Now the country seems to be in a severe lockdown and we are going through the holiday period, take some time and reflect on how important your health is and please enjoy some time with your family if you can.

If you are lucky enough to be in the same household, learn to relax when you’re eating – chew your food properly. If you want to recreate perfect digestion then chew every mouthful for every year you have been on this planet.

In my case I’m chewing 52 times... soon to be 53. In this busy world we often find we don’t have enough time but one of the worst things we are all guilty of is rushing and working when we eat. It’s important to understand the body in more detail. The reason people are taking too much acid reflux medication is mainly down to being unable to digest food efficiently because they are eating it while the body is in a sympathetic stage.

The body can only digest efficiently no matter how good the food is if you put it into your system when it is in the parasympathetic stage. When the body is in a sympathetic stage, it can activate itself to go into fight or flight mode. This can vary in degrees but stress at work or home can trigger it.

The body can release large quantities of adrenaline, which can make it more difficult for the body to digest food properly It’s better not to sit down to a meal when you’re stressed or busy and to just sip on soup or a fully-loaded dairy-free smoothie until your body calms down.

When the body is in a parasympathetic stage it means it is in the rest and digest zone. It stimulates salivation, increases digestion, decreases heart rate and inhibits adrenaline production. For anyone who is suffering with their digestive system, which greatly affects your mental health, please start looking at your lifestyle ready for a new year in a new world. For those of you with an excellent one, look after it so it doesn’t become inefficient Take care of each other.

It’s best not to sit down to a meal when you’re busy or stressed