Gut Smart.
So, I definitely wasn’t a science major or have any background in that world of work, but I feel like I’ve gotten fairly “gut” smart in the last few months.
And contrary to popular belief, going from eating Chinese takeout and leftover Panera at lunch, to a nicely seasoned chunk of protein and some peppery greens is quite simply an almost impossible task…
I also do believe that majority of blog posts shouldn’t be full of jargon and hullabaloo, so let’s cut right to the chase and talk about food.
Typical Grocery List:
This is a list of the staple things we usually always have on hand. With that being said, the meals I eat are pretty simple and very affordable (recipes to come, people!!!!!).
When I first started eating healthy, I wasn’t quite sure what was going to be best for my body. I figured eating salads for lunch and protein and veggies for dinner would do the trick – well, it didn’t.
I started realizing I had a different issue – bloating!
No matter what I ate, even if it was one baby carrot or one sip of water right when I woke up, my stomach would completely expand.
After reading the book, “It Starts With Food,” I began to slowly come to the conclusion that I had a leaky gut. Here’s the easiest explanation of what a leaky gut is: When you’re younger and not tainted by all the evil things in this world, your stomach had a shield around it preventing icky and bad organisms from getting in. As you get older and eat bad food, that shield has a tougher and tougher time keeping all the bad organisms out because it’s weak, and after a while, the bad guys eventually get in! This ultimately creates a “leaky gut” and really interrupts the way our bodies function. (Disclaimer, I am NOT a medical professional and am simply putting my learnings into my own words).
Stress is also a HUGE factor in bloating and weight gain. When my body is under stress (literally 24 hours a day), I stress-bloat. This is why when I wake up in the morning and take that sip of water or eat a baby carrot and bloat, it’s because my body is already under so much stress and my gut is just not happy.
This is when I really started to look at the foods I was eating to see if I could help my gut.
(I will post my vitamin and supplement post soon – this one will be the most important!)
Let’s go back to the grocery list and why I chose the foods I did:
Typical Grocery List:
Okay, kind of boring grocery list, but I want to talk about the two major things that have transformed my gut: Kombucha and Apple Cider Vinegar. Call me crazy, but this stuff has been life changing (gut changing, to be exact)! Its probiotic properties have completely helped clear my bad gut, maintain my new gut and help pass through things that I don’t need. Here’s another lame explanation of how it has helped: the organisms in the kombucha have helped clear out all the bad guys that have gotten into my gut through the broken sheild and have helped rebuild that part of the shield to keep the bad guys out (Again, I am not a medical professional).
Let me remind you all of something too: this is NOT something I changed in a matter of two weeks, I literally gave myself six months to make these changes. I started out with just healthy snacks, then after a month I started eating healthy snacks and healthy breakfasts. Three months later I started eating healthy dinners along with my healthy breakfasts and snacks, and eventually that turned into a full menu of healthy items.
Give your body and mind time to adjust. Why would you want to dive into something and do a complete 180 with the things your body likes the most: food and the sensations you get from the food you enjoy.
More posts to come on supplements, recipes, sleep, distressing and even a bit more on specific foods! So, in the meantime, buy a kombucha, use arugula instead of lettuce, add in some fresh herbs and start with JUST healthy snacks!
And contrary to popular belief, going from eating Chinese takeout and leftover Panera at lunch, to a nicely seasoned chunk of protein and some peppery greens is quite simply an almost impossible task…
I also do believe that majority of blog posts shouldn’t be full of jargon and hullabaloo, so let’s cut right to the chase and talk about food.
Typical Grocery List:
- Chicken breast
- Ground turkey
- Peppers (any color)
- Hummus
- Gluten-free pasta
- Pasta Sauce
- Quinoa
- Eggs (24 usually)
- Cilantro
- Arugula
- Basil
- Zucchini
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Rice
- Sweet Potatoes
- Bacon
- Kombucha
This is a list of the staple things we usually always have on hand. With that being said, the meals I eat are pretty simple and very affordable (recipes to come, people!!!!!).
When I first started eating healthy, I wasn’t quite sure what was going to be best for my body. I figured eating salads for lunch and protein and veggies for dinner would do the trick – well, it didn’t.
I started realizing I had a different issue – bloating!
No matter what I ate, even if it was one baby carrot or one sip of water right when I woke up, my stomach would completely expand.
After reading the book, “It Starts With Food,” I began to slowly come to the conclusion that I had a leaky gut. Here’s the easiest explanation of what a leaky gut is: When you’re younger and not tainted by all the evil things in this world, your stomach had a shield around it preventing icky and bad organisms from getting in. As you get older and eat bad food, that shield has a tougher and tougher time keeping all the bad organisms out because it’s weak, and after a while, the bad guys eventually get in! This ultimately creates a “leaky gut” and really interrupts the way our bodies function. (Disclaimer, I am NOT a medical professional and am simply putting my learnings into my own words).
Stress is also a HUGE factor in bloating and weight gain. When my body is under stress (literally 24 hours a day), I stress-bloat. This is why when I wake up in the morning and take that sip of water or eat a baby carrot and bloat, it’s because my body is already under so much stress and my gut is just not happy.
This is when I really started to look at the foods I was eating to see if I could help my gut.
(I will post my vitamin and supplement post soon – this one will be the most important!)
Let’s go back to the grocery list and why I chose the foods I did:
Typical Grocery List:
- Chicken Breast: In all honesty, I am not a huge fan of chicken, but it just goes with every single meal.
- Ground Turkey: It's leaner than other meats so it’s a good option when trying to shed some pounds
- Peppers (any color): I seriously just love peppers...
- Hummus: I’m a “dipper” and need something to satisfy that need. This is healthy and goes well with my peppers!
- Gluten-free pasta: I am not celiac, but my body doesn’t like to tolerate gluten – lots of hives, and headaches. When my body is not happy, it bloats, so this kept down the bloating.
- Pasta Sauce: duh.
- Quinoa and Rice: Salads don’t normally get me full, so by adding in some quinoa or rice actually into my salad, it made them more substantial.
- Eggs: Now, eggs are apparently not great for leaky guts, but they’re cheap and it’s healthier to use the yolk from a fried egg as a sauce vs. putting a sugary/salty/high calorie sauce on a dish.
- Cilantro and Basil: I find I need to eat less when my meals have a lot of rich flavors. By adding fresh herbs and other seasonings I get full off of smaller portions.
- Arugula: This stuff tastes so much better than regular lettuce or spinach. Go out and get some tonight – trust me!!!
- Zucchini, Onions and Mushrooms: You literally burn more calories eating these veggies than they originally are … it’s like “negative calories”.
- Sweet Potatoes: An easy starch! I LOVE making homemade French fries with these (recipe to come).
- Bacon: Turkey bacon is a lot lower in calories, but regular bacon is just too good to pass up sometimes. I go back-and-forth between buying the two.
- Kombucha: This is my LIFE! If you follow my snapchat (kaitoneill), I think I literally post a new flavor every day.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: I’m putting this in my food article, but I almost consider this a supplement. I love taking shots of this, putting it in tea or other drinks.
Okay, kind of boring grocery list, but I want to talk about the two major things that have transformed my gut: Kombucha and Apple Cider Vinegar. Call me crazy, but this stuff has been life changing (gut changing, to be exact)! Its probiotic properties have completely helped clear my bad gut, maintain my new gut and help pass through things that I don’t need. Here’s another lame explanation of how it has helped: the organisms in the kombucha have helped clear out all the bad guys that have gotten into my gut through the broken sheild and have helped rebuild that part of the shield to keep the bad guys out (Again, I am not a medical professional).
Let me remind you all of something too: this is NOT something I changed in a matter of two weeks, I literally gave myself six months to make these changes. I started out with just healthy snacks, then after a month I started eating healthy snacks and healthy breakfasts. Three months later I started eating healthy dinners along with my healthy breakfasts and snacks, and eventually that turned into a full menu of healthy items.
Give your body and mind time to adjust. Why would you want to dive into something and do a complete 180 with the things your body likes the most: food and the sensations you get from the food you enjoy.
More posts to come on supplements, recipes, sleep, distressing and even a bit more on specific foods! So, in the meantime, buy a kombucha, use arugula instead of lettuce, add in some fresh herbs and start with JUST healthy snacks!