Eating for a
healthy gut

When one suffers from gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea, bloating or abdominal cramps often associated with conditions such as piles, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory diseases (ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease), the food you eat could have a significant impact on your health.¹

Eating for a healthy gut

Looking at what we eat is the first step in the management of gastrointestinal disease. For some diseases, like piles, the main cause for the condition is constipation, which can be minimised through making dietary adjustment.^2,3

Target symptom: Constipation

Conditions it may present in: Piles, IBS with constipation

A diet rich in fibre with adequate fluids can help shorten the time food takes to move through the intestines and increase stool weight to prevent constipation. The daily recommended consumption is 25 to 30g of fibre either in the form of high-fibre foods or commercial fibre supplements. Most fibre is not digested and stays in the intestines where it changes the way other food is digested and the consistency of stool.^2,3,5

Food	Serving	Grams of fibre
Apple (with skin)	1 medium apple	4.4
Banana	1 medium banana	3.1
Oranges	1 orange	3.1
Prunes	1 cup, pitted	12.4
Green beans (cooked)	1 cup	4.0
Carrots (cooked)	1/2 cup sliced	2.3
Peas (cooked)	1 cup	8.8
Potato (baked, with skin)	1 medium potato	3.8
Cucumber (with peel)	1 cucumber	1.5
Lettuce	1 cup shredded	0.5
Tomato	1 medium tomato	1.5
Spinach	1 cup	0.7

Food	Serving	Grams of fibre
Baked beans, canned	1 cup	13.9
Kidney beans, canned	1 cup	13.6
Lima beans, canned	1 cup	11.6
Lentils, boiled	1 cup	15.6
Bran muffins	1 med muffin	5.2
Oatmeal, cooked	1 cup	4.0
Bread - rye	1 slice	2.0
Whole-wheat bread	1 slice	1.9
Macaroni/Spaghetti (regular)	1 cup	2.5
Rice, brown	1 cup	3.5
Rice, white	1 cup	0.6
Almonds	1/2 cup	8.7
Peanuts	1/2 cup	7.9

Adapted from Wald, 2018; Mayo Clinic, 2018. ^5,6

Soluble vs. insoluble fibre⁵

Soluble fibre:

Made up of carbohydrates which dissolves in water
Found in fruits, oats, barley, peas and beans

Insoluble fibre:

Comes from plant cell walls and does not dissolve in water
Found in wheat, rye and other grains

Fibre may cause bloating and should be increased slowly, and it may be wise to choose more soluble fibre than insoluble fibre. In some conditions, like IBS-patients that do not tolerate fibre or suffer from diarrhoea rather than constipation, and in the inflammatory bowel diseases, fibre might not be recommended.^1,5

General dietary considerations for a healthy gut:^2-6

Eat smaller, frequent meals, and use of oral liquid supplements can also be used

Reduce intake of fats and spices

Reduce caffeine consumption

Reduce alcohol consumption

Avoid processed, junk food and carbonated drinks

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Eating for a healthy gut