We all want to feel light, energised and youthful. Summer is when we can relax and indulge
but with a few gentle tweaks to our diet we can avoid bloating and discomfort. Signs of poor
gut health include abdominal pain, bloating, loose stools, constipation, heartburn, and nausea
and do not need to be part of your life no matter your age. Although it is never a one size fits all,
nor is it solved overnight, making your menu medicinal can be
- preventative
- support healing,
- create a more positive outlook by supporting serotonin production
- help you look and feel great.
So it’s important not to ignore the signs. With the rise of colon cancer in the West we can take preventative measures for a healthy gut and so these 12 tips are an easy way to support your
self care whilst you enjoy long Summer days. More gut health recommendations are found here
in my article for Frank magazine
You may find these tips helps you feel great, flatten your tummy and you may just drop some kilos
whilst enjoying Summer.
12 Tips for a Slimmer Healthier Summer
1. In this warm weather try a light meal in the evening keeping carbohydrates to vegetables only like steamed broccoli. Drop grains all together keep them to 1 handful cooked at lunchtime.
2. If you have evening salads theses are difficult to digest so keep to leaves like watercress and rocket that are fine, easier to digest and great to support the liver overnight to prepare you for a
morning bowel movement. Keep away from kale and course fibre greens and lettuces for salads
that are laborious to break down..
3. Chew your food slowly especially raw food after 4pm.
4. Allow 13 hours over night before you eat again in the morning
5. Start your day with a big glass 500ml of warm filtered water and lemon
6. Get out for a 30 minute brisk walk, yoga or pilates class.
7.On your return have another glass of water and if you have a healthy gut, expect a bowel movement.
8. Eat potatoes but you need to cook them and chill them overnight to build resistant starch, first.
They can be reheated or served cold in a salad. Resistant starch is not digested and is used as bulk
to support elimination of your body waste. More Poop!!
(Avoid mayonnaise for the sugar content.) Dress with grass fed butter such as Kerry gold or ghee to moisten the digestive tract.
8. Eat 30 g fibre a day by adding pulses slowly into the diet despite our belief they give us gas supporting the microbiome to break down pulses also supports our colon heath. 2 Tbsp of black beans can provide up to 7 g fibre. Find fibre quantities here
Recipe
Lentils, black bean or cannellini bean salad.
serves 4
1 jar of cooked organic beans or lentils rinsed.
1/2 small red onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 handful of coriander coarsely chopped
Add together, mix and dress with Juice from 1/2 lemon or 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, a good drizzle
of olive oil, grind of pepper and himalayan salt.
N.B.Go slow with your intake of pulses starting with 1 or 2 Tbsp a day. Make sure they are rinsed
and
if you are cooking them, soak them overnight before cooking to make them easier to digest and minimise wind and bloating.
9. Add prebiotic foods to your day to build the good bacteria which breaks down food and provides fibre
- Apples
- Beans
- Berries
- Dark chocolate 100%
- Flaxseed
- Grapes
- Green tea
- Nuts
- Olives
- Plums
10.And prebiotic fibre’s to feed good bacteria and help repair and strengthen the gut:
- Asparagus
- Bananas- greener the better
- Dandelion greens
- Flaxseeds( ground linseed)
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Jerusalem Artichoke
- Oats
- Onions
- Seaweed( use nori sheets for wraps)
- Soybean (organic )
- Wheat bran
If probiotics can reduce disease and rebuild gut health, it’s possible they support ageing too!
11. Add some Kimchi, to your plate, as a delicious relish to burgers or sausages if you are a fan
of the Summer BBQ to support your gut health. Just check its sugar free.
12. Finally Summer and alcohol go together for many of us. So try to substitute 2 glasses of
wine ( feeds the sugar bacteria so you want more bad stuff) for 1 vodka with sparkling water
and a big squeeze of lemon (avoid tonic as it also contains sugar).
If you are having more than one remember it’s twice as strong so take a glass of water in between.
For one to one support please contact me here for a consultation.
Wishing you a wonderful Summer
Much Love
