Delicious Cherry Spinach Smoothie!

Delicious Cherry Spinach Smoothie!
I love finding different smoothie recipes because I try my best to incorporate at least one into my day everyday. This one is delicious, has anti-inflammatory foods and supports your gut health; a win all around!

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup plain organic coconut yogurt 
  • 1 cup organic frozen cherries
  • ½ cup organic baby spinach leaves
  • ¼ cup mashed ripe avocado
  • 1 tablespoon organic salted almond butter
  • 1 (1/2 inch) piece peeled ginger
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds, plus more for garnish
Instructions:
1. Add everything into a blender and blend until smooth or your desired consistency! Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from EatingWell.com

Why You Need Sweet Potatoes in Your Diet

Why You Need Sweet Potatoes in Your Diet
When it comes to changing our diet, we often think that we need to remove things like carbs and sugars, which isn’t always the case! The importance of feeling good and supporting your gut health is to eat a balanced diet packed with all foods. Carbs can play their own role in support you!

Sweet potatoes are actually a great food to eat to support your gut. Not only do they have anti-inflammatory properties, but sweet potatoes have plenty of gut-friendly fiber too! There are so many different ways to eat sweet potatoes to fuel your body and leave your gut feeling good. I love finding different recipes to incorporate them into my diet even though I absolutely had a love hate with them for many years.

But what I discovered and read excited me was the Japanese sweet potato and the purple sweet potato that just aren't as sweet and you can use them in a lot of different ways like baking 😊

Sweet potatoes have about 6 grams of fiber in one cup cooked and are also a good source of prebiotics like oligosaccharides, which help improve the balance of your gut bacteria and overall gut health.

Sweet Potato Toast
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes (small, ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise)
1 avocado (peeled and mashed)
1/3 cup sauerkraut
1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions:
Pop the sweet potato slices in the toaster and toast 2-3 times. Or set your oven to broil and bake on a sheet for 3-6 minutes per side, until golden brown.
Top with mashed avocado, sauerkraut and sea salt.

This recipe has sauerkraut which is a gut powerhouse food! Whether you make your own or you buy one in the refrigerated section of your grocery store with brands like Wildbrine, Cleveland Kraut and others that you can find at your local farmers market! Raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut contains beneficial probiotics that generally do not survive the pasteurization process, so again in that refrigerated section and you can read on the label whether or not it has been pasteurized.

Looking for more gut friendly recipes? Be sure to grab my Gut Health Made Easy Guide here!

The Goodness of Clove for Your Gut Health

The Goodness of Clove for Your Gut Health
Essential oils are truly amazing when you learn about what they can do for you and how they can serve your body. There are so many different ones that can support your gut health, but today I want to focus on Clove Vitality! Clove Vitality is a powerhouse oil that can help regulate your bowel movements and work as an anti-fungal to remove parasites and candida.

Candida is a type of yeast that naturally resides in your gut. In moderation, it's harmless. But, when the balance is disrupted, Candida can overgrow, potentially leading to a range of health issues. Certain factors can cause the Candida to increase in levels in your gut; such as sugar and antibiotics. Candida loves sugar, so a diet rich in refined sugars and carbs can contribute to overgrowth; same with antibiotics! These can disrupt the balance of gut bacteria, paving the way for Candida overgrowth.

Join my weekly newsletter here to learn more about implementing essential oils into your daily routine!

Drinking tea has become one of my favorite ways to consume essential oils to support my body and gut health. Please be advised and review any warning labels before consuming essential oils. I only consume Young Living Essential Oils because they have been marked by the FDA as safe for consumption.


To make a tea with clove essential oil, add 1 to 2 drops in warm water and you can drink 1-3 times daily← some people find this too much, especially if you’re not used to drinking essential oils, and of course purity matters!-read your labels! A lot of them will tell you straight up not to consume them or put them on your skin, so don’t.


**Be sure to dilute the essential oil, as clove extract is actually quite a powerful substance. Clove oil also blends quite well with other essential oils so you could add in cinnamon and some lemon and honey and make it a yummy comfort tea!**

Nutrition Tips for Pregnant Mamas

Nutrition Tips for Pregnant Mamas
As someone who is passionate about nutrition and has been pregnant before, I find it hard to believe the lack of education when it comes to nourishing your body while pregnant. Especially when it comes to gut health which plays a HUGE role in your body and overall health.

When I was taking microbiology for my nutrition and dietetics degree we talked about the different bacteria present in our gut, but that the science was really new and we didn’t know too much. That statement is still being said today, and in theory, still true. I don’t think we’ll ever know literally everything about the body, but we do know that certain strains of bacteria have been shown to be present or not present during certain health conditions.

When you are pregnant, your body is constantly changing and you have the potential to be given different diagnoses that you might not normally be when you aren’t pregnant.  One of those diagnoses is gestational diabetes. It’s actually been observed that pregnant women who have gestational diabetes have different levels of certain bacteria in their gut throughout their pregnancy. One specific bacteria is important and aids in breaking down fiber in your diet to help promote gut balance; which means it's important! Consuming a fiber-rich, balanced diet can help support the levels of this helpful microorganism.

Another study showed that a diet packed with fiber, legumes, vegetable, fruit, and nut intake are associated with an increase in butyrate; a powerhouse for pregnant mamas (We talked about butyrate last week!)

So bottom line, balancing out some of those fruits and veggies, along with other nutrient dense foods can be really helpful when it comes to keeping your microbiome healthy during pregnancy!

Grab my Gut Health Made Easy Guide HERE to learn about supporting your gut and feeling good!

Oatmeal Protein Balls

Oatmeal Protein Balls
I love having these protein balls on a hand for moments when I have a sweet tooth and need something to satisfy that craving! They're delicious and help keep me full. 

Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1½ cups organic Rolled Oats (I use these)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I use this one because of it’s ingredients) 
Pinch of Sea Salt
2 tbsp shredded or desiccated Coconut

Wet Ingredients
½ cup organic Almond Butter/spread (or other nut or seed butter/spread)
¼ cup Honey or Maple syrup (to taste)
1 tsp Vanilla extract (optional)
1 drop Nutmeg essential oil (to taste)
1 drop Cinnamon Bark essential oil (to taste)
3 tbsp Coconut or Almond Milk (I use this one) 

Optional Additions
½ cup Raisins, currents and/or other finely chopped dried fruit
½ cup Chocolate Chips
1 – 2 tsp Chia Seeds
Melted Chocolate (for dipping the balls in)

Instructions:
1. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl place and stir well to combine.
2. Add in the wet ingredients except the coconut milk and any of the optional additions and stir to combine. The mixture will be sticky and crumbly.
3. Slowly add in the coconut the coconut milk 1 tbsp at a time. Using your hands, combine the mixture until it holds together. If the mixture is too dry add a little more coconut milk and mix again. Do not add too much liquid or the balls will not hold their shape.
4. You can use a tablespoon/scoop to measure the oat mixture so they are the same size. Roll the balls by hand and chill for at least 25 – 30 minutes to help them set before serving. You can keep this refrigerated for up to 1 week.
 
Read Older Updates Read Newer Updates