Gut Health Survival Guide
Gut Health Survival Guide
For The Holiday Season
Message from Kriben Govender
With the holiday season fast approaching, you may find yourself dining out more regularly, overeating or losing control of your typical healthy eating regime. This may lead to digestive discomfort and unwanted weight gain. Don’t worry, we’ve put together A Gut Health Holiday Survival Guide with tips and hacks to navigate any tricky social situation.
Note: These are short term strategies and not an ongoing dietary regime.
Contents
- Foods to Promote a Happy Gut Over the Holidays
- Top 5 Hacks (5 F's) to Rescue Your Gut
- Easy and Delicious Holiday Recipes
How to Promote a Happy Gut over the Holidays
The key to surviving the holiday season is to say “no” to food and drinks that are going to cause discomfort and it takes guts. Be picky and selective to avoid the bloat. You don’t need to eat everything that is presented.
• Switch sugar laden soft drinks and juices with a bottle of kombucha, water kefir or sparkling water
• Avoid heavy, starchy, bready foods- stick to a variety of vegetables and small amounts of meat, fish and poultry
• Avoid processed meats and finger foods- these may contain food additives which may disrupt your gut- JERF - Just eat real food
• Avoid condiments likes sauces and salad dressing- they may also contain food additives which are disruptive to the gut.
• Add fermented foods and targeted probiotics to promote gut health. MegaSporeBiotic™ is a 100% sporebased, broad-spectrum probiotic clinically shown to maintain healthy gut barrier function.
• Choose LOW FODMAPS foods as these are less likely to cause bloating.
Here is a list courtesy of Monash University.
| Food Category | High FODMAP Foods | Low FODMAP Foods |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetables | Artichoke, asparagus, cauliflower, garlic, green peas, leek, mushrooms, onion, sugar snap peas | Aubergine/eggplant, beans (green), bok choy, capsicum (bell pepper), carrot, cucumber, lettuce, potato, tomato, zucchini |
| Fruits | Apples, apple juice, cherries, dried fruit, mango, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, watermelon | Cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi fruit (green), mandarin, orange, pineapple, strawberries |
| Dairy and alternatives | Cow’s milk, custard, evaporated milk, ice cream, soy milk (made from whole soybeans) sweetened condensed milk, yoghurt | Almond milk, brie/camembert cheese, feta cheese, hard cheeses, lactose-free milk, soy milk (made from soy protein) |
| Protein sources | Most legumes/pulses, some marinated meats/poultry/ seafood, some processed meats | Eggs, firm tofu, plain cooked meats/poultry/seafood, tempeh |
| Breads and cereal products | Wheat/rye/barley based breads, breakfast cereals, biscuits and snack products | Corn flakes, oats, quinoa flakes, quinoa/rice/corn pasta, rice cakes (plain), sourdough spelt bread, wheat/rye/barley free breads |
| Sugars/sweeteners and confectionary | High fructose corn syrup, honey, sugar free confectionery | Dark chocolate, maple syrup, rice malt syrup, table sugar |
| Nuts and seeds | Cashews, pistachios | Macadamias, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts |
Top 5 Tips to Rescue your Gut this Christmas
Here are our Five Easy Hacks or 5 F’s to rescue your gut this holidays
Do you have an intermittent fasting practice? Rather than having lots of meals and snacks through the day. Limit yourself to 3 main meals a day with plenty of time in between for digestion. If your blood sugar levels are elevated, you are more likely to put on weight.
Twice a week, try to skip breakfast or dinner. This will give your body (and gut) the time it needs to heal. This process happens when you sleep so make sure to get a good sleep each night.
2. Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are great tools to add to your gut health arsenal. Kombucha, Kefir, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Natto, Yoghurt and Miso are all great sources of beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria – peacekeeping bacteria in the gut that keep the bad guys at bay. Organic Cacao powder is another great fermented food rich in polyphenols, antioxidants and magnesium all essential nutrients for great gut health. Sauerkraut is a fantastic source of Vitamin C, a key antioxidant and collagen promoter to help our gut cells function optimally. Vitamin C is also great for skin health. Another great source of natural, bioavailable Vitamin C is Organic Camu Camu powder.
3. Fibre
It’s a great idea to avoid FODMAPS to reduce bloating but this will lead to a fibre deficit. Fibre is essential for the production of butyrate, the primary energy source for your gut cells. A great hack is to supplement with Low FODMAP Organic Acacia Fibre which helps boost Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria in the gut.
4. Free From
Food additives, pesticides and antibiotics (in meat, fish and poultry) are damaging to the gut. As much as possible choose fresh produce cooked from scratch and not in a factory.
Protip: Exposure to artificial LED lights at night may raise your blood glucose levels leading to weight gain. Consider wearing blue light blocking glasses at night.
5. Food Combining
A simple way to beat the bloat is to be savvy in the way you combine food. Always eat fruit at least 30 minutes prior to your main meal and not on a full stomach. Avoid combining a protein rich food with a starch rich food. An example would be steak and potatoes. Combine protein rich or starch rich foods with vegetables. E.g. Steak and Vegetables.
Bonus: Use these simple hacks to rescue your gut this holiday season. We’ve created some tasty Summer recipes just for you.
Recipes
Christmas Cacao Gut Comforter
The holiday season can be a stressful time of the year as we lead up to Christmas. When you’re feeling flustered, unwind with a cup of hot chocolate.
Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon Organic Cacao Powder
• 1 teaspoon of Marine Collagen Peptides
• 1/4 teaspoon of Acacia Fibre
• Your Choice of Milk/Mylk
Directions:
Add 1 teaspoon of Organic Cacao Powder, 1 teaspoon of Marine Collagen Peptides, ¼ teaspoon of Acacia Fibre and your favourite milk/ mylk. Cacao is rich in polyphenols (feeds good bacteria), antioxidants and magnesium. Marine collagen peptides help to heal the gut lining and is also great for skin health. Acacia Fibre is a gentle FODMAPs friendly prebiotic fibre that doesn’t cause any bloating.
Christmas Cranberry Hemp Kombucha Mocktail
This mocktail is the perfect weight gain prevention elixir. A combination of homemade kombucha and hemp seed oil which may help modulate blood sugar.
Yield: 560ml (makes two servings)
Ingredients:
• 500 ml homemade Kombucha (chilled)
• 2 teaspoons hemp seed oil
• ¼ cup of Organic Cranberry Juice (chilled)
• 2 ice cubes
• 2 wedges of lime
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients in a blender.
2. Cover and blend on medium until well mixed
3. Serve immediately into two glasses with an ice cube and a wedge of lime.
Spicy Summer Salad with Probiotic Kefir Dressing
A light tangy leafy green, Low FODMAP salad with probiotic rich kefir and sauerkraut. The perfect accompaniment to BBQ food.
Ingredients:
• 3–4 tbsp homemade milk kefir
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 boiled eggs (sliced)
• 200g mesclun mixed lettuce
• 1 tablespoon of homemade sauerkraut
• 5–7 radishes
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
Directions:
To make the salad dressing- In a bowl, add chives, chilli, salt, pepper, kefir and olive oil and mix well. Hardboil the eggs (boil them at least 5 minutes), then peel and slice them. Wash the radishes and cut them into thin slices. Combine the radish and sauerkraut with mixed lettuce. Add salad dressing and mix well. Add sliced eggs and serve.
Creamy Strawberry Kefir Smoothie
This recipe is perfect for anyone who enjoys the rich, creamy texture of kefir but would prefer a bit less bite. Kefir helps modulate blood sugar which is important to prevent weight gain.
Yield: 500ml (makes two servings)
Ingredients:
• 250 ml homemade milk kefir, chilled
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh or frozen organic strawberries
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup grass-fed heavy cream or 2 tbsp MCT oil
• 1 teaspoon Organic Camu Camu Powder
• 1 teaspoon Marine Collagen
• Stevia to taste
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients in a blender.
2. Cover and blend on medium or high until smooth.
3. Serve immediately.
Gutsy Gift Box
We‘ve created a Gutsy Gift Box including all the products you need to survive this holiday season. It’s the perfect way to share the gift of gut health with your family or friends, or to just enjoy for yourself! Our Gutsy Gift Box has limited stock and is on sale for the promotional price of just $189
Nourishme Organics
Nourishme Organics is Australia’s premier Online Gut Health Store with a shopfront in Cheltenham, Victoria. The primary goal of the company is to make the art of fermented foods accessible to consumers with easy to use, high quality, DIY home fermentation kits and heirloom cultures. Yoghurt, Kombucha, Kefir, Miso, Tempeh, Cheese and many others are available.
The Nourishme Organics philosophy is to provide high quality- scientifically back products, knowledge and community support to help customers master fermented foods and gut health, and pure, organic, NonGMO ingredients and no-fuss sustainable packaging as much as possible and find here gut health and fermentation workshop for beginners.
