Consuming processed food and having a diet with an increased sugar intake can actually have effects on your gut health. These kinds of foods can eliminate the good bacteria in your gut leaving you susceptible to inflammation and other gut troubles. Pretty much everything around the gut is related to everything else in the body (in case ya didn’t know)! You may have noticed after consuming excessive sugar or alcohol that your face breaks out…. That’s because it disrupts your gut!
My new client that I’m working with is looking to lower her elevated insulin levels and although there can be a lot that goes into this, one really big aspect we’re diving into is, you guessed it, gut health. It’s a great place to start and make sure things are in order with your gut before moving on to other potential causes.
A lot of the research out there on this relationship is fairly new and more studies need to be run but a few studies have shown that those with higher levels of Coprococcus bacterium tend to have a higher level of insulin sensitivity. This means that the cells of the body are able to use blood glucose more effectively (which is what you want). Coprococcus bacterium is a type of good bacteria in your gut that we want to nourish and support with good foods.
A lot of times we look for the “quick fix”, but that’s not always the case. This is not one of the strains that you can pop a probiotic and walk away - it's one that is best obtained by consuming foods such as onions, leeks, asparagus, garlic and artichokes as Coprococcus feeds on the oligosaccharides within those as well as polyphenol-rich foods like berries, cocoa, green tea and grapes. That’s a lot of fancy words, but basically we want to eat good foods to support the good bacteria in our gut!
Gain access to my Gut Health Made Easy Guide HERE that is packed with tips, resources and recipes to support your gut!
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
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!
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.
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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!**
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!
