10 Gut Healthy Foods I always have in my kitchen 👇🏻
These are some of the top foods that you will always find in my kitchen 🍋 🥑 🫐 🌱 A healthy gut thrives on a variety of different plant fibres, antioxidants, healthy fats and a well balanced diet. It’s important to get in mainly whole foods and reduce the amount of packaged foods you consume.
Lemons +ginger.
I add fresh lemon to my morning warm water or Yerba matte tea, squeeze on avocado toast or over cooked green veggies to enhance the absorption of iron, in smoothies and in sauces.
As for ginger, I love slicing it and making a fresh ginger tea (with lemon is great too!), in sauces, smoothies, stir fry’s - it’s incredible for digestion.
Fresh herbs and veg
Fresh herbs are a great way to add flavour to any dish and have incredible anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Dried can be great but look for organic and in glass jars. Fresh is best! My favourites:
Fresh dill on eggs or salmon
Fresh thyme + rosemary on chicken or homemade seed bread
Fresh cilantro on tacos or salads
Fresh parsley on salads + in sauces
Fresh mint in hot water as a tea or on salads
Fresh basil on spaghetti squash, homemade pizza or in pesto
The darker + more intense colour of the veg, the more powerful vitamins and minerals are in it! I love collard greens, arugula, Kale, asparagus, radicchio, cucumber and beets are my favourite!
Avocados
Avocados contain high levels of healthy, beneficial fats, which can help with satiety. Eating healthy fat also slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, which helps keep blood sugar levels stable. Avocados are an amazing source of potassium, fibre, vitamins C, E, K and B6 as well as omega 3 fatty acids. All of those vitamins are amazing for glowing skin, gut health and healthy weight management. I love using them for avocado toast, on salads, guacamole, with eggs, in wraps, frozen in smoothies and avocado mousse!
Chia Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame, Brazil Nuts, Walnuts, Ground Flaxseed, Pistachios, Sunflower Seeds, Macadamia Nuts
Seeds + certain nuts are a great source of plant-based healthy fats, fibre and minerals such as:
Iron, which helps you make proteins that carry oxygen-rich blood throughout your body Critical for bone health.
Calcium, which is essential for bone health.
Magnesium, helps with hydration, bowel and brain health. Most of us are low on this one.
Phosphorous, so important for many body functions, including repairing cells and filtering waste.
Organic Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is incredibly nutritious and healthy. It provides probiotics and vitamin K2, which are known for their health benefits, and many other nutrients. Eating sauerkraut may help you strengthen your immune system, improve your digestion, reduce your risk of certain diseases, improve your mood and reduce anxiety, and even maintain and healthy weight. Many varieties are pasteurised to extend their shelf-life which kills the beneficial bacteria, so it’s important to buy organic products kept in the fridge.
Castelverano Olives
Olives are both antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory, and contain incredible polyphenols which offer protection against oxidative stress and inflammation. The quality healthy fat they contain plus oleic acid and the polyphenols make them a powerful brain food for cognition and memory. Polyphenols are micronutrients that naturally occur in plants, vegetables and fruits and are crucial for overall health and immunity. I love having castelverano olives as a snack with soaked and toasted walnuts and organic lactose-free Lancere Parmesan cheese, with homemade pizza or spaghetti squash pasta.
Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha
Matcha has some of the most powerful health benefits unlike any other food, drink, or traditional green tea. Japanese Zen monks first learned its value 1000’s of years ago as a way to enhance their focus and keep them awake during long meditations for mental focus, cognitive performance and overall health and longevity.
Matcha is incredibly high in polyphenols, especially EGCG, which is known to reduce inflammation, protect the heart and brain from disease, and may help fight against cancer. EGCG also protects your body from the damaging effects of air pollution, harmful UV radiation, and chemicals used in our daily environment. Because matcha protects your skin from free radicals, you will notice how incredibly glowing your skin will be when drinking this consistently!
Matcha boosts your metabolism which can aid in healthy weight management, extended energy and improved blood flow to maximize workouts. I love making a matcha with MCT oil and cinnamon before a workout for an incredible smooth energy without a crash.
Another incredible benefits of matcha is the chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their beautiful green colour, and is used to convert energy from the sun into the fuel plants need to flourish and create the nutrients we need. Matcha green tea has high levels of chlorophyll, which may not directly flush toxins, heavy metals, and chemicals from your body, but it’s one of nature’s best indicators for the high concentrations of the key compounds that do. Make sure to look for the bright green matcha, this will guarantee a high content of antioxidants, polyphenols, and amino-acids which regulate our metabolism and clean our bodies from the inside out.
Read up more on matcha below! My favourite matcha is Matcha Kari
Organic Tahini
Tahini is ground sesame seeds, known to be used in hummus, and is packed with antioxidants which protect cells from free-radical damage, prevent cardiovascular disease and inhibiting cholesterol production. Not only that, it helps reduce inflammation, packed with healthy polyunsaturated fats and a great source of calcium. On top of that, it contains zinc, which contributes to glowing skin and is a good source of plant-based iron.
Organic Spirulina
Spirulina, a type of algae, contains very high concentrations of nutrients and vitamins, including protein, iron, potassium, zinc, calcium, and B vitamins.
It is a powerful detoxifier that contains proteins and peptides that bind to toxins and excretes them out of the body so they are not absorbed into the bloodstream. It also contains an antioxidant that fights off anything that could cause damage to your cells. If you feel a cold coming on—or everyone around you seems to be sick—it can't hurt to work some extra spirulina into your diet to give your immune cells that added layer of protection.
The antioxidant effect works in favor for blood pressure, too, by helping increase blood flow. Spirulina increases the production of nitric oxide, a gas molecule that helps widen blood vessels. That way, blood flows more easily and the heart doesn't have to work as hard.
It contains an amino acid called l-phenylalanine, which has been linked to assist in healthy weight management. It has also shown to improve workout endurance and performance as it may increase blood flow.
This one is for all the ladies out there! Spirulina can help balance vaginal bacteria by attracting candida cells and flushing them out of the body. This can also benefit your gut and brain health as well!
Last but not least, spirulina can be a great natural alternative to aid in seasonal allergies and other environmental factors such as pets and pollution
Wild Blueberries
Improved memory and overall brain health
The purple-blue anthocyanins found in wild blueberries protect the cardiovascular system, reducing blood pressure and reducing risk of clogged blood vessels and improve vision recovery after exposure to bright light (for example, helping you recover quicker after seeing bright headlights while driving at night) and possibly reducing the likelihood of cataracts
As a low-glycemic food, wild blueberries can help you maintain healthy blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity
Make sure to get wild blueberries vs the regular ones when possible! They have double the amount of antioxidants and are packed with antioxidants that fight inflammation
#thrivingonplants #guthealing #eattherainbow🌈 healyourgut #eatforyourhealth #foodishealing #foodasmedicine
