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Best Foods for Gut Health!

When it comes to your gut health, nothing is more important then what you eat and drink. Your microbiome is affected by your diet, but the good news is your body can create new microbiota within 24 hours, just by changing what you eat.

For a healthy gut, studies have shown eating more foods that contain fiber, probiotics and prebiotics are essential. While taking Probiotic or Prebiotic supplements can be helpful, what you eat is by far the most important.

yogurt parfait

So what foods should we eat to keep our gut flourishing?

Fiber Rich Foods

The recommended daily amount of fiber intake is 25 grams for women, and 38 grams for men. However, most Americans don’t even get close to consuming this amount. If you don’t meet this amount daily, start increasing your fiber intake gradually, and drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

Foods high in fiber:

Legumes (chickpeas, lentils, peas, all different types of beans) just one cup of legumes is half your daily intake of fiber. Try adding hummus to your sandwiches or as a vegetable dip for a snack, or add a side of black beans to your dinner.

beans and legumes

Whole fruits and vegetables: Pretty much all fruits and vegi’s have fiber but some are extra high in fiber, check these out:

  • Artichoke. 10.3 grams of fiber per artichoke.
  • Raspberries & Blackberries. 8 grams of fiber.
  • Dark colored vegetables: collard greens, swiss chard, carrots, broccoli, beets. Around 4 grams of fiber.
  • Exotic fruits: mango and guava. 5 and 9 grams of fiber.

Try starting your day with a fruit and vegetable smoothie, it’s a super easy way to add fiber to your diet, and it tastes delicious! Check out The Healthy Gut Smoothie!

green smoothie

Whole grains including: high fiber cereals, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, barley, bran, bulgur, and whole grain bread.

whole grain oatmeal bowl

Probiotic & Prebiotic

Probiotic and prebiotic rich foods can give your gut healthy microorganisms to crowd out the unhealthy bacteria. Studies have shown it can improve bacteria imbalance in the gut, immune function, relieve digestion, and heal stomach related issues.

For centuries people have been fermenting their food, and it’s no wonder that people from countries such as Japan and Korea (who regularly consume fermented foods) live so long.

Probiotic and prebiotic rich foods:

  • Kimchi: Fermented cabbage made with different spices and ingredients. One of my favorite fermented foods, a great to addition to Buddha bowls, Ramen, or as a side dish.
kimchi fermented vegetables
  • Sauerkraut: I’m not a huge fan of sauerkraut (maybe on a hot dog, which I rarely eat anymore) but I’ve been trying to sneak it into my meals. Add it to sushi, or a small amount to a smoothie and you can’t even taste it. Remember when you’ve eaten all the kraut from the jar, don’t throw away the brine, use it in salad dressing, or shoot-it for a strong gut healer.
  • Miso: I love me some miso soup when I’m sick, but this soybean has a whole lot of other uses. Keep some miso paste in your fridge and add it to salad dressings, soups, sauces, and miso-mayo. Yum!
  • Kefir: I always have a bottle of kefir in my fridge because it’s one of the MOST probiotic rich foods on the planet. Coconut kefir is my favorite because it’s dairy free, and has no added sugar.
kefir with muesli
  • Tempeh: This fermented soybean food is full of healthy bacteria. Try marinating it and add it to stir fry, or in a whole grain sandwich for a mock BLT.
  • Pickled vegetables: My husband’s favorite food is Korean, and thankfully they offer a ton of pickled vegetables. Pickles and pickled vegetables are high in antioxidants and probiotics, but not all pickled foods are fermented. Try making your own, or only purchasing fresh pickled vegetables (stored in the cold section in stores).

3 More foods your gut will love!

  • Ground Flaxseed– Flax is a power-house seed, that fuels your gut flora and is filled with antioxidants. It’s a staple in my cabinet, I throw it in smoothies, on aćai bowls, salads, stews, you name it.
  • Garlic- Who doesn’t love garlic? A recent study found that garlic boosted the creation of good microbes in the gut. Yay, just another reason to eat garlic.
  • Seaweed- Studies have shown that high seaweed intake increases good gut bacteria. Add it to soup, eat it as a snack, or put some Furikake Seasoning on your rice, fish, or salads.

I hope you can add more of these foods to your diet, and If you love this article, share it on your favorite social media app below =) mahalo!

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The Best Morning Habit Ever and its FREE!

If I told you all it takes is one small morning habit to fire up your metabolism, rehydrate, flush toxins, clean your colon (as in poop right away), and increase your level of alertness, what would you say?  Sign me up right?!  Well all it takes is starting your morning with a big ol glass of H2O. Yup water!  I wanted to write a blog about this, because I am super passionate about it!

After waking up, brushing my teeth, and of course taking my dogs out, I immediately fill a large mason jar with cold filtered water and add a lemon slice.  Sometimes I mix it up with lime or cucumber slices, you can get fancy with it if you want.  Then I pretty much guzzle it, but you can take your time it doesn’t really matter, as long as your starting your day with at least 22oz of water (I drink a 32oz mason jar).

Check out these 5 ways it’s changed my life!

  • Pooping first thing!  I had to start off with this one, because it’s helped me so much!  Growing up I struggled with constipation  (I know, i’m sorry TMI).   My diet was definitely to blame (typical American diet of hot dogs and candy, ugh), but as I got older and changed my diet the pooping got better.  However, its never been as good as it is now, after starting my day with 32oz of water! I literally drink my water and within 10 minutes head to the bathroom.  Yay for pooping stories!
  • Increases your level of alertness!  Did you know your brain is 75% water? WOW (I just learned this after a google search, haha).  It makes sense then that when your not properly hydrated your brain wont function right, you will feel tired, moody and sluggish.
  • Fire up your metabolism!  Drinking a cold glass of water after you wake up gets your metabolism firing.  One study showed it increases your metabolism by 24% within the first 90 minutes!  Which is great when you do a morning workout like me, you fire that metabolism for your workout.
  • Flush those toxins!  It’s the kidneys job to rid your body of toxins, but it cant do its job if your not drinking enough water. Getting fluids into your body first thing in the morning will help your kidneys flush those toxins.
  • Rehydrate!  Ok this one is obvious right?!  But really after sleeping 7-8 hours all night, you might not feel thirsty, but your body needs fluids!  You’ve probably heard it before, but when you actually become thirsty, your probably already dehydrated!

I hope these 5 facts will help you in starting your day right with some H2O!  Along the lines of water, check out my blog on: The Best Purchase I’ve Made in a Long Time! 

I love to hear from my readers, if you have any questions or comments, please do so below!

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8 Signs You Need a Gut Reboot!

Centuries ago the Greek Physician Hippocrates once said “all disease begins in the gut”, what a wise man he was.  Of course, not ALL disease begins in the gut, however, there is a ton of evidence that many chronic diseases do in fact begin in the gut!  Many scientists, doctors and researchers are now seeing how important gut health is to your overall health.

Now i’m definitely no expert, but I completely believe in the old saying “if you eat good, you feel good”.  Because the gut is so connected to other parts of your body, including; your brain, immune system, and other organs, there are distinguishing symptoms implying that your gut needs a reboot.  Here is what to look for:

  • You cant seem to lose weight.  

Do you workout and eat healthy but still seem to struggle with your weight especially around the midline?  Your gut bacteria can influence your metabolism, food cravings and how many calories your body absorbs from the food you eat, making it harder to lose weight and keep it off.

  • You get sick all the time.

You have probably heard this before, but most of your immune system is in your gut.  So if your gut is off balance, you’re going to be more susceptible to getting sick.  Instead of reaching for medications to fight off a cold, you want to boost your immunity by working on your gut health.

  • You’re constantly tired and have a lack of focus.

This is a pretty complex issue, but the short explanation is: it’s your guts job to digest the food and break it down for energy.  So if your gut is imbalanced, you may not be getting the energy you need from  the food you’re eating, causing you to feel tired all the time.  The Real Reason your so Tired all the Time explains the top 3 reasons for being exhausted 24/7.

  • Break outs, skin rashes or eczema.

The skin is the largest organ in the body, so if your skin is going crazy, thats usually a sign of whats happening in your gut.  You may have noticed that when you eat well, your skin is glowing.  Yet when you eat junk food, it shows all over your face.  This is a clear sign your skin is affected by your gut health.

  • You feel anxious, moody, or depressed.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that sends signals from one part of the brain to the other, and it’s important in regulating your mood.  However, did you know serotonin is actually located in your gut?  No wonder the gut is known as “the second brain”.  Whether you’re feeling anxious, depressed, moody, or just straight up meh, your gut is to blame!

  • You’re bloated, constipated or gassy.

Ok this one is pretty obvious, digestion issues like bloating, constipation and gas is definitely linked to gut heath.  But instead of just treating these issues with medications, get to the root of the problem and heal your gut!

  • You have arthritis or joint pain.

This one came as a surprise to me, but it makes sense that arthritis: a painful inflammation and stiffness in the joints, would be caused by “the not so good gut bacteria”.  In fact just in the last couple years there has been a ton of research on this subject.  Functional medicine pioneer Dr. Susan Blum said about healing from arthritis, “taking time to dig deeper for systemic imbalances that could potentially contribute to a patient’s pain symptoms — and for many, the gut is the best place to start”.  Check out her research  “To treat arthritis, first heal the gut” to learn more about it.

I think it’s safe to say, if you’re having any of these issues your gut may be to blame!  I would love to hear from you, please comment below with any questions or comments.