His job performance didn’t 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵 expectations.

I genuinely believe this and the more I learn the more convinced I am. Your energy, your immunity, your mood, your skin, your hormones, your ability to absorb nutrients from all those beautiful whole foods you're eating, all of it runs through your gut health. If something feels off and you can't quite put your finger on it, the gut is almost always part of the picture. I've done a lot of work on my own gut health over the years and it's one of those things where the changes are slow and then suddenly very noticeable. Here's what has made the biggest difference: • 𝗘𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. The research on this is fascinating and it's become one of my favorite frameworks, aiming for 30 different plant foods a week to support microbial diversity. It sounds like a lot but it adds up faster than you'd think when you count herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, and legumes. This is exactly what the plant points system is built around. • 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱. Your gut microbiome literally feeds on fiber, specifically prebiotic fiber from foods like garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, oats, and bananas. Without it, the beneficial bacteria in your gut have nothing to thrive on. • 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆. Sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tempeh, and unsweetened plant-based yogurt all introduce beneficial bacteria and support a healthy microbiome. Even a small amount daily adds up over time. 🫙 • 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆. This sounds almost too simple but digestion starts in your mouth and so many gut issues are partly rooted in eating too fast. Your stomach doesn't have teeth, and when you don't chew thoroughly, you're asking your digestive system to work so much harder than it needs to. • 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Heavily processed foods, refined sugars, and alcohol all negatively affect the integrity of your gut lining and the balance of your microbiome. You don't have to be perfect but consistency with whole foods genuinely shifts things over time.

After years of making smoothies every single morning, here's what I've learned: 1. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁. I personally like mine on the thinner side so they're easy to drink, more like a juice than a thick shake. If a recipe calls for one cup of liquid, just add more water until it feels right for you. There are no rules here. 2. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆. My real everyday smoothie is honestly just a big handful of greens, water, ground flaxseed, and whatever fruit I have around, usually berries. Sometimes I add protein powder. That's it. The reason I gave you several different recipes this week is to get a variety of nutrients into your body, but on a normal Tuesday I'm not making anything fancy and that's completely fine. 3. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲. This is the one that makes the biggest difference. If you blend your smoothie the night before and put it in the fridge, you're not scrambling in the morning. It takes the friction away completely. Just shake or stir it in the morning and you're good to go. 4. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. I actually prefer my smoothies at room temperature, and if you make yours the night before, here's a trick: add some hot water in the morning to bring it back up to room temp. This also helps with the thickness because smoothies do thicken up quite a bit overnight in the fridge, so you'll want to add some water anyway. Let us know if you have any tips that work for you! Keep going. You're doing great!

They got no beef..

What's something you're proud of so far this week? Doesn't have to be food related. 👇