A good diet is essential for great nutrition, but it’s also something we tend to take for granted. Pew Research reports that more Americans are concerned with healthy eating today, but not all of them are able to reach that goal. This could be due to a number of factors, such as access to healthy food or attitudes towards food.

If you’re concerned about your diet and health, it may be time to focus on specifics— namely, your gut. Maintaining your digestive health is important for the overall condition of your body. Your digestive system helps break down nutrients in your food, and boosts your overall immune system. If you aren’t sure you’re eating enough food good for your gut, then here are five things you can add into your diet to do just that.

Yogurt

If you want to boost your digestion and overall gut health, one of the fastest and easiest ways to do that is through eating fermented foods. In our previous article on ‘5 Reasons to Add Fermented Foods to your Family Meals’, we talked about some favourites, including sauerkraut, kombucha, and of course, yogurt.

Yogurt is a great addition to any diet because it’s easy to find and great for pairing with other foods. Natural and Greek yogurt varieties are especially helpful for building up healthy bacteria in your gut, and they taste great too!

Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass may not be the first thing you think of when you want to improve your gut health, but it’s actually a pretty powerful plant. Not only is it full of important minerals and nutrients, it’s also a great natural remedy for acid reflux.

Brightcore claims that wheatgrass powders are high in alkalinity and nutrient concentration which helps to detoxify your body and improve your digestive system. No more heartburn after meals— with wheatgrass, you can definitely rest easy.

Vegetables

When it comes to a healthy diet, including vegetables is pretty much par for the course. Vegetables and other plant-based foods are low in calories yet high in nutrients, making them foundational to healthy diets. But did you know that vegetables are great for improving your digestive health too?

Green leafy vegetables are especially good for your diet, because they tend to be high in magnesium. The Cleveland Clinic suggests greens like spinach, which can not only provide your body with necessary nutrients, but can also help relieve constipation. If that’s a concern for you and your household, it’s time to stock up on greens.

Prebiotics

Nutrition is a pretty complex process, one that involves a lot of chemicals and hidden functions in our bodies. While you’ll definitely see people recommending nutritious foods for healthier guts, it’s important not to miss out on feeding what does make our guts healthy— the good bacteria in our digestive systems.

These good bacteria feed on what’s called prebiotics, which are non-digestible starches and fiber. News Medical lists a few such as chicory root, onions, and oatmeal. While these shouldn’t make up the bulk of your household’s diet, they’re essential for maintaining the populations of good bacteria in your gut. Make sure to feed these bacteria every once in a while, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the nutrition you need, too.

Whole Grains

Fiber is pretty important in the digestive process, so we need to make sure that our families have enough of it. Not only does it play a crucial role in digestion, it also helps to lower cholesterol, improve digestion, and lessen the chances of constipation.

WebMD enumerates important high-fiber foods, including whole grains. Brown rice, millet, oatmeal, and even pasta are all great whole grain sources of fiber. Whole grain bread is another important source of fiber, and easy enough to switch out for sandwiches and other meals. For maintaining a healthy digestive system, fiber is one of your family’s best options.

With the knowledge of the endless benefits of fermented foods, I’ve been eating and adding them to our family meals since the kids were bubbas.

What is fermentation?

Before fridges existed, fermentation was used to preserve food and drinks from the time of harvest into the Winter but proved also to boost nutritional value and probiotics and have huge health benefits.

Below I share my top 5 reasons for adding them to your family meals.

Currently loving fennel and garlic red cabbage sauerkraut which is the red stuff on top of my salad in the photo above of my Garlic Prawns and Coconut Rice

5 Reasons To Add more Fermented Food To Your Family Meals

1. Fermentation breaks down food components like sugar making it easier for our bodies to digest and absorb those all important nutrients.
2. Fermentation can boost the nutritional value of certain foods. In some cases, it can produce a variety of B vitamins in foods that did not contain them before they were fermented. Or increase the Vitamin C  content.
3. Fermented foods are literally crawling with probiotics so they are the best way to boost gut health. If we don’t have enough probiotic bacteria in our digestive system, we can’t absorb nutrition properly, or eliminate toxins which means we become more susceptible to illness and disease – like compromised immune system, food allergies, malnutrition, digestive disorders, Candida overgrowth.
   NB: If a bout of antibiotics is unavoidable I will always use implement an action plan to recolonise the gut with good bacteria.
4. Probiotic bacteria make up 80% of our immune systems which means fermented foods are INSANE for our immune systems! So buh-bye common colds and if you do get sick, you’ll heal quicker. Because fermented foods are rich in Vitamin C, iron and zinc, your immune system is going be stronger.
5. Vitamin K can’t be stored in the body so it’s important to eat enough daily to get our daily dose. Vitamin K is important because it helps to ward off cancer, and benefits our heart, skin, bones, brain, growth and development.

That dollop of sour cream in my Tex-Mex Burrito bowl is a fermented food which helps with digestion, especially helpful because beans can be difficult to digest.  

When you start to try fermented foods, start small and slow and see how your gut reacts. Look out for symptoms such as gas and bloating as your gut adjusts to the fermented foods.  If these symptoms persist beyond a few weeks, back off, take a break, and start slower and smaller next time. If everything is going fine, work your way up to 2-3 small, servings a day. Remember variety is key, you don’t want to just stick to the same ferments each day, rather go for a wide variety to ensure you are getting different strains of bacteria.

Our Family Favourite Fermented Foods on High Rotation

• Sauerkraut
• Cheese
• Kombucha
• Miso
• Salami
• Yogurt (natural)
• Sourdough bread
• Wine
• Olives
• Soy sauce
• Tamari
• Chocolate (yes you read right!)
• Ketchup
• Sour cream

Mmmm, delicious yoghurt parfait with crunchy seed granola on top (recipe from my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes recipe ebook)

Other Fermented Food That is Great for You but which We Eat Less Commonly

• Kimchi
• Tempeh
• Milk kefir
• Water kefir
• Beer
• Kvass
• Lassi

If you’re buying your ferments, always go to the refrigerated section and choose the brands which contain live organisms and check for and avoid high levels of sugar, salt and fat. Things like jarred and canned sauerkrauts sitting on the shelves (instead of fridge) undergo heat processing (pastuerisation), which kills most if not all of the beneficial bacteria.

You might also be interested to read  Gut Health and Our Children

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing family nutritionist Kim Holmes from The Healthy Little B about the importance of a healthy gut when it comes to our kids health. Here’s a breakdown of what we discussed and the video interview in case you missed it.

Where do I start?! Our digestive system of gut as it is commonly known is what I like to call the ‘Hub of Health’. It really is so important to have a healthy functioning gut and a lovely balance of good bacteria. Not only is our food digested and excreted here but it also functions to:

1. Immunity

• Interestingly, 70% of our immune system lies in our gut flora
• Our gut lining + cells are like the protective barrier against invaders we don’t want
• If your child seem to be battling back to back colds, there is a fair chance his/ her gut might need a little TLC

2. Mood manager

• Another interesting fact, is that our lovely happy hormone Serotonin, is primarily produced in our gut
• The gut has been called the ‘second brain’ as it is closely linked to the brain via the enteric nervous system
• Once thought that when we are nervous or anxious; we can have diarrhoea or become constipated, tummy pains. As well as top to bottom, we now know that link is also reversed, gut to brain (healthy gut = happy kids)

3. Digestion

• Enzyme production (starts in the mouth, where salivary amylase is produced – chew food slowly!) Then onto the stomach were we need adequate HCl acid production to break down proteins ready for assimilation in the small intestines (where most of the gut action happens!)
• Important nutrients are absorbed in the small intestines (the lining again needs to be super healthy or large undigested molecules can escape into the bloodstream)
• And obviously the large intestine acts to excrete waste

4. Skin Health + Inflammation

• Many skin problems can stem from gut imbalances
• When the gut is out of action + its lining impaired, large molecules can leak into the blood stream having a systemic inflammatory effect showing on the skin
• A ‘Leaky gut*’ can manifest in the body systemically on the skin (eczema/ psoriasis etc)

WHAT CAN CAUSE GUT PROBLEMS?

• Poor diet choices (excess sugar/ gluten/ wheat/ dairy/ processed foods)
• Parasite infections
• Lack of good bacteria/ yeast infections
• Chronic stress
• Over use of NSAIDS + over use of antibiotics

 WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT YOUR CHILD’S GUT HEALTH MAY BE IMBALANCED?

• Food intolerances/ sensitivities/ allergies

• Bloating/ cramps/ diarrhoea/ constipation/ IBS-like symptoms / undigested foods in stool/ mucus in stools (inflammation)

• Sinus infections/ recurrent colds/ runny noses/ hayfever/ allergies

• Irritability/ anxiety/ mood problems/ impatience/ fatigue

• Skin rashes (eczema/ psoriasis)

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Lifestyle

• Reduce stress
• Reduce use of NSAIDs (Panadol/ Nurofen etc)/ anti-bitoic use – is it always necessary?

Diet

First of all remove the nasties that can be the cause:

• Sugar
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Processed foods
• Trans fats
• Soft drinks

*Leaky Gut – now well known around the medical industry, this is where the gut lining can become permeable – large molecules of undigested food can make their way into the bloodstream; this can lead to inflammation + manifest as some of the above signs + symptoms

Eat the right foods that promote good bacteria, healthy gut and reduce inflammation:

1. Omega 3 foods

• Oily fish
• Walnuts
• Eggs
• Flaxseeds + Chia seeds
• Anti-inflammatory turmeric

2. Probiotic rich foods

• Yoghurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Miso
• Tempeh
• Fermented foods

• Real whole foods diet
• Lots of green veg + other veg
• Broths/ soups/ stews/ slow cooked
• Gelatin
• Organic grass-fed meats
• Sustainable seafood
• Good fats (coconut/ avo/ etc)
• Pineapple + papaya are full of enzymes to aid digestion

GLUTAMINE – the ultimate gut healer – found in green leafy veg, cabbage, parsley + legumes. IS destroyed by heat so eat these raw. To get full benefit, take it as a supplement.

Other:

• Chew food slowly
• Don’t drink with meals
• Eat in season produce
• Eat organic where possible
• Drink lots of filtered water

Supplements to aid healing and promote gut health 

• Probiotics/ Prebiotics
• Turmeric
• Glutamine

To learn more about how to create healthy food habits check out THRIVE, RAISING KIDS WHO LOVE REAL FOOD  which is a 21 day eCourse helping parents help their kids to broaden their food repertoire, ditch the additives, dissipate fussiness and so much more. It aims to help parents instil a positive food attitude for the rest of their lives. If you want more information about how you can support your children’s health both now and in the future, take a look at THRIVE!

Next round begins Wednesday 22nd May 2019