The previously undiscovered role that our gut plays on our physical and mental wellbeing is generating excitement among medical researchers, and with good reason.
A healthy gut contains a host of bacteria and immune cells that ward off infectious agents like bacteria, viruses and fungi - your microbiome. It even communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones which affect your entire body.
But you don’t have to splash out on pricey pills and supplements that claim to promote gut health. Here food writer Judi Rose offers advice on what to eat to maintain a healthy gut and shares more nutritious, tasty and gut-friendly recipes from her new book, To Life!
Trust Your Gut
Why is good gut health important?
Our microbiome refers to the range of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that live in and on our bodies, especially the skin and gut.
The gut microbiome plays a very important role in our health by helping control digestion and benefiting our immune system and many other aspects of our health. When you have an imbalance of unhealthy and healthy microbes in the intestines, this may contribute to weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and other disorders which are best avoided so that we can lead long and healthy lives.
You might be surprised to know that an individual’s microbiome can weigh as much as 2 kg! While there’s no correlation between how much it weighs and how healthy you are, it puts into perspective how important it is to our physical make up.
The Life of Biome
What foods should I eat to help keep my gut healthy?
There are two categories of food that are important in maintaining a healthy gut – pre-biotics and pro-biotics.
Pre-biotics are just like the fertiliser that you’d give to plants, they help to create the right environment for good gut bacteria.
Onions, leeks and garlic are great pre-biotics, as are high-fibre foods like beans, artichokes and oats. Why not add a handful of spring onions into your summer salad bowl or throw beans and other legumes into your soups, stews and casseroles for a quick pre-biotic fix?
Fermented and high fibre foods also help good gut bacteria to thrive, in turn raising your immunity, immunity, and what’s more, they help reduce the risk of inflammation of the bowel, which can impact on food allergies and autoimmune disorders.
When starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta, or bagels (white carbs) are cooked, then chilled or frozen before being eaten, a type of healthy fibre called resistant starch can be produced by a chemical change. So try assembling pasta bakes or cottage pies ahead of time and chill them before reheating and serving. You’ll be doing your gut a favour!
Pro-biotics enable your good gut bacteria to flourish. Fermented foods such as plain bio-yoghurt, kefir and pickles are excellent probiotics. Add spoonful of sauerkraut to coleslaw, casseroles or sandwiches to boost your intake of ferments.
IMAGE: Conchiglioni Al Forno (a mouthwatering pasta bake with giant shells and swiss chard)
What foods should I avoid to maintain a healthy gut?
Foods that are harmful to our good gut bacteria or allow unhealthy strains to grow include sugar and other refined carbs, alcohol, processed foods containing certain preservatives and pesticides. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucrose found in diet drinks are likely to have a similar effect.
Red meat and chicken, especially if processed, can cause inflammation of the gut, another good reason not to eat red meat every day.
Processed foods, especially those containing emulsifiers like carrageenan and xanthan gum (often used in margarine, shop bought mayonnaise, ice cream, and some milk substitutes) may damage the bowel wall and are also a risk for inflammation. What’s more, processed, fast and convenience foods are generally high in salt, sugar, fat and additives. These are all things that can disrupt your gut microbiome, introducing harmful bacteria as well as reducing your existing good bacteria.
Watch out too for additives such as such as maltodextrin, or modified starch, used in cakes and biscuits, or traces of fertilisers and pesticides in non-organic products, which may have similar effects.
You Aren’t Just What You Eat
Is there anything else you would recommend to promote good gut health?
It’s not just what you eat, it’s how you eat that’s important. Try to eat slowly and mindfully and eat at regular times rather than snacking on the hoof.
Regularly getting enough sleep – ideally 7 to 9 hours a night - is one of the most important steps you can take to look after your health inside and out. Poor sleep can interfere with your metabolism and your digestive process, both of which can wreak havoc on your gut health.
Stress can also upset the balance of your digestive tract, worsening existing problems and even creating new ones. Everyone has different techniques for reducing stress, but you might want to find a physical activity you enjoy, like a yoga class or taking on a couch to 5k challenge, practicing mindfulness, or simply doing more of something you enjoy. For me cooking is my time to switch off and escape from life’s stresses.
Recipes for Success
What recipes in your new book can you recommend for maintaining good gut health?
The Rainbow Smoothie Bowl is quite simply a bowl of energy boosting deliciousness, and a brilliant way to start the day. It provides a good mix of fibre and fermented yoghurt, as well as antioxidants that may help reduce the risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and stroke.
Combine your Smoothie Bowl with a crunchy serving of Supercrunch Granola.The clusters of oats, nuts and seeds, studded with succulent dried fruit, have a fraction of the sugar of most shop-bought granola. Oats are high in fibre so are great for helping good gut bacteria thrive, helping to raise immunity. Egg whites and honey can be omitted for a vegan version - improvise if you don’t have products available, for example swap strawberries for blueberries.
Another way to incorporate oats into your diet, without even realising you’re eating them, is in the Roasted Vegetable Kugel which is perfect for a tasty lunch. Inspired by Eastern European cuisine and the flavours of the Mediterranean, this satisfying gratin is bursting with flavour.
Heart-healthy olive oil and oats replace the traditional margarine and matzah meal, while aubergines contain the antioxidant nasunin, particularly in the skin and outer flesh.
IMAGE ABOVE: Roasted Vegetable Kugel
A semi-vegetarian diet with plenty of veggies in which meat is only eaten once a fortnight and fish once or twice a week appears to reduce the recurrence of inflammatory bowel disease, so having some tasty dishes like this up your sleeve will help keep meat-free mealtimes interesting.
Buy Judi's Book
The recipes are extracted from Judi’s new book, To Life! Healthy Jewish Food which is available to BUY NOW from YouCaxton Publications.
Look out for our next blog which looks at the health benefits of specific fruits and vegetables. You’ll also get an exclusive look at more delicious recipes from Judi’s new book.
IMAGE: Emerald Shakshouka
Post your cookery questions for Judi on our Franke UK Facebook page. Follow us HERE for more info.
Until next time, happy - and healthy - cooking. Enjoy!
Cookery writer Judi Rose tell us how you can boost your immunity through healthy food choices
Cookery expert Judi Rose shows how to eat for health and happiness in her new cookbook, To Life!
Food for Mood
Satisfying Cravings
Good Gut Health
