Ultimate Guide
Time To Check Your Gut Health
Prep
5 minutes
Yield
2
Most people ask “how are you doing?” But what they should really be asking is, “how’s your gut?”. It’s no coincident that good gut health and your overall mental and physical health go hand in hand. A shocking number of people suffer from gut issues, and even more don’t know that their symptoms are stemming from poor gut health. Fear not! The amazing thing about your gut is that with the right diet and a few specific supplements you can heal it.
Gut health
Let’s start with defining what the “gut” actually is. When we talk about the gut we are referring to all the organs that are a part of digestion. This includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and rectum. This group affects roughly 80% of our immune system and when the gut is out of balance we can have issues with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and addiction. Yikes! For these reasons, it is incredibly important to take care of our gut and all the little bacteria that live there.
Digestive Enzymes + Probiotics
If I had to make a list of all the things that have truly changed my life digestive enzymes and probiotics would definitely be on it. When I consistently take these supplements I feel light, I have regular bowel movements, and I have more energy! It doesn’t stop there, when my body is digesting food properly I have the energy and fuel that I need to tackle every day. A lot of companies have jumped on the probiotic train, so it’s important to source your probiotics from companies that use the right strain and quality. I’ve been using Silver Fern supplements for a few reasons:
- Their probiotics pass the survivability test. This means they survive gastric acids and make it all the way to our intestines where they need to be in order to colonize.
- Not all strains of probiotics work, and Silver Fern uses the right ones!
- They use DNA verification to prove that what they say is in the bottle is actually in the bottle. DNA verification is expensive so a lot of companies skip this step.
What Goes In Must Come Out
As I mentioned before your gut can heal itself with the right diet and supplements. Just doing one or the other sometimes isn’t enough to make a drastic change. This recipe is a great addition to a healthy diet and I chose specific ingredients that are gut superfoods!
Papaya, Berries + Citrus, Oh My
Papaya: Encourages digestion and helps with constipation. It contains a natural digestive enzyme that breaks up the food that irritates the stomach and promotes a healthy acidic environment.
Blueberries and raspberries: Berries contain a good amount of fibre, a very important component of digestion! They are also full of antioxidants and vitamins that help fight bad bacteria and promote overall health.
Citrus: One might think citrus like oranges, lemon, and limes are acidic but when we consume them they are actually creating an alkaline environment and this is really good for the body and digestion! Combine that with a vitamin C kick and adding citrus to any part of your diet is always a good idea.
When it comes to checking in on your health, your gut is a good place to start. Make sure your fridge is packed with real and raw food and give your guts a real kick with a high quality probiotic and digestive enzyme. So check out the recipe below and don’t forget to let me know what you think over at @foodbymaria and below in the comments! Tag #foodbymaria and #fearnotfoodisyourfriend so I can see all your beautiful recreations.
Time To Check Your Gut Health
Ingredients
- Papaya Sunrise
- 1/2 papaya seeded, peeled and cleaned
- 1 large banana
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 inch cube of ginger
- 1 cup of plant-based milk
- 1/2 cup carrot or orange juice
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of ice
- Berry Good For You
- 1 cup berry mix of choice
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1/2 frozen cauliflower or zucchini
- 1/2 a banana
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 cup plant based milk
Instructions
- Simply add the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend till smooth. Wash out your blender before making the other recipe if you fancy having them both!
- Enjoy right away!
Notes
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Silver Fern