Nutrition and Hydration Week – 5 simple tips

Diet & Hydration Week – 5 Easy Methods to Assist your Well being

This week (17– 23 March) celebrates the 14^th annual Diet and Hydration Week¹. Diet and Hydration Week seeks to tell, educate, and empower folks to place well being on the high of their agenda, particularly in well being and social care settings.

We’ve shared 5 diet and hydration suggestions beneath on how one can assist your well being as we speak.

1. Eat the rainbow

It’s no secret that we needs to be getting extra vegatables and fruits. In truth, lower than 1% of the UK inhabitants observe dietary tips which embody consuming 5 parts (80g) of fruit and greens every day².

There are ample well being advantages in terms of consuming vibrant produce –  from getting extra nutritional vitamins and minerals to hydration from the high-water content material. Right here at Love Your Intestine, we’re fascinated by the good issues vegatables and fruits can do on your intestine. The excessive fibre  helps maintain  your intestine bugs properly fed and blissful. The micro organism primarily feeds on the fibre, utilizing it to assist develop and flourish, creating a various, wholesome ecosystem inside our intestine. Fruit and veggies additionally present us with polyphenols (compounds that give them their color) which intestine micro organism additionally like to feed on.

Eager to know extra? Learn this blog for extra info on the facility of fruit and greens.

2. Experiment with fermented meals

Why not strive one thing a bit completely different this week? Experimenting with fermented meals can assist intestine well being. Some fermented meals (however not all) include stay microorganisms – search for labels that point out ‘stay cultures’ or ‘lively micro organism’. Rising analysis exhibits us that the microbes that attain our intestine alive can improve the quantity and variety of pleasant micro organism in our intestine.

Fermentation which may improve the nutritive worth of some meals has been used for 1000’s of years. For instance, it will increase the dietary availability of polyphenols, that means that we take in greater than if we ate the meals/ingredient earlier than fermentation. Several types of fermented meals present completely different micro organism, so selection is vital. Begin gradual to permit your intestine time to regulate after which construct as you go.

3. Diversify your protein consumption

Whenever you consider protein, what involves thoughts? A pleasant steak, perhaps some rooster? Animal-based meals are glorious sources of protein and supply vitamins equivalent to iron and B nutritional vitamins, however plant-based sources of protein might be simply as useful.

Beans, lentils, and pulses are nice sources of plant protein and supply all kinds of micronutrients equivalent to iron and magnesium. They’re additionally wealthy in fibre which, as we already know, present many well being advantages for our intestine. You will have heard of the “30 plants points a week” advice, and these meals will help you hit that focus on. Think about making an attempt different plant proteins equivalent to tofu and tempeh so as to add some range to your plate. Your intestine bugs will thanks.

4. Don’t overlook about Vitamin D

Within the UK, the NHS recommends taking a vitamin D complement (10 micrograms every day) in the course of the months of October – March³ as our our bodies can’t produce sufficient underneath the winter solar. The times are fortunately getting longer however you should definitely carry on high of this till the solar is shining brighter and for  longer. You may also get Vitamin D from meals  equivalent to oily fish and fortified meals like fortified cereals and  fermented milk drinks with added vitamin D, so don’t overlook to incorporate these in your food regimen.

Enjoyable truth: In case your shadow is longer than your top, there are inadequate UVB rays from the solar and your physique won’t produce vitamin D.

5. Keep on high of your hydration

After we discuss well being and diet, hydration can typically be one of many final issues thought of. However roughly 60% of our physique is water and retaining sufficiently hydrated has quite a few advantages.

Water has   many capabilities inside the physique. It contributes to nutrient absorption, joint lubrication, and oxygen transportation. It even performs an element within the well being of our pores and skin, too.

Staying on high of your hydration may additionally assist relieve signs of constipation. Dehydration can harden stool and make it tougher to cross, so ingesting water will assist soften it and assist in going to the bathroom^4-5.

Adults are suggested to drink at the least 6-8 glasses of liquid per day⁶. When you sweat loads, whether or not that be by way of warmth or train, you will have extra. Some indicators of dehydration embody darker colored urine, dry mouth, feeling faint, and lack of focus.

Water isn’t the one factor that counts in direction of your liquid consumption. So do milk, squash, tea, espresso, natural teas and fruit juice (it is suggested to restrict this to 150ml a day. You may also acquire some hydration from high-water-content meals you eat equivalent to cucumber, radish, watermelon, cabbage, courgette, and strawberries.

The spotlight of Diet and Hydration week is the standard World Tea Get together held on the Wednesday⁷. With over 100 million cups of tea consumed in Britain every day⁸ (and 5 billion globally!), this actually is an excellent day to rejoice one of many nation’s favorite sizzling drinks. You will have heard the previous wives’ story that tea and low can dehydrate you, however they really contribute to your hydration all through the day. What an ideal excuse to pop the kettle on and maintain hydrated!

Trying to find one thing tasty to go together with your cuppa on the World Tea Get together? Take a look at our intestine pleasant treats  here.

References

1. Diet and Hydration Week (2025) Obtainable at: N&H Week | Nutrition and Hydration Week (Accessed: 10 February 2025)
2. NHS (2022) 5-a-day: what counts? Obtainable at: 5 A Day: what counts? – NHS (Accessed: 10 February 2025)
3. NHS (2020) Vitamin D. Obtainable at: Vitamin D – NHS (Accessed: 14 February 2025)
4. NHS (2023) Good Meals to Assist Your Digestion. Obtainable at: Good foods to help your digestion – NHS (Accessed: 14 February 2025)
5. Popkin et al (2010) Water, Hydration and Well being, Nutr Rev, 68(8): 439-458
6. Public Well being England (2016) The Eatwell Information. Obtainable at: Eatwell Guide (Accessed: 14 February 2025)
7. Diet and Hydration Week (2025) World Tea Get together. Obtainable at: Global Tea Party | N&H Week (Accessed: 14 February 2025)
8. UK Tea & Infusions Affiliation (2025) About Tea. Obtainable at: UK Tea & Infusions Association – About Tea (Accessed: 14 February 2025)