Gut Instinct
Summertime and the living is easy, right? Well, yes. Who doesn’t love lazier, warmer days, eating al fresco, exploring new places, savouring unknown platefuls of local produce in drowsy, heat-laden tavernas, and sampling a rainbow of local cocktails? Well, your gut, that’s who. As the engine room of your health and well-being, your gut microbiome – home to trillions of microorganisms influencing many aspects of your life, health, and mood – can find the summer months quite challenging.
With the autumn, and dare we say it, even winter with all of its coughs and sneezes, looming over the horizon, now is exactly the ideal time to get to grips with your gut microbiome to make sure you’re ready for that ‘back to school’ feeling, even if you left the school gates, decades ago.
Goodwood Health & Wellbeing stages a range of relaxed, transformative, intimate retreats at the heart of the 11,000-acre estate at the foot of the South Downs in Sussex. With an overriding emphasis on gut health support and education, the retreats offer science-backed, easy-to-access information, activities and support. Retreats are designed to help you reset your health and enjoy a happier, healthier and more vital life, even into older age.
Headed up by clinical nutritionist Stephanie Moore, Goodwood’s retreats welcome men and women of all ages and at all kinds of levels of general health. Stephanie is a font of knowledge and experience on health and wellbeing and imparts an incredible amount of down-to-earth, easily followable advice to put into practice at home.
Of this time of year, she says:
“We can all start to feel the pull of autumn as we get to the last days of August. For some, this means an end to unstructured, care-free days with your children and a return to the more frantic rush of the back-to-school period. For others, it can signify an end to sociable, warm days spent travelling, or enjoying activities outdoors with friends and being more hibernation-like over the cooler months.
“Either way, it’s a good idea to get into a great morning routine starting with a proper protein-based breakfast,” she continues. “Get used to feeding yourself, and the family, good quality food. Eggs are always a good choice at breakfast time, for any age. Eggy bread is simple and quick to do and will set you, or your children, up for a productive day with no sugar spikes to disrupt concentration at school, at work, or just when going about your daily routine. While you’ve still hopefully got a bit more time on your hands, why not attempt to get that change in breakfast choices introduced now?
“If you or your family can’t face the idea of an egg at breakfast time, or you don’t have the time to cook in your morning rush, try some plain organic yoghurt with berries, kiwi and green apples. This combination is always lovely. This can be a better option than resorting to toast and jam or breakfast cereal. These foods contain refined carbohydrates and sugar, which can cause an energy crash shortly after eating. They also lead to ‘rebound hunger’ meaning your body doesn’t feel full, so you eat more to compensate. Getting yourself into a better breakfast routine in August means that your children will be more likely to follow suit, which will set you all up for those busy months ahead.”
As well as food choices making a big difference to your life, Stephanie and the team at Goodwood Health & Wellbeing are firm proponents of mindfulness to combat autumnal rising stress levels. Stephanie adds:
“It’s a good idea to really take a moment for yourself, especially when things are beginning to feel a bit too much. By stopping, introspecting, looking inwards, and taking a few nice deep breaths, you instantly feel calmer – and can remind yourself that this will all pass soon. And remember, you are off to a flying start if you make sure that you and the family are eating good food, keeping hydrated, and getting a good amount of sleep to see you through as the earth turns its face towards the darker months.”
The gut/brain connection has been long proven and is now seen as the foundation of good overall mental and physical health. Encouraging healthy gut flora boosts immunity and helps with pro-aging, and the good news is that it’s never too late to reset and heal your gut, bringing you health benefits almost straight away.
By adding healthy fats, plenty of fibre and protein, complex carbohydrates and a wide range of plants, as well as good quality organic meat into your diet, your body, even the happy summer version, will thank you for it.
Goodwood’s wellness retreats are based at the Goodwood Hotel, right in the centre of the Goodwood Estate and run all year round. Led by experts in their fields and using the latest science in this exciting arena of emerging knowledge, the residential five-day gut health retreats allow guests to really step away from their everyday lives, take stock, learn how to build, and importantly maintain a healthy gut, connect with like-minded people and enjoy the support of the team even when they’ve returned home.
Head of Wellbeing, Jen Evans-Brewer, says:
“Life-long friendships are made on a Goodwood retreat. We are always delighted to see how our guests, who often arrive alone, quickly bond with the group, help and support each other, and enjoy many moments of fun and laughter too.
“Because all of our meals are plentiful and specially prepared by our team of expert chefs who are well-versed in what makes up a delicious gut-healthy plateful, there are real moments of bonding and pleasure around the communal table each day,” Jen adds. “People are often surprised at just how much they are offered to eat, and with all of the produce coming from our very own organic farm, just half a mile away, the meat is sustainable, filling, and nourishing. Our guests certainly never feel hungry!”
To find out more about how you can take the first steps towards resetting your gut and helping yourself to better health, energy, and longevity, simply visit goodwood.com/health-retreats.
