Stop feeling bleurgh…
Start feeling brilliant!
Top 10 Gut-Healing Superfoods
The gut. Admittedly not the nicest of words. But us nutritional therapists use it freely to describe your digestive system or, if you’re really squeamish, your tummy! It is so important to look after your gut.
In nutrition college we learnt that the gut is ‘the seat of health’ and Hippocrates taught ‘All disease begins in the gut’. Without a properly functioning digestive system, the rest of your body is not going function properly either. And if we were ever presented with a really tricky case and didn’t know where to start, we were always told to start with the gut. It never failed!
But why is it so important?
There are 100 trillion bacteria in your body (eeww) and most them reside in your intestines. The food you eat determines the kind of bacteria that enters your gut, and the bacteria is responsible for the overall function of your digestive system (eg. pooing) as well as your immune system, your mood, nutrient absorption, hormone...
Bone Broth Soup – Gut-Healing and Immune-Boosting
There seems to have been a flurry of winter bugs doing the rounds, so you definitely need this gut-healing, immune boosting Leek, Mushroom and Bone Broth Soup to ward them off.
The vegetables I have selected for this soup will have your immune system ready to attack any virus that comes its way, and your healthy gut bacteria doing a little victory dance all over your digestive system. Not only does this soup help boost immune activity, but it is a powerful restorative remedy if you have been struck down with a tummy bug or respiratory virus.
Here's a run-down of the nutritional superstars that make up this Leek, Mushroom and Bone Broth Soup:
Leeks- leeks are in a category of foods known as "prebiotics". This means that they stimulate the growth of the healthy bacteria (PRObiotics) throughout the digestive system (primarily the small intestine). Having a good population of beneficial gut bacteria strengthens the immune system.
Mushrooms- mushrooms have been used...
5 everyday detoxing tips that won’t make you feel deprived
New year, new you. January detox. Dryathlon. Juice cleanses. Everyone’s at it. You cannot open the papers or scroll through your Facebook feed without seeing something related to dieting, cleansing or detoxing. It is January after all and, let’s face it, we all dug a little deeper into the bumper tin of Celebrations than we intended to this festive season.
I do firmly agree that giving your body a break from the constant onslaught of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods and refined carbohydrates and replacing these with altogether much more healthful alternatives is highly beneficial for your liver and digestive system. But I also appreciate that not everybody wants to go the whole hog and undergo a full detox for a month. Especially if you’re a busy mum.
So I’m sharing some achievable tips that will help to encourage your body to detox more efficiently, but which won’t leave you feeling starved or deprived in anyway.
- Start the day with a slice of...
I’m Lauren, an experienced, qualified nutritional therapist, and I help busy, driven women feel empowered around food so they can look and feel amazing without restrictive diets or calorie counting.