Summertime is for beaches, BBQs, and spending quality time outdoors, but it’s also a season that can challenge our digestive systems. As temperatures rise, so does the need to protect and nourish your gut health to stay energised, healthy, and balanced. From hydration tips to lifestyle adjustments, let’s explore how you can keep your gut thriving and resilient all season long.
1. Prioritise Hydration to Support Digestion
When the summer heat is on, staying hydrated is essential for overall health but especially vital for digestion. Proper hydration helps your body break down food, absorb nutrients, and keep things moving along in your digestive tract.
Tips for Staying Hydrated:
- Drink water consistently throughout the day rather than waiting until you’re thirsty. By the time you feel parched, you’re already dehydrated, which can impact digestion.
- Try herbal teas like peppermint, chamomile, and ginger served cold. Not only are these naturally cooling, but they also support digestion by calming the gut and easing bloating.
- Add a pinch of sea salt or coconut water to your drink to replace electrolytes lost through sweating. This small adjustment can be particularly helpful if you’re active outdoors or sweating more than usual.
Hydration plays a key role in digestion, but it also regulates body temperature, which is crucial for gut health. When you’re properly hydrated, your body can handle summer’s heat and still allocate energy toward efficient digestion.
2. Embrace Cooling Foods That Soothe the Gut
When it’s hot outside, our bodies naturally crave foods that cool and hydrate. Fortunately, many foods that support gut health are also refreshing, making them ideal choices for summer.
Top Cooling Foods for Gut Health:
- Cucumber: High in water content, cucumber helps hydrate and cool the body. Its soluble fibre can also support gut health by feeding beneficial gut bacteria.
- Watermelon: This summer favourite is packed with hydration and provides antioxidants like lycopene, which can reduce inflammation in the gut.
- Mint: Known for its cooling properties, mint also promotes digestion by relaxing the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract. Adding fresh mint to salads, drinks, or smoothies is a great way to enjoy its benefits.
- Coconut: Coconut water and coconut meat are excellent hydrating choices that provide potassium, an important electrolyte for digestion. Coconut’s medium-chain fatty acids are also easy to digest and can support gut health.
Ways to Enjoy These Foods:
Incorporate cooling foods into your daily meals to promote hydration and digestive ease. Try a refreshing cucumber and mint salad, add watermelon to your morning smoothie, or keep a bottle of coconut water on hand for post-exercise rehydration. These foods are not only nourishing but can also make hot days more manageable and enjoyable for your digestive system.
3. Support Your Gut Microbiome with Seasonal Probiotics
Summer is a great time to focus on probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that can support digestion and keep your gut in balance. When temperatures rise, some people experience digestive issues due to a slower transit time, making probiotics an important addition to your summer routine.
How Probiotics Help in the Summer:
- Temperature regulation: Probiotics may support the body’s natural cooling mechanisms by promoting efficient digestion, which reduces the strain on the body.
- Strengthened immunity: The gut houses about 70% of the immune system, and by supporting your gut bacteria, you can strengthen your body’s defences against summer infections and foodborne illnesses.
Best Summer Probiotic Sources:
- Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha are excellent sources of natural probiotics. Choose versions with live active cultures for the best effect.
- Pickled vegetables can also be refreshing and are often rich in probiotics. Just be mindful of sodium content if you’re watching your salt intake.
- Prebiotic-rich foods like garlic, onions, and asparagus help nourish the probiotics you consume, giving them the fuel they need to thrive in your gut.
Incorporating these probiotic-rich foods daily, especially in your morning routine, can set your digestive system up for a smoother day, leaving you feeling more balanced and energized.
4. Practice Mindful Eating in the Heat
Eating habits can shift in the summer, especially when social gatherings, parties, and BBQs are frequent. Being mindful of what and how you eat can prevent common digestive discomforts, like bloating, indigestion, and constipation.
Tips for Mindful Eating in Summer:
- Chew thoroughly: Properly breaking down food in the mouth makes digestion easier for the stomach, which is especially important in hot weather when our digestive fire might be a bit weaker.
- Eat smaller, frequent meals: This helps avoid overloading your digestive system, which can cause sluggishness and discomfort. Lighter meals with refreshing ingredients like salads, fresh fruits, and chilled soups are ideal.
- Listen to your body: Don’t feel compelled to eat heavy meals or foods that don’t sit well with you in the heat. Instead, focus on cooling, easy-to-digest foods, and stop eating when you’re full.
5. Avoid Excessively Cold Foods and Beverages
It may sound surprising, but overly cold foods and beverages can actually disrupt digestion. The stomach’s natural warmth is essential for breaking down food, and ice-cold drinks can “shock” the digestive system, slowing down the digestive process.
Tips for Enjoying Cool (Not Cold) Foods:
- Opt for room-temperature or lightly chilled drinks rather than iced beverages. Try adding a few ice cubes instead of a full glass of ice to keep drinks refreshing but not too cold.
- Enjoy chilled foods like salads and fruit but avoid icy slushies or ice creams in large amounts. These can cool down your stomach too much and may hinder digestion.
Your digestive system will thank you for maintaining a moderate temperature, making it easier for your body to stay cool without sacrificing its ability to process and absorb nutrients efficiently.
6. Get Moving, But Keep It Cool
Physical activity is essential for gut health, but intense workouts under the blazing sun can be counterproductive, especially if you’re prone to digestive issues like bloating or acid reflux. Adjusting your exercise routine to fit the season can keep your body moving without compromising digestion.
Ideal Summer Exercise Tips:
- Exercise during cooler times of the day: Aim for early morning or late evening workouts when the temperature is lower.
- Try low-impact, calming activities: Yoga, Tai Chi, and walking are all great options for supporting digestion without overheating.
- Stay hydrated during exercise: Keeping up with hydration before, during, and after exercise helps prevent digestive discomfort and supports proper recovery.
Moderate exercise can enhance digestion by promoting regular bowel movements, reducing bloating, and supporting a healthy gut microbiome. Just remember to listen to your body and avoid overexertion in the heat.
7. Manage Summer Stress for a Healthier Gut
Stress can impact your gut health year-round, but summertime comes with its own unique stressors—travel, social commitments, and heat-induced irritability can all take their toll. The gut and brain are closely connected, and chronic stress can lead to digestive issues like bloating, constipation, and acid reflux.
Tips to Manage Stress in the Summer:
- Practice breathwork or meditation: Deep breathing exercises help calm the nervous system, reducing the negative impact of stress on digestion.
- Get plenty of sleep: Prioritise quality sleep to support your body’s repair processes, including those affecting your gut.
- Spend time outdoors mindfully: Nature has a calming effect on the body and can help reduce stress. Walks in green spaces or beach trips can be both grounding and refreshing.
By making stress management a priority, you’re doing a favour for your digestive health, which in turn helps your entire body operate more effectively.
Summer is a time to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy life’s simple pleasures, and by following these gut health tips, you’ll be well-equipped to handle the heat while keeping your digestion cool and functional. Stay hydrated, embrace cooling foods, practice mindful eating, and take care of your stress levels to enjoy a season of strong and healthy digestion. The more you support your gut now, the more resilient and energized you’ll feel, no matter where your summer adventures take you. For more summer health and nutrition tups check out our Nutrition Guide!
