This GPs ‘8 to 8’ eating rule might just be the healthiest change you make this year

There is so much talk about gut health lately, and how important this is to pretty much everything else when it comes to our bodies and how well we are feeling.

In fact, several studies have even linked poor gut health to everything from depression to issues with weight and hormones too. Eating to keep our gut healthy has become big business, with new supplements and 'miracle cures' being advertised daily, and books and blogs keeping up a constant stream of do's and dont's for us to digest – literally. However, there might be one simple change you can make that will end up having the biggest impact of them all when it comes to how healthy your gut is. Speaking to Get The Gloss, TV doctor, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, recently revealed one simple diet tweak we should all be following.

For optimum gut health, Dr Chatterjee suggested adopting a '8 'till 8' eating rule – and says it will make a huge difference to your overall health.

What he refers to on with this rule is consuming all your food in a 12-hour window, from 8am until 8pm. This, the experts reveals, can help with some many health niggles, from your weight to your immune system. "Try confining your eating window to 12 hours," Chatterjee recommended. "Research shows that changing when you eat as well as what you eat can be beneficial in terms of weight loss, immune function, blood sugar balance and the health of your gut microbiome.

'If you give your gut bugs a break, you encourage the growth of other bacteria that help to clean out your gut lining."

Think it sounds tricky? I have tried it, and really – it's not that hard. For most of the 12 hours you are not meant to be eating you are asleep anyway, and reallt – having breakfast at 8am and no food after 8pm isn't all that hard.

"It’s achievable for most of us," explains Dr. Chatterjee. "And the research indicates that it’s good in terms of longevity. It makes sense in terms of studies around circadian rhythms, and it’s a bit like sleeping – you need to give your brain a break. Same with your gut."