This Week's Plant-Based Focus: Everything Starts In The Gut

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.

• 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. The gut-brain axis is real, and chronic stress directly affects your gut motility, your microbiome balance, and your digestive function. This is why last week's post and this one are so deeply connected. 💛

If you've been dealing with bloating, irregular digestion, low energy, or just a general feeling of something being off, your gut is a really powerful place to start.

What's your gut health like right now, and is this something you've been paying attention to? Tell me below 👇

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