How do you keep your gut healthy? Find out what Mumsnet users told Nairn’s Oatcakes

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Many of us are becoming more aware of how our gut can affect our overall wellbeing and the importance of taking care of it in order to stay healthy and happy. The majority of us have all been there when bloating and/or indigestion strikes, and this is why Nairn’s would love to hear your tips for maintaining good gut health.

Here is what Nairn’s have to say: “We’d like to think we know a thing or two about the superfood that is oats – we’ve been baking with them for over 100 years. We know how good oats are for your gut and we know that gut health as a topic is no flash in the pan either!

Oats are one of the foods that can help keep our gut healthy. They’re high in gentle fibre, which not only helps us stay regular, but also ‘feeds’ the friendly bacteria in the gut and helps keep the gut lining healthy. Oatcakes in particular can also be a good alternative to wheat-based products such as cereals and breads to keep our gut happy, as wheat can trigger digestive problems for some. The topic itself can be a bit daunting to the less familiar, so it makes sense for us to work with some lovely experts to help us spread that Good Gut Feeling in a simple, accessible, achievable way. Our website covers a number of Good Gut Health areas including The Family, Fitness and Managing a Free From Diet so do drop by and check them out. In the meantime, don’t be shy, and please share your own tips and tricks – they’ll really help others, and we can’t wait to hear them.”

What are your go-to and no-go foods and drinks when it comes to maintaining a healthy gut? How have you been eating oats outside of your morning porridge? If you already eat oatcakes, how do you eat yours? How do you encourage your family to follow in your footsteps? Did you find you had any digestive problems when you were/are pregnant and how did you deal with this? Or maybe you noticed some surprising benefits to keeping your gut health in check (e.g. a new-found spring in your step or blemish-free skin)?

Whatever your advice for maintaining a healthy gut, share your experiences on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list) and a bumper box of Nairn’s Oatcakes.

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

I start the morning with overnight oats, and use almond milk, if I have some, I throw in a handful of blueberries when they area in season, which sets me up for the day. I used to suffer bloating and this breakfast has helped enormously. I usually have a blended home made soup for lunch, my latest favourite is butternut squash, carrot and coriander followed by a pro-biotic yogurt. I am conscious about what I eat and what I feed my family to keep their gut and digestive system healthy.

I have IBS so have to be careful what I eat - I use the FODMAP diet (with variations because some of the things on there I am fine with). I am allergic to gluten so have to use glutenfree oats and millet though the rest of the family use "ordinary" oats as porridge in the winter. I cook from scratch all the time so know exactly what we are all eating. I eat foods which are considered prebiotic to help my gut but have never found a probiotic that didn't cause me pain!

My gut has never felt so good since cutting out sugar and eating a low carb/high fat diet. But if I ever feel as though something is not quite right in there, a mug of bone broth sorts it out a treat...

I'm vegetarian and eat a high fibre diet, with vast amounts of vegetables and wholegrains, including oats a couple of times a week for breakfast. I also take probiotics if I'm run down.

I should do more but yoghurt gives me stomach ache, probiotic drinks give me diarrhoea, fruit also is a bit hit & miss as to whether I can eat it. I also don't like porridge or cereals... I do quite like flapjack... Not tried oatcakes myself but I did used to feed them to the DC. Might have to get some again & actually try one before the DC eat them all!

I loved the Nairns ginger oatcakes when pregnant. Still do though DD is now 8!

We try and eat a heathy diet with lots of fruit, veg and limiting processed food. We like eating oatcakes instead of bread as they seem healthier.

I take probiotics.

I love porrige but not so keen in the summer. I always try to eat yoghurt every day as I think it's good for me. I like oatcakes but realise I son't eat them that much anymore - I think because I've tried to cut down on cheese.

We eat porridge, overnight oats with nuts, seeds and flax, oatibix and a large amount of Nairns (has to be Nairns) thick triangle oatcakes, say 3 packs a week, often in place of sweet biscuits. I do like Stockans too, but they don't seem to exist in England. I should try and make my own, really.

I like making a sandwich with two oatcakes and peanut butter in the middle, sometimes for breakfast.

I can't get the thin ones or the mini ones easily in England.

I also like the ginger oat biscuits and always have a pack in my handbag. The fruit and seeds ones are nice too.

The dcs all eat oatcakes and oats and always have done. Maybe it's our Scottish roots.

If I had to give up bread or oatcakes I'd easily say bread.

I also make yoghurt and put that on the overnight oats. I also eat tons of veg and fruit and take a probiotic drink once a day.

I have non-coeliac gluten allergy, so gluten gives me joint pain and stomach problems.

I love Nairns oat cakes and have eaten them for years, my favourite topping are:

Tinned sardines in oil
Tuna mayo and sweet corn
Egg mayo
Cucumber, cream cheese and smoked salmon
Chicken, sundried tomatoes and some black olives

Or just dipped in some lovely hummus

I like those actimel yogurts.

I've cut down on carbs and eat yoghurt every day with a spoonful of linseed.
We generally cook from scratch and have a reasonably balanced diet.
I definitely feel the difference when I eat too much carbs or sugar or junk food

I've luckily never had any gut issues; I don't think I do anything special though so no tips. I guess its the same as overall health; balanced diet and plenty of water.

I do care for my gut, a family history of bowel cancer has made me aware of the need to keep things good in that area! I have enjoyed Nairn for quite a few years, I tend to stick to the fine milled as they are my all time favourite, I love them with cheese, hummus , cucumber or peanut butter. I have enjoyed other varieties , but come back to the fine milled.It was really easy to have a packet at work with a variety of toppings to hand, the individual packs keep everything fresh. I also eat porridge nearly every morning,though I do sometimes have a quality granola with proper organic Greek yogurt. The other thing I try to eat is as many different sorts of vegetables as I can as I have read that gut flora flourish on a varied diet. for the same reason I limit the amount of sugar in my diet, though I do have a weakness for the odd piece of home made flapjack with apricots , I kid myself that the oats cancel out the syrup!

Being in Scotland a lot of porridge and oatcakes are consumed in my house!
Dc especially loves the space ship berry mini oatcakes but we've not seen them in tescos for a while, I do hope they weren't discontinued.

Bread doesn't really agree with me although I love it

Since before pregnancy, I have been a healthy eater generally. Hit my 5 a day at least. I take a glassful of Goats Milk Kefir every morning which helps my IBS. My IBS did clear a bit during pregnancy but is back to being a problem again now baby has been born. I follow a low lactose diet which also helps. I enjoy porridge in winter and have oatcakes on occasion for a change.

Loads of veg some fruit. No white bread and minimal processed baked stuff. Shocking attitude towards food hygiene. I often drop stuff and still eat it, sometimes it's out of date, won't bother washing my hands ( for myself only, I am very good and considerate when cooking for others!) I think I ingest a considerable dose of bacteria being a finger and nail biter too. I've never worried for myself in this regard and I'm really pretty hardy. Very seldom ill or sick. May be unrelated but because I have food gut health I know instantly when I've eaten something that is bad for it. So sweets, white bread, cakes etc. Do like oatcakes too. Didn't think of them as beneficial in anyway but loads better than a digestive as a snack with a cuppa.

For my family i cook from scratch & avoid processed food - plenty fruit & veg to keep a balanced diet. I drink cuppas of peppermint tea & water daily - not just to.keep tummy happy but i just like.it ! My youngest has allergies so she drinks oat milk and her snacks are either fruit or Oatcakes with marmite or violife cheese spread !

I eat limited carbs, around my workout. Also, I only eat brown wheat like wholewheat chicken wraps, and Home made granary bread. Also, I eat lots and lots of veg, eat high protein and drink lots of water. I'm an athlete, so I have a pretty strict diet. But I love it. I feel healthy and strong. Actually, I (and my OH) eat oat cakes with whole grain and seeds peanut butter on refeed days.. so good. Our go to snacks would be oat cakes for our kids too- they love them. Amazing. Or nuts.
Basically, for us, no sugar, good fats and protein is perfect...

I’ve grown up on oatcakes, so it’s so interesting to hear about people discovering them! I give any restaurant that offers bread with their cheese a Paddington Bear hard stare and say ‘Haven’t you any oatcakes?’

My ideas about diet are quite old-fashioned and so I look for ‘balance’ and ‘variety’. I’m always pleased to remember oats when I feel we need a greater variety in our carbs. I make my own granola with oats, I eat quite a lot of raw oats (you don’t really have to soak them overnight - just stick them in a bowl with some grated apple, milk, and lemon juice, adding nuts or berries as you will) and I recommend a pack of oatcakes and a tub of hummus as a petrol station snack for anyone who doesn’t like sandwiches.

I try to eat plenty fruit and veg, I believe in prunes. But the only thing I consume that my gut feeds back to me on is coffee. I like black coffee every morning and no more in the rest of the day.

avoid bread and pasta- keeps the bloatyness away

Bone broth and a probiotic capsule. Natural yoghurt with oats and honey is a great supper for the children if they haven't eaten much that day

I eat a lot less bread and pasta than I used to, and make meals from scratch.

I avoid wheat as it doesn't take a huge amount to upset me. It makes me very windy and bloated, and my skin becomes very itchy snd scaly.

I like oats. A good porridge is so nice. Muesli with oats (no wheat), nuts and minimal fruit is also nice. Crumble topping made with flour, porridge oats and ground almonds in a 2:2:1 ratio is lush.

I feel so-so about straight oatcakes, but I like the seeded sort, and I lurrrrve Nairn's oat biscuits, especially the chocolate ones. Dc1 loves the ginger ones, dc2 loves the red berries ones and dc3 loves the fruit and spice ones. Dh says he doesn't know which he likes, as by the time he gets to the packets, they're all gone!