These 4 Everyday Foods (Recipes Included) Are The BEST For Gut Health

The gut.

What an amazing system! But also really touchy.

We all know the feeling of unhappy insides — and it’s really not pleasant.

So treat your gut like stoking a fire. Keep the flames high by feeding it with the right kind of fuel and give it plenty of attention.

One way of doing this is making sure you are eating the right kinds of food. Everything that you put in your body is going to have an impact (good or bad) — so think about what’s going to make your insides feel its best.

Oats

Dare I say carbohydrates and good for you in the same sentence?

Believe it or not — certain kinds of carbohydrates are essential for our body and brain function. Oats, which are in the bran family, and are filled with fiber, which aids in digestion and… you know… your time on the restroom throne.

The fun thing is that oats can be savory or sweet as well as hot or cold — And I’ve got a killer recipe that you start serving today that the whole family will love!

Fluffy Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • pinch of baking soda
  • 1 tsp coconut oil or butter

Instructions

  1. Grind the oats using a nut grinder or a food processor.
  2. Mix the egg with the yogurt, vanilla and honey in a small bowl.
  3. Add the oats and the baking soda.
  4. Preheat a non-stick pan, you'll need low to medium temperature. Cover the surface with coconut oil or butter.
  5. Using a big spoon or a ladle start making small pancakes, leaving some space in between, so that you can flip them easily when ready.
  6. When the edges of the pancakes look done and bubbles come up it's time to flip the pancakes, carefully, but quickly. Cook on the other side as well.
  7. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings

Healthy pancakes = total win!

Salmon

Let’s take a flip over to the savory side.

Salmon has SO many wonderful benefits — but the one that sticks out for gut health is its anti-inflammatory properties.

Nutrients and vitamins within these kinds of foods act like spa room to your gut. They help calm everything down in your system so your gut feels nice and relaxed.

Mediterranean Salmon Bowls

Ingredients

  • 8oz salmon filet
  • 1 tsp basil, dry
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

Salad

  • 1 cup lettuce, chopped
  • 2/3 cup purple cabbage, chopped
  • handful basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 10 olives, pitted
  • 2 tbsp hummus

Instructions

  1. Rub the salmon with the dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 clove garlic. Let it sit like that for a few minutes while you're making the broccoli and the salad.
  2. For the salad, chop the cabbage and massage it in a bowl with the lemon juice. Then add the lettuce, basil, olive oil, feta cheese and 1 clove of minced garlic. Mix everything well together and add salt and pepper if needed. You can also make the hummus if you haven't made or bought any.
  3. For the broccoli, chop the florets and stir them for 2 minutes in a non-stick pan with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Then turn off the heat and cover it with a lid for a few minutes.
  4. After that, take out the broccoli and add the salmon to the same pan. Cook it at medium/medium high and cover with a lid, flipping half-way through. Now, you can use whole salmon filets, or cut into a few chunks. After 6-7 minutes the salmon is ready and you can start arranging the bowl.
  5. At the bottom, put the salad, then add the olives, hummus, broccoli and in the middle the salmon. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. This recipe makes 2 servings.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy this recipe!

Yogurt

Creamy, dreamy, and delicious… but don’t be fooled by the ones in the store that are packed with a bunch of bad-for-you stuff.

When aiming for a yogurt kind of snack, you want to stick with your basics (like standard greek).

The thing is, it doesn’t have to be boring — get all the probiotic benefits from yogurt and have fun with it. Like this recipe! You’ll be absolutely drooling over it…

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 2.5 cups cooked shredded chicken about 1 lb
  • 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup celery diced finely
  • 1 cup apples chopped
  • 1/4 cup pecans chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Cook chicken. Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil chicken for 10-14 minutes. You can also cook chicken in the instant pot, crockpot or buy a rotisserie chicken.
  2. While chicken is cooking, chop parsley, celery, apples and pecans.
  3. Once chicken is cooked, shred the chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks.
  4. Add chopped ingredients, spices, greek yogurt and shredded chicken in a bowl.
  5. Toss together using a spatula until all ingredients are thoroughly coated with yogurt.
  6. Serve on a sandwich or over a salad.

The perfect lunch awaits!

Asparagus

There’s a lot of chatter around probiotics — but prebiotics are just as essential.

According to Forbes “Prebiotics act as fuel for specific bacteria in the gut, thus having the ability to promote the creation of more good bacteria.”

So let's be little cheerleaders and give a “hoorah!” to more good bacteria in our systems!

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 15 ounce can cannellini beans
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or filtered water)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot and add onion with a pinch of salt. Saute onion until it is translucent and tender (not browned) this takes about 5 minutes.
  2. Add in the garlic, asparagus and beans and season with a bit of salt and pepper and give it all a stir.
  3. Pour in the veggie broth and crank the heat to high bringing everything to a boil.
  4. Reduce down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until the asparagus is fork tender. Shut off the heat and let the soup cool for a few minutes before blending.
  5. Working in batches, spoon the soup into your blender, filling the blender no more then 1/4-1/3rd of the way up. Place on the lid, leaving it slightly a jar so steam can escape and blend until the soup is rich and creamy. Repeat until you have finished all the soup.
  6. Serve right away! Or, transfer back to the pot to reheat and serve OR store in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.

Perfect for a chilly day!

Support

It’s incredibly important to keep your gut microbiome healthy and balanced. To do so is like a dance — one foot in the wrong place and everything falls out of step.

Treat it well, give it lots of water, rest, less stress, and all the good kinds of supportive food. Your overall health relies on a happy gut.

https://www.homemademastery.com/fluffy-oatmeal-pancakes-without-banana-flourless/

https://www.beautybites.org/mediterranean-salmon-bowl/

https://thecleaneatingcouple.com/greek-yogurt-chicken-salad/

https://cleananddelicious.com/asparagus-soup/#recipe