Gut Friendly Food and Lifestyle Guide
To help you navigate through the holidays and stay as healthy as possible!
Healthy Holidays Are Possible. Don’t let all your hard work getting your diet right go to waste over the holiday period. Take some time to think back to previous holiday celebrations and recognise what food perhaps caused some not so pleasant gut reactions, so you can plan on how to minimise these effects. The key is finding your balance, and replacement items so you are armed and ready to take on the holiday season with joy not dread!.
The holidays are certainly a challenging time for many of my patients with gut health issues. Every year in the lead up to the Christmas holidays I always encourage my clients to focus as much of their energy as they can on self care, hydration, sleep and eating as well as they can. This is not always easy as holidays tend to be very busy and full and the things we know we should do often fall by the wayside. It is at times of high stress however that our bodies need more TLC and we need to be conscious of what we are putting into them as fuel otherwise things can go wrong and we can end up not enjoying the holidays as much as we could. Each Christmas period we see an increase in patients presenting to my clinic (Align Health Agency) with issues related to fluid management, poorly controlled blood pressure, knee, shoulder, back and neck pain, and gut health related health conditions. This is why I have put together this cheat sheet for you.
I hope that this gut friendly food and lifestyle guide will help you navigate through the holidays and stay as healthy as possible!
Gut friendly food THE SOG SOLUTION = Sugar - Oils - Gluten Solution!
Replace sugar - based, rich treats: replace them with home made sweet treats made with xylitol sugar. Xylitol efficiently stimulates the immune system, digestion, lipid and bone metabolism. Xylitol helps in glycemic and obesity control; reduces ear and respiratory infections.
”Why you need to start using xylitol now"
2. Swop your oils - Industrial seed oils are from genetically modified plants, such as corn, soy, cotton, rapeseed (the source of canola oil), cottonseed, and safflower seeds.
BAD OILS
Instead, use organic oils such as coconut, avocado, or olive and also Ghee or grass-fed butter. They are all great options. Try to make your own Ghee. It is surprisingly easy. Ghee is also nutrient-dense and contains vitamins A, K2 and gut-healing butyrate (one of my all time favourite gut healers).
GOOD OILS
Recipe:
Add a block of butter to a small pot and melt on low heat. Once the butter is melted and it starts to simmer, you’ll notice it separating into layers.
Foam forms on the top, which you will need to skim off with a spoon. (you’ll have to do this several times).
After 25-30 minutes, your ghee should be done. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a couple minutes, then strain (I use a nut milk bag to strain) into a glass jar. Super simple, super tasty and jam packed with heath benefits.
3. Avoid Gluten - Make a list of indulgences that you really love, that make you feel good and that you want more of. Make sure you have those in a gluten free version. Example: Mince pies. I love this recipe from Jamie Oliver- All credit for the recipe is due to him. I have made it many times and it always works well.
My favourite gluten-free mince pie recipe:
These deliciously crunchy, crumble-topped mince pies cater for gluten-free diet lovers. Perfect with a cup of tea or glass of mulled wine.
Ingredients
75 g rice flour
40 g tapioca , or gluten-free flour
40 g chickpea flour
70 g unsalted butter , chilled, plus extra for greasing
1 vanilla pod
1 lemon , or orange
4 tbsp sugar
Milk , for brushing
Icing sugar , to serve
FRUIT MINCEMEAT - I use shop bought. Preferably vegan and I try to choose one with the least amount of added sugar.
Method
To make the pastry, mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cube the butter, then use your fingers to rub it in to form breadcrumbs. Split the vanilla pod and scrape in the seeds. Grate in the lemon or orange zest, then mix in the sugar.
Add 2 tablespoons cold water to the mix, then quickly and gently work it into a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Place a large sheet of greaseproof paper in front of you, put the chilled dough on top, place another sheet on top and thinly roll out the pastry (this will stop you needing any more flour).
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, grease your pie tin well and take the fruit filling out of the fridge. Cut out 12 pastry circles, big enough for your tin and 12 star lids (if you don’t have a star cutter, just make round lids).
Place a round in each of the pie moulds, before filling with the fruit and topping with a lid. Brush with a little milk to help them colour.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool before taking out of the tins. Once completely cooled, dust with icing sugar.
Gut friendly lifestyle solution:
1. Stress
Stress has a direct correlation to your gut. In a study conducted by Harvard Health, it was found that emotions can cause chemical and physical responses in the body that can result in pain and discomfort.
Harvard Health Publishing. “The Impact of Stress on Your Gut.” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-impact-of-stress-on-your-gut
To reduce your stress try my favourite stress management tools:
2. Sleep
Did you know that a poor night’s sleep can immediately change the composition of your gut microbiome by decreasing the types of beneficial bacteria. This shows that when we sleep poorly, our gut suffers and can’t do its job as efficiently. Even taking a 20-minute nap during the day can improve your gut health.
“How The Gut Microbiota Influences Our Immune System.” Neurohacker Collective, www.neurohacker.com/how-the-gut-microbiota-influences-our-immune-system.
3. Digestion Repair - speed up recovery after too much food
Food coma sound familiar? Over eating to the point you are ready to be sick? Her ear some of my Functional Medicine tips to help yourself after an oversized, heavy meal.
I recommend taking digestive enzymes before you eat these help to breakdown food products and aid digestion. They have been shown to alleviate symptoms such as bloating, gas, nausea and indigestion and may also help breakdown gluten so that it doesn’t cause such damaging effects. You can use code DM0029-10 for 10% off of Cytoplan products.
Oil up: Ginger essential oil acts as an anti-inflammatory in the body with potent anti-nausea properties that can ease stomach cramping. You can also use digestzen oil blend from doTERRA. Visit my Wellness Shop or you can buy from Align Health Agency.
I recommend taking an increased dose of probiotics for a week after exposure to restore the good bacteria. I love The Foodstate Company as their probiotic has been proven to survive the challenges of stomach acid and bile in the GI tract. If you use the code DRMC10 at checkout you will receive 10% off your order.
Since our bodies are unable to produce glutamine when our systems have been compromised, take L-glutamine, a powerhouse amino acid, to heal the gut lining and reduce inflammation. You can order Cytoplan’s L-Glutamine using code DM0029-10 for 10% off.