My Simple Recipe for Good Gut Health | Yogurt Doesn't Do It for Me
Change Your Gut, Change Your Life
very often we are looking for ways to cure our illnesses, our immune deficiencies, and other ailments. for years i have had bouts of digestion issues! it started at the age of 18. during my young adult years i worked out and tried to eat healthy. but i never looked into the kinds of foods i was eating. i didn’t understand what labels meant and what to watch out for. i started teaching yoga, and even then i didn’t really know all that much about how ingredients interact with your body. as i started researching, i heard this quote that really spoke to me.
“your body does not create nor experience a symptom at random.”
when i heard this, my brain began to make more connections to the internal system, especially my gut. it was a true mind-body connection. have you ever heard the saying, “go with your gut” or “trust your gut” or “use your gut instinct”? well guess what, there’s a reason that these phrases exist. think about it. they’re not saying “trust your feet” or “go with your hands”! there is a reason that many illnesses and disease is born in the gut. oftentimes you hear of leaky gut and digestion problems. and oftentimes you hear of pills and prescriptions and antibiotics to cure it.
but the truth is, our body is its own medicinal vessel. we have the capacity to heal our bodies! but sometimes we need the extra push to get us into a clear zone, where we are not experiencing symptoms.
Ignoring Symptoms 101
i’ll let you in on something about me that i have never told anyone: i experience an autoimmune issue that causes me to break out in hives from time to time. i’ll tell you more about it on another post. but i want to mention that because i want you to make the connection that this is a symptom that i chose to ignore for years. i just figured it was part of life! and that is the case for so many people today. we exist with a persistent symptom, very much like a low-grade fever, and chalk it up as a random bout, just another outbreak or episode.
but guess what? your body is really talking to you, it’s communicating! it’s saying, hello, excuse me, something needs to change please.
so i write this post today with confidence and clarity. i write because i did some of the work for you already and i want to tell you what i’ve learned. i want to share this recipe with you to help you wake up and start putting good ingredients into your system. and don’t worry, more recipes will come in the future! but i wanted to start off with something simple, cost-effective, and quick! this is a recipe to help increase the good active cultures + good bacteria in your stomach.
good gut flora is key to good health for many reasons, one being that it helps ward off infections and disease. your gut microbiome needs to be maintained in order to ensure nutrient absorption, reduce inflammation, and to control digestion.
the list is long but some symptoms of poor gut health include bloating, irregularity, inflammation, skin irritations, allergies, joint paints, anxiety / depression. leaky gut and ibs, or irritable bowel syndrome, are also common byproducts of a weak gut. candida overgrowth, which is a fungus in the digestive tract, can also occur and it uses your gut as it’s host so that it can continue to live. the foods that you put into your body either feed the overgrowth of fungus, or it can help create a cleaner, more efficient microbiome. and i promise we’ll get into “diet” later!
but at some point, i have experienced most of these issues. and here’s what i did not know:
“YOU HAVE TO CLEAN THE KITCHEN BEFORE YOU CAN COOK IN IT.”
— LIFE ON A MAT
that means you have to change what’s living inside your gut so that you can start healing via nutrients + probiotics. when you place tons of sugars, fried foods, etc. into your stomach, you are feeding and / or disrupting the relationship your gut has with other organs and systems that need to take place.
My Current Probiotic
my suggestion is to start with a good probiotic. you can choose what works for you. i use kefir. i learned about kefir through my research to find the best way to get good bacteria into my body. friends, i’m not a doctor. but i am your friend! so i encourage you to try it out and make this recipe. if you are vegan, there is a non-dairy option for you! i also suggest kimchi and miso, but more on that another day!
so what is kefir? kefir is a cultured, fermented yogurt-like drink. you can purchase it at most grocery stores like target and i buy the lifeway brand with no sugar added, plain, unsweetened. kefir is not the same as yogurt due the process it undergoes to be made. more importantly, kefir has a larger number of good bacteria and active yeast than traditional yogurt. it is gluten free and 99% lactose free! it is the only dairy product that i currently use. so no, i do not eat activia, noosa, oikos, or any yogurt as i do not feel those products will make a dent in the amount of nutrients i am looking for.
you can have it just about every day. for me, i make my kefir recipe 4 - 5 times a week as a breakfast intake, my dessert, or just a snack! in my opinion, kefir is a superfood. i feel much more energized and regular, i don’t have gastro pains and less bloating!
i hope this post has been helpful and i encourage you to look into this option and take care of that gut!
*this post was not sponsored by kefir. all opinions are my own!
My Simple + Fast Probiotic Recipe
1 1/2 cup of kefir
1 cup of strawberries or any desired fruit (fresh or frozen)
optional: your favorite protein powde
