28 Feb My secret weapon for lifelong gut health.

The one thing you can do today that will benefit your health for life is a no brainer but it truly is my secret weapon to health.

You move out of home and you try and do the right thing by getting you 2+5 a day, but let’s face it.. It doesn’t always happen, does it? I always knew veggies were super important but I never really made sure I was getting 5 serves and I sure as hell didn’t eat them throughout the day, dinner was my only way to cram my veggies in. Just like (the old) me, most people only eat their veggies at dinner and this lack of veggies could be the single reason you can rattle off 5 (gut related) symptoms that haunt you on a daily basis. I’m talking about the little minor symptoms like bloating, gas, constipation, headaches, bad skin, anxiety… you might not even recognize these to be a symptom of ill health in the making. Or even symptoms associated with poor gut health.

We all try and eat our veggies because they are healthy right? But if you break it down and look at the nitty gritty you will be astonished to learn what my secret weapon is. Once I learnt that veggies and fruit are so much more than the vitamins and minerals you will understand why they are my secret health weapon and hopefully see them in a different light…

Most of the info out there on gut health is focused on fermented foods and probiotics because they are so powerful at transforming your health but I also hear a lot of excuses when it comes to learning how to ferment foods because they take a bit of ‘know-how’ to get right and a lot of people just don’t have to desire or time to learn. Personally the thing that almost made me give up on fermented foods + probiotic supplements was the price tag… have you seen how expensive they are to buy?? So for those of you that are close to giving up or haven’t taken the plunge to buying FF, I wanted to share with you the one thing that you can do today, right now that will benefit your health… for life!

Drum roll please…

My secret weapon is :: Eating prebiotics daily.

Prebiotics is a fancy word for a specific group of fruits and veggies that feed and nourish your gut bugs. They are loaded with inulin + fermentable fibres which could be the make or break to you welcoming wellness into your life.

The most simple way I can explain it is… imagine I’m going to give you a brand new Maserati or Ferrari but no fuel/gas, you can look at it and sit in it but you can’t going anywhere. It would be pretty useless right.

The prebiotics are the fuel, the good stuff, the stuff that is going to accelerate your health and healing.

After all we are not just eating for one, we are eating for approx. 100 trillion good bacteria that you need to feed and nurture because they help to protect your health. We all know health starts from within…

Well this is it baby!!!!! This is the secret.

We literally cannot survive without our gut bugs. Nourishing your gut is your long term healthcare plan, the preventative measure you can put in place today and everyday. All you have to do is eat more vegetables, fruit and cut out all the toxic packaged and processed foods.

It’s not rocket science that we all need to eat more veggies and a balance diet rich in fiber and wholefoods. So let’s take a look at where you get the fuel so you can take that Ferrari for a joy ride??

Prebiotic foods you can add to your diet EVERY day.

• Asparagus
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Onions
• Radishes
• Tomatoes
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Jicama
• Bananas

Without confusing the pants off you just remember these 3 key things to adding more veggies and prebiotic foods into your diet:

• Variety is key to a healthy gut to make sure you are getting enough prebiotics and fermentable fibre foods. Try to eat foods that are in season and this will help with the ‘variety’ and also mean you are eating fresher produce.
• Try to get the majority of your veggies fresh, not canned or packaged… these don’t count. If you are buying frozen veggies make sure they have NO added ingredients.
• Try to spread out your veggies throughout the day. Sneak some into breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner… you can do this!!

EXAMPLE OF MY DAILY VEG INTAKE (which always includes prebiotic fruits and veg)

• Breakfast – smoothie or cooked breakfast ( 1 cup veg min)
• Mid morning snack – fruit or smoothie (1 cup)
• Lunch – leftovers (1-2 cups worth)
• 3 pm snack – Dip with veggie sticks or fruit (1 cup)
• Dinner – Veggies and meat (at least 2 cups, usually 3)
• Dessert – Avo mouse / gelatin panna cotta / chia pud / banana icecream / vegan icecream (I cup)

Hopefully you are on board with why I am slightly obsessed with helping you bulk up on fruit and veg… to feed your gut bugs. I’m a health foodie so I will always encourage you to real food over supplements however there are some great supplements on the market and sometimes its just is not possible to get all that we need from our food especially if you are just in a busy patch in life and cant allocate the time to planning your meals or if you are on holiday or if you have kids etc… but always try the real deal first.

Adding in prebiotic fruits and veggies is not as hard as you think. It is the first step. Feeding your gut bugs. Help the beneficial bacteria multiply and outnumber the bad guys.

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