Fruit is definitely good for you. Eating it as a snack is great for you. But problems occur when you mix it with other food.

Fruit contains simple sugars, which don’t require much digesting and so do not hang around in the stomach.

Most other foods need to properly digest and will remain in the stomach for a while, until the digestive system has done its job.

Eating fruit during or after a meal can cause embarrassing results – as the fruit sugar remains in your stomach for longer, causing it to ferment and upset your digestion process.

Unless you want to throw it over somebody for dramatic effect, a glass of water (or any other drinking fluid) has no place at a meal table.

Our advice is to try not to drink during meals. Your digestive system cleverly takes all the water it requires from the food you consume.

So drinking during meals will only disrupt and complicate the natural digestive process, flooding your digestive enzymes.

Keep it simple – for best results have a drink either half-an-hour before a meal or one hour after.

We’ve often thought about how much healthier our nation’s digestive systems might be if it wasn’t for our staple diet of processed white flour products. Luckily our friends at the Real Bread Campaign are helping to do something about this. Here they share some interesting facts and let us know what’s happening in the world of good, wholesome, natural bread…..

Why is it that today we throw away an estimated 2.6 billion slices, 775 million rolls and a further 69 million whole loaves every year?  Could it be because we no longer value the products of the seven industrial bakers and supermarkets that together account for around 97% of UK production?

It was questions such as these that prompted Sustain to found the Real Bread Campaign. Working alongside artisan baker and activist Andrew Whitley, the campaign is fighting for a return to all-natural Real Bread that is better for us, better for our communities and better for our planet.

Sadly, long gone are the days when all of our bread came fresh from our own ovens or local bakeries, made by tens of thousands of skilled craftspeople within our communities with nothing but natural ingredients, time and care.

For example, did you know that the production of industrial bread can involve a whole cocktail of undeclared enzymes? Some of the food enzymes on the market are known allergens and others could be of GM or animal origin.  So, how do you know whether or not any of them went into the making of a loaf? Simply put – you don’t. The trouble is that many such enzymes can be deemed processing aids, which labeling law says do not even have to be mentioned in a list of ingredients. In response, the campaign launched the headline-grabbing Stick One On ‘em! to demand that the big bakers clean up their act.

Major campaign initiatives now in development include Lessons in Loaf, a scheme to share hands-on Real Bread making skills in schools; working to get Real Bread on the menus of public sector institutions like hospitals and schools; finding ways to support professional Real Bread bakers; and working with groups around Britain to help make Real Bread accessible to all.

Thankfully, there are plenty of people around the country who still care: farmers growing cereals with utmost care for our environment and prioritising the nutritional value of the grain; millers using wind or water and slow-turning stones that preserve those nutrients; bakers who uphold the true values of bread by not cutting every corner possible for profit; parents wanting the best, all natural food for their families; people like you.  These are the people who are the campaign.

You can find more details about the campaign, including where to find your nearest supply of Real Bread and how you can become a member at: www.realbreadcampaign.org 

Real Bread is on the rise! 

Chris Young, Project Officer, the Real Bread Campaign

Chew your food like a grazing cow.

You’ve seen them in the field, with their jaws swaying from side-to-side as they munch on grass.

By chewing for longer you can savour the flavour and your digestive system will thank you for it.

Chewing food to an almost liquid form will boost the efficiency of your digestive system and you will be rewarded with a general improvement in wellbeing.