Full Disclosure
There are detoxes, fast, nutritional plans, and programs out there to help remedy a common ailment in American culture, and that is gut health but not as much emphasis on the healing foods that already exist. No one talks about the healing food that God gave us. Daily, more and more information is shared about how to heal your gut. I often have written about my gut health journey. Four years on this journey, I am finally at a point where I can say I have good gut health and want to help others.
As a certified personal trainer and certified fitness nutrition specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, it is out of my scope of practice to diagnose or offer treatment for any gut ailments. Out of good conscience, I also recommend you see a professional doctor, nutritionist, and registered dietician.
This post informs you of factual information on foods that can help improve your gut health. Adding these foods to your diet in proper portions has been proven to help.
My Journey to Healing
When I began my weight loss journey, I often suffered from upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux, constant bloating, and gas. I also had severe seasonal allergy symptoms like itchy, watery eyes, postnasal drip, and relentless cough. I would get painful stomach cramps, headaches, and lethargy when I ate food. It came to a point where I didn’t want to eat for fear of the reaction.
All the Test
I also ate healthy foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, cream of wheat, and whole wheat grains. Finally, I sought a doctor for help. We started with blood tests for multiple gastrointestinal issues. We tried an elimination diet of dairy products, which subsided some symptoms; I had allergy testing for foods and pollens. To conclude that I didn’t have Celiacs, I was lactose intolerant, I had an allergy to wheat, and a couple of pollens found in fruits like pineapples. Who knew?
Becoming my Advocate
Then I went on my advocacy. I attended IDEA World Blog Fest 2016, and Melissa Hartwig of Whole 30 spoke and autographed her new Whole 30 book. I began the successful September start she does every year. After ten restarts of the restrictive diet plan. I was amazed at my results. Not physical but the way my body felt. I was no longer in pain after eating. Food gave me energy instead of making me extremely tired. My mood and clarity had improved, and it felt so good. Until recently, I never realized the power of food until undergoing the almost 50-day journey. (I can be a slow adopter sometimes).
I also saw changes in my complexion, hair, and nails and was hooked. After the Whole 30 Program, I was aware of food’s effects on my body. As I added grains, I realized that not all foods served my body well. For other people, it’s okay, but for my digestive symptoms, it was a trigger. Here I am four years later, and I am fully aware of what I can and shouldn’t eat.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear. Is life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
Matthew 6:25
You can’t live life on a diet.
There is so much to concern yourself about than what you will eat. Adding foods that will nourish your body and reducing or eliminating the food that is sustaining your body are two different things. Quick heat and processed foods maintain your body, giving you the necessary calories. Nutrient-dense food fuels your body and gives it the nutrients it needs to be at optimal performance. Rather than keeping it fed so, you can continue to go.
What I eat
I eat a lot of food, but it’s mostly good food. I eat chips, donuts, french fries, and other C.R.A.P. C.R.A.P.om from time to time, but I mostly eat foods that nourish my body, and that’s what I usually crave good food. I am still exploring and trying because I am just curious, but when it’s all said and done, God gave us everything we need to survive. If we eat the healing foods God gave us in the amount that we should, it can not only heal us but also help us reach our goals.
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it consecrated by the Word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4
We all know what to eat, when, and how much, but what about the why?
Food has a purpose; if you use it for fuel, you wouldn’t have to be on a diet. You wouldn’t crave the things that didn’t serve you because, ultimately, your cravings are your body’s way of alerting you of what it needs. Eating a nutritious or biblically-based diet will help you overcome your cravings, burn fat, resolve gut ailments, and honor your temple.
So, I put together six foods to help improve your adding these F.O.O.D.S. loving C.R.A.P. C.R.A.P.lp healing your gut, body, and mind. Making a lifestyle change and adding these 100 Healing foods will help you honor your temple and serve your body well.
Healing foods to add to your diet
Gut Health
Digestive disorders are prevalent but often not spoken about because we learn to keep potty talk in the potty in kindergarten. The gut is the second brain regulating your mental and physical health by cells found in the gut microbiome. We are keeping a balance of “good” bacteria and “harmful bacteria.
People with an imbalance of too much “bad” bacteria often are diagnosed with diseases like; Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (I.B.S.), whI.B.S. my blood test had ruled out Praise God. There is a link between gut bacteria and high cholesterol, which can cause heart disease. It has also been linked to kidney disease.
Gut Microbiome
The gut microbiome has also been linked to affecting the way you feel and the way your brain processes information you gather from your five senses. Studies are currently being done to see how your gut microbiome affects diseases like autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and depression. It’s also being studied to see if there is an association between the gut microbiome and chronic pain. It is so important to keep your gut healthy.
An Unhealthy balance in your gut has been associated with heart disease, obesity or weight gain, kidney disorders, depression, and anxiety. So feeding your gut healthy foods can help your overall wellness. Reducing and eliminating processed food with artificial sweeteners, flavors, and colors and adding gut-healthy foods can begin the journey to improve gut health.
Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation is the way our body’s immune system defends itself. Without inflammation, our organization would not fight off diseases and treat wounds. The problem is not the initial inflammation. It’s the prolonged inflammation or if there is inflammation in the body that is not needed. Chronic inflammation can lead to severe diseases like stroke, heart diseases, and autoimmune disorders like lupus. So reducing the unwanted inflammation is ideal. Many processed foods we consume cause unnecessary inflammation; reducing these healing foods and adding an anti-inflammatory diet can help.
Prebiotics
I am all about Prebiotics this year since learning of the necessity for optimal gut health. Prebiotics are fibers that the body cannot digest, but they are food for probiotics that help support gut bacteria. Think of prebiotics as a probiotic food. Adding these healing foods to your diet can be beneficial to feeding the probiotics in your body.
Probiotics
Probiotics are live bacteria that serve your gut to help it digest well; they are considered helpful in the digestive process.
Hormonal Balancing
Did you know that we have over 100 hormones in the body that constantly check and balance each other? The American lifestyle is wreaking havoc on our hormones. It is so involved, and you must consider what you eat, the chemicals you put on your body or use to clean your surroundings, your stress level, and contraception methods. All are factors in a balanced hormone. Hormone imbalance can affect you in so many ways. Your sleep, skin, energy level, digestion, brain clarity, mood, weight, appetite, headaches, mental health, aging process, and so much more. Hormonal balancing takes multiple steps and has many contributing factors, but one unanimous suggestion is that diet change helps balance hormones. Removing sugar and adding these foods into your diet can help you to better hormonal balance.
Thermogenic
You can eat foods that can naturally increase your metabolism and burn fat. “Diet-induced” thermogenesis is the process of the body utilizing the food it has eating and converting those calories to heat. It’s a tiny percentage, but it’s an additional boost to your physical activity calorie burn by eating the right food. Post or pre-workout is another consideration for the timing to eat these foods.
Healing Foods
Foods can be your friend or foe, but ultimately, what you put in your body affects your feelings. I would encourage you to add a few, some, or all of these foods to your diet. They will ultimately help your body operate at its best. I wouldn’t try to do all 100 foods at once but check off the ones you eat, eat more of that, and then add a new food every week. Some you will love, and some you will detest, but at least you are trying to be well.
What is the most incredible food that you see on this list? Do you think you could add some of these foods to your diet?
