Mid-way through Healthy Eating Week (Monday 12th - Sunday 18th), new research has found that UK adults are not doing enough to ensure our guts are as healthy as the rest of our body.

In fact, the research by YouGov and MOJU has found that 74% of Brits are not eating the recommended amount of plants needed to fuel the gut – meaning even when we’re feeling full, the majority of us are running on empty. Despite the fact gut health has gained popularity on social media (the hashtag #guthealth has nearly five billion views on TikTok), few of us know how to maintain our own gut health.

But to do so is hugely important for our overall health - gut health aids in the digestion of the foods we eat, absorbs nutrients, and uses it to fuel and maintain our bodies. When our guts are imbalanced our immune system doesn’t function properly, and serotonin and hormone levels struggle too, making it more challenging to stay healthy. Gut health is vital in keeping the rest of our body functioning to the best of its ability.

While some symptoms of poor gut health are recognisable, with the research finding that irregular bowel movements (79%), and bloating (76%) are all identifiable by the majority of UK adults, other symptoms were recognised by only half of respondents, including anxiety (20%), insomnia (22%), trouble concentrating (24%), headaches (30%), sugar cravings (34%), poor mood (36%), skin issues (42%) and tiredness (49%).