impact on quality of life. Almost a half of Irish women who experience digestive discomfort believe it makes them feel uncomfortable in their clothes or skin and a third said it affects what they eat. 23% of respondents thought that the condition made them feel bad tempered and 21% indicated that they don’t feel happy with themselves as a result their digestive discomfort. This is true reflection that Irish women are simply putting up with digestive discomfort when there are simple and easy steps which can be taken to help improve digestive health. A third of all women surveyed skipped one meal a day indicating a ‘dashboard dining’ phenomenon or snacking on the move, suggesting an apathetic approach to nutrition. I firmly believe that digestive health is an excellent indicator of our overall health. Discomfort isn’t just something women get from time to time and it really isn’t something that should be ignored. If you do experience it, first check your diet – eat lots of fruit and veg, wholegrains and try a probiotic yogurt that has scientifically proven benefits. Also, try to eat more slowly, make sure you drink plenty of fluids and try and do regular exercise. If things don’t improve, talk to your local practice nurse or GP.          Not surprisingly, the survey’s findings also showed that those women who report the worst digestive discomfort also consume too many foods that could aggravate digestive health: fried or fatty foods being consumed at least two to three times a week by almost one in five Irish women, with this figure highest in the Connacht/Ulster region of the country (32%). Interestingly, those who used probiotic yoghurt, were older, had a more balanced diet and also saw themselves as having better digestive health. Probiotic yogurt consumption was also found to be highest in Irish women aged over 55. Whilst 88% of those surveyed believed that probiotic yoghurts were good for the digestive system, only 28% of these consumed these as part of their daily diet. As to be expected, there was a marked correlation between lifestyle and eating habits. Having a hectic lifestyle includes lots of snacking, having a hurried breakfast/lunch, and experiencing regular stress. The most common digestive issues are flatulence, bloating, slow transit and feeling heavy – over half of those who claim to have a healthy digestive system said they have suffered from these discomforts.        For more information related to digestive health, please visit www.activedigestivehealth.com        You may also find my new book, Good Food, Great Life, useful in learning more about they types of foods to eat for better health overall. Click here for more details. top of page                 Keep in mind that research on these matters is on-going and is subject to change. The information presented is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It is intended to provide ongoing support of your healthy lifestyle practices.                   © Paula Mee 2010 Privacy Statement        Home page                Powered by go2web