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Winter can sometimes feel like a tougher season for your gut. As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, we tend to spend more time indoors, move a little less, reach for more comforting foods and find our normal routines shifting. Even things like our water intake, sleep and stress levels can change without us really noticing.
I’ve spent the last few years building simple, consistent practices to support my gut health all year round. Here are my top 6 habits to start before winter.
Check in on your fibre intake
Fibre is one of the first things to look at when thinking about gut health. In fact, only 4% of UK adults meet the recommended 30g of fibre per day. Start by looking at where you could naturally add a little more fibre to meals you’re already eating. That could mean adding beans or lentils to a chilli, sprinkling nuts or seeds over breakfast, choosing wholegrain options or keeping the skin on your potatoes. If your current fibre intake is quite low, increase it gradually rather than suddenly doubling it overnight. This gives your gut time to adjust and can help reduce digestive discomfort.
Eat a bigger variety of plants to and feed your gut bacteria
"Plants" doesn't just mean vegetables and fruits. Wholegrains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices all count towards the variety in our diet. They provide different types of fibre and plant compounds that can feed the beneficial bacteria living in our gut.
Try adding two different plant foods to your weekly shop, and don’t overlook tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables - they’re convenient, often cheaper, can help reduce food waste and are still packed with nutrients. Rather than focusing on one supposed “gut health superfood”, aim to eat a wider variety of plant foods across the week to increase your fibre and support a healthy gut microbiome.
Embrace fibre-rich winter meals
Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean salads all year round. In fact, some of the foods we naturally crave when it’s cold outside can be brilliant opportunities to increase fibre and plant variety in our diets. Think vegetable and bean soups, lentil curries, porridge topped with fruit, nuts and seeds, or a big stew packed with root vegetables.
Keep moving, even when it's cold
When it's dark before dinner or raining outside, getting your steps in can suddenly feel a lot less appealing. But regular movement doesn't just benefit our overall health and fitness, it can also support digestive function and regular bowel movements.
The important thing here is keeping it realistic -. A 10-minute walk after lunch, taking the stairs, walking while you make a phone call, or doing a short workout at home all count.
Stay hydrated
Hydration can easily slip as the temperature drops. When it's warmer outside, we're naturally much more conscious of drinking. In winter, thirst can feel less obvious and suddenly you've reached mid-afternoon and barely touched your water bottle.
Staying hydrated also becomes especially important if you're increasing your fibre intake, as fibre needs adequate fluid to help support normal bowel movements. Herbal teas can be a great way to stay hydrated alongside plain water in the colder months.
Prioritise sleep and stress management
Gut health isn't only about what goes on your plate! The gut-brain axis describes the two-way communication between your gut and brain, which is why mental and physical stress can sometimes affect digestion and how your gut feels.Prioritising sleep and implementing stress management techniques can really help when things feel out of your control. Journalling, meditation, yoga, structured to-do lists and focusing on your routine are all things that can help.
The best way to make these habits stick is to start small and build them into what you're already doing. Pick one or two things to focus on first, like adding an extra plant to your meals and once those start to feel automatic, build from there.
