Gut Health: The Diet That Will Help You Heal Your Gut And Get Your Health Back (Full Recipes Included)

The Diet That Will Help You Heal Your Gut And Get Your Health Back (Full Recipes Included)

If you’re like many of the people we hear from daily in our community, then you’ve likely tried your fair share of diets.

Maybe they worked for you. But also like many people, maybe you can relate to the fact that once you went back to your old habits, your old symptoms came back with a vengeance.

For some that means fluctuations in weight.

For others that means energy ups and downs.

And for some that means erratic sleep patterns.

Maybe even moodiness.

Or uncomfortable and embarrassing gut issues, like bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea.

I know how it goes, my friend. I’ve been there.

You think, “THIS will be the DIET that changes everything.”

And maybe it does for a while.

But sooner or later, your body begins to grow accustomed to your restrictive diet, you’re uninspired in the kitchen and your schedule takes over once again.

You are back to eating on the go and grabbing for food that you had once relied on for comfort vs. actual nutrition… and your pants get tighter and tighter.

Those are just some of the reasons I found The Microbiome Diet so interesting and easy to follow LONG TERM.

The cool thing is that it advocates so much of what we teach in our Give Your Body 30 Program, which has helped transform thousands of bodies and lives so far. Good stuff!

First, let me start by saying that I don’t advocate a one-size fits all approach to food.

We are all individuals and what works for one may not work for another.

But THIS way of eating is different than many of the “fad diets” you see out there and I am going to tell you why in a minute.

But before I share WHY that is with you, I want you to really understand the importance of gut health and exactly what the microbiome is…

What is the microbiome anyway?

The microbiome is the community of trillions of bacteria that live in your digestive tract and elsewhere throughout your body.

Together, these bacteria weigh about three pounds – the same weight as our brain – and they outnumber our human cells by a factor of about 9 to 1.

How interesting that both of our brains weigh the same amount!

Our gut, after all, is referred to as our second brain and has it’s own nervous system called the ENS, or Enteric Nervous System.

Not only do our bacteria outnumber us, their genes outnumber our genes – by a factor of 150 to 1.

In many ways, our bacteria genes have more of an influence over our day-to-day life than our own genes do.

These trillions of tiny microbes living within our intestines help us:

extract the nutrients from our food.

exert an enormous influence over our metabolism, hormones, cravings and even our genes.

You may have heard me mention this a couple of weeks ago in our Chemicals vs. Calories Sat Strat, but the average lifespan of a microbe is only 20 minutes.

That’s long enough for your entire microbiome to change its composition.

When your microbiome changes, its genes change too.

You could literally wake up with one set of microbial genes on Monday and a whole new set of microbial genes on Tuesday.

That’s crazy!

Our microbiomes amazing ability to intelligently respond to our diet is why our bodies can adapt to so many different ways of eating – regardless of how long it might take for our genes themselves to change.

Our genes aren’t what matter – our microbiomes genes are the key.

“If you want to fit into your jeans, you have to fit into your genes.” – Dr. Mark Hyman

Unlike so many “diets” out there, The Microbiome Diet emphasizes what you CAN eat and what you should include more of in your daily meals, instead of lists and lists of everything you can’t have, leaving you feeling deprived and overwhelmed.

I absolutely LOVE this and agree with this philosophy 100%! In our Give Your Body 30 Program, we provide full grocery shopping lists, meal plans and recipes to make this transition super easy and effective. It’s a little different from The Microbiome Diet in that there is less fruit consumption, but it’s still allowed in moderation so don’t be scared.

So what’s included in The Microbiome Diet?

Fruits-and-Veggies — Lots of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains

are terrific “microbiome food,” according to Dr. Kellman.

I don’t typically go for grains, but if you do, I suggest that you opt for gluten free varieties, like amaranth, millet, buckwheat and the powerful seed (often incorrectly referred to as a grain), quinoa.

Asparagus, carrots, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, leeks, onions, radishes, and tomatoes are Microbiome Superfoods, with exactly the kind of fiber that feed many beneficial species.

Fermented foods like kimchi, raw sauerkraut, fermented vegetables and kefir (a type of fermented milk) are natural probiotics that replenish your friendly bacteria. If you are lactose intolerant, you can try water or coconut kefir too.