There are a number of foods that can stay in your gut and cause prolonged digestion, which can lead to problems such as bloating and sluggishness.

To help prevent this, Adrienne Benjamin, Gut Health Nutritionist at ProVen Biotics, reveals the foods that you should avoid to protect your gut health.

1 Red meat: While red meat is a good source of nutrients, it can take up to 72 hours to leave your digestive system and lead to bloating and discomfort. Red meat is dense and high in protein, which makes it slow to break down in the stomach and intestines.

2 Fatty and greasy foods: Burgers, hot dogs and other fried foods take longer for the body to break down than other foods, which can lead to digestive problems such as abdominal pain and bloating.

3 Complex carbohydrates: Whilst complex carbohydrates take longer to digest than simple carbs (think bread, sweets, pastries), they are also more nourishing and there is a necessary balance between foods moving too quickly through the digestive system and nutrient absorption and energy provision. Although they stay in the gut longer, they also provide fibre for stool consistency and regularity, and a more steady stream of energy.

4 Sweets and fizzy drinks: Sweets, fizzy drinks, and baked goods like doughnuts, cakes and cookies are packed with refined sugars, which can feed certain species of bacteria in the gut. This can lead to these bacteria fermenting the sugar which can contribute to bloating and discomfort. These foods tend to travel through the gut quicker, but the by-products and side-effects produced by the bacteria that feed on these processed foods can linger.

5 Takeaways: Try to avoid eating too many takeaways, as they tend to consist of processed foods. The high levels of saturated and unhealthy fats in foods like burgers, fried chicken, fast-food pizzas, and Chinese takeaways, can impact digestion and lead to gut symptoms, such as bloating. They can cause sluggish digestion, discomfort, and maybe even diarrhoea.