Top tips for gut pain at work

No 1 Chew, don’t inhale your food, if necessary count 10-15 chews (preferably not out loud.)

No.2 Don’t eat on the run from one meeting to the next or while shopping.

No.3 Take time to look at your food, even if it is a take away salad, think about what the food will taste like, try not to eat while looking at the screen, so you don’t have that ‘where did that go?’ moment.

No.4 Don’t eat when stressed or angry, now it might be that you only have a 15 minute window between meetings, try having a  decaffeinated drink first, try breathing, move away from the desk. If you absolutely have to eat, have something super easy to digest, soup is a good alternative.

No5. Avoid the meeting sandwiches and crisps. Wait until the meeting is finished and then follow 1-4.

So here is the ‘why’

 We have a sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system, our fight or flight system is activated by stress. The stress could be thinking about a meeting that is making you nervous, it could be the argument you had with your boss/love one (you can fill this bit in) it could be the terrible commute to work. Your body has the same sympathetic stress responses to all stressors.

One of the impacts of the sympathetic nervous system is that it switches off your digestion, so more energy (glucose) is available to your brain and your muscles. Which is good in the short term.

If you’re stressed you aren’t digesting your food, it can sit like a brick in your stomach.

It might make you feel sick or be sick, you can’t digest the food so your body thinks “let’s get it out!” It might have you running to the loo…. another way of getting that food out of your system.

It might cause bloating, pain, flatulence… mmmmm was that sandwich eaten running to the meeting, that didn’t hit the sides, that could have been any flavour, worth it?

The rest and digest nervous system is the parasympathetic nervous system.

Your digestive system is complex, it starts before you even put something in your mouth. Looking and smelling food will activate the digestive enzymes and prepare your stomach, you will have increased stomach acid, your brain will signal to your microbiome to ‘Get Ready’.

Too often we pass the stage. We have forgotten to love our food, chew, taste, savour, take our time.

Clinical studies suggest that IBS suffers may have an impaired parasympathetic response. It is even more important for you to try my top tips.

None of the above tips focus on what you are eating, it could be a burger or a quinoa salad. If you’re stressed you can’t digest the food, no matter it’s superfood status.

Next time you have a busy day, try my tops tips and see how you get on!

Jacx