Have you put on weight or started craving sugar? Sleeping badly or having mood swings? Suffering from allergies or inflammation but not really sure why? It could be because your microbiome is out of balance.
It’s pretty horrible to think that we’ve got bacteria inside us because we immediately think they’re bad or are going to make us feel ill. But these microbes are there for a reason, and a very important one: to pass on health benefits to us – that’s their job!
Evidence suggests that there are between 30-400 trillion microbes in our guts and this is where, it is believed, that 70% of our immune activity takes place.
These bacteria, and their DNA, are collectively known as our microbiome. When this is healthy and in balance, it promotes health. These bugs are our first line of defence and they work very hard. They:
- Help us digest our food
- Produce B vitamins and neurotransmitters (like serotonin which helps us feel happy)
- Support detoxification
- Produce short-chain fatty acids which have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body
What causes an imbalance in our gut bugs? Foods like refined carbohydrates, sugar, processed foods, chemicals, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, stress and environmental toxins can all damage our delicate microbiome.
So, how can we ensure that we have a healthy microbiome? Fran, Registered Nutritional Therapist, from Food Fit Body explains: “There are a number of ways to support the health of our microbiome. Firstly, eating lots of varied vegetables and fruit. They contain pre-biotic fibre that our gut bugs thrive on.
Eating a wide range of colourful plant based foods every day supports the diversity and different strains of bugs. “
She continues: “Intermittent fasting has also been shown to support the growth and diversity of beneficial bacteria. And exercise, in particular HIIT (High Impact Interval Training) and strength training, supports a healthy microbiome. So, at Food Fit Body, we include all of these elements in our REBOOT programmes”
The Food Fit Body Reboot programmes are designed to support a healthy microbiome and by doing so, help people to achieve their health goals. Whether the goal is to lose weight, have more energy, feel less bloated, get rid of persistent headaches, improve mood, sleep, and skin the Food Fit Body team of experts can help. The real results achieved are sustainable because they get to the root cause of many of these health issues.
The 21-day Food Fit Body Reboot programme is packed full of mouth watering whole food recipes that are easy to prepare, packed full of plant-based fibre to feed those gut bugs and get them working for you. Check out this gorgeous Butternut Squash Salad.
The next 21 day Reboot kicks off on the 23rd April. Vegan and non-vegan plans available.
House readers will receive a 10% discount off the normal price of £95. Just enter the code: House at checkout. To find out more, visit www.foodfitbody.co.uk
For a free 3-day trial, download our ebook at
www.foodfitbody.co.uk
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RECIPE: Butternut Squash Salad
Prep: 10 mins; Cooks: 20 mins
Ingredients:
½ butternut squash
Olive oil
½ head broccoli florets
2 large handfuls baby spinach
Seeds of half a pomegranate
Juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
Salt & pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Chop the butternut squash into small cubes and place on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes until the skin is starting to caramelise
- Whilst the butternut squash is roasting, steam the broccoli over a pan of boiling water for 3-4 minutes,
drain and set aside - Meanwhile, lightly toast the sunflower seeds in a dry frying pan for 4-5 mins, set aside
- Place the spinach and pomegranate seeds into a large salad bowl
- Add the cooked squash and broccoli then season with salt & pepper
- Squeeze over the orange juice, drizzle with olive oil and mix thoroughly, sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds
Tip: This is great served with meat, fish or tofu
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