Gut instinct

Are summer celebrations putting a strain on your health?

Sixty-one per cent of Cork natives feel guilty about what they consume after a night of celebrations. And yet despite feeling sluggish and suffering with abdominal discomfort, they party on regardless. According to recent research, 73% of Cork respondents did not give much thought to what they eat or drink when celebrating, despite the guilt experienced alongside the hangover.

Yakult’s Gut Week survey revealed 41% of Cork respondents felt they knew which foods to eliminate from their diet if they have digestive health problems, and a similar number said they were aware of the beneficial effects of certain foods on their digestive systems. Despite this, it seems, the majority will be turning a blind eye to digestive health as this summer’s celebrations get into full swing. Just over three quarters of Cork respondents didn’t give much thought to what they consume when celebrating, and 65% confessed to a more laidback approach throughout the summer holidays in general, admitting to being more relaxed about diet and less concerned about keeping fit.

Despite our unpredictable summer weather, the research also found the barbeque is the nation’s favourite way to celebrate with friends in summer with 70% of the vote in Cork. While we overindulge at celebratory events, the barbeque is where we really put pressure on our gut, piling our plates high with chargrilled protein. For a quarter of us, a barbeque meal will consist of at least one hamburger, two sausages, chicken wings or chicken legs, steak and white bread rolls, garnished with coleslaw, topped off with dessert and washed down with at least four beers.

Almost all of those surveyed (96%) felt undercooked food was the biggest health risk associated with barbeques but according to Dr. Eva Orsmond, Ireland’s leading expert in weight management and nutrition, it is the quantity and types of food we are consuming that prove to be our biggest health risk. “I find it alarming that a quarter of us are eating more than our daily allowance for calories in one sitting at a typical barbeque, mostly in the form of processed meats. We not only run the risk of excess weight gain by eating too much of the wrong foods regularly, but there are the internal effects to consider also, including digestive problems, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.”

Television chef Phil Vickery, who supports Yakult's Gut Week has come up with some suggestions on how to enjoy the summer of celebrations more sensibly and healthily;