“I don’t know what’s happened but all I want to eat each afternoon is peanut butter on a slice of grain bread,” my friend commented this week.

No, she’s not pregnant. But she has started a new job and hardly eats all day. No wonder her body is hanging out for a super combo of carbs, protein and healthy monounsaturated fat. That’s what you get in a peanut butter sandwich along with 1.5 grams of fibre per tablespoon of peanut butter. Spread it on wholemeal or grainy bread and the fibre could reach 5 or 6 grams – enough to tide a busy working mum through the hectic 4-6pm dinner rush.

It got me thinking about peanuts.

Why is there such an epidemic of people wanting gluten free foods? It’s a question that’s bugged me for a while and I wanted well researched, science based answers from an expert in digestive system disorders. Clarice Hebblethwaite of Digestive Health Services in Christchurch, New Zealand is just such an expert so I was thrilled to be able to chat with her last week and get her four key reasons for society’s escalating digestive problems.

Does your tummy gurgle and churn or bloat after a meal? There could be a simple solution – one that your parents or grandparents may have told you repeatedly as a child – chew your food! “Some of my patients have reduced their symptoms by 20-30% simply by chewing each mouthful 32 times,” says Clarice Hebblethwaite from ‘Dietary Specialists’ in Christchurch, New Zealand. Clarice is a NZ and UK registered dietitian, who specialises in helping people with digestive problems. She was also a chef for ten years so I guess she has seen the full spectrum of diners –

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in New Zealand and on a world ranking we’re way up there. Around 2500 New Zealanders develop bowel cancer each year and about 1000 die.

Considering there are just over 4 million of us, it’s pretty high. Bowel cancer is not so common in Maori people but those who do develop it are less likely to be diagnosed and therefore more likely to die.

Bowel cancers begin as polyps. As you can see in the picture, taken at virtual colonoscopy, these are small growths that can enlarge within your bowel on a stalk. As they grow bigger, the more chance there is of one of these turning into a killer -  a malignant cancer.

Bowel cancer is more common as you age but it’s never too early to get into healthy habits to cut your risk. Here’s the top 4 ways…

1. Physical activity
2. Fibre especially from wholegrains and fruit
3. Garlic
4. Calcium – have some low fat milk and yoghurt each day

From a diet perspective, here are the top 4 ways to increase your risk of bowel cancer?

1. Obesity, especially around the stomach
2. Processed meat such as sausages and salami
3. Red meat – it’s great for iron and zinc but keep it to less than 500 grams a week
4. Alcohol