Celebrate Summer with Tasty Recipes for Optimal Gut Health
FoodTrients Celebrates Summer with Tasty Recipes for Optimal Gut Health
Gut health refers to the overall wellness of your digestive system, particularly the balance and function of the microorganisms that live in your gastrointestinal tract. Did you know that your digestive system is a whole plant/animal kingdom of its own? The GI tract is a complex system responsible for digesting food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste from the body. It’s inhabited by trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, collectively known as the gut microbiota or gut microbiome. Chew on this: There are more microbes in your digestive system than there are cells in your body!
It’s estimated that 80 percent of your immune system is located in your gut. Probiotics, beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods like kimchi, yogurt, and kefir, help the development of the mucus lining of your digestive tract, which plays a large role in a strong immune system. Prebiotics are the types of fiber that feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut. You can get these from high fiber foods such as asparagus, bananas, broccoli, and cabbage.
Maintaining a healthy balance of these microorganisms is crucial for various aspects of health, including digestion, immune function, metabolism, and even mood regulation. When the balance of these microorganisms is disrupted, it can lead to health problems, including digestive issues like bloating, gas, diarrhea, or constipation, as well as more serious conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and even certain autoimmune disorders.
Grace O is the founder and driving force behind FoodTrients, a non-profit organization dedicated to research and information on food as medicine that can help everyone age better and live healthier. Grace’s program of healthy living is created around food as medicine and the nine age-defying benefits she incorporates into her recipes — Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, Beauty, Detox, Disease Prevention, Gut Health, Immune Boosters, Mind, and Strength.
Grace believes that a diet rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kombucha can promote a healthy gut microbiota. Learning which foods can help keep you well and positively improve everything from your mood to how your body absorbs nutrients is a good first step. To learn more about good-for-your-gut foods, click here to read Grace O’s full article and to get more gut-healthy recipes.
The next step to a healthy gut is putting the right food into it. Following are two of Grace’s gut health recipes perfect for summer entertaining.
Caribbean Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
Serves 6–8
Food can most definitely be colorful, delicious, and healthy at the same time. This pineapple black bean salsa is a perfect example. My favorite kind of pineapple is the White Sugarloaf from Hawaii, but any variety will work. This dish is so versatile. Try serving it with tortilla chips as an appetizer or as a sweet and spicy topping for grilled tofu or fish. For a quicker assembly time, you can use a can of black beans. If you can’t find spring garlic, use green onions.
Benefits
Pineapple, beans, avocado, and other nutrient-dense ingredients in this dish promote optimal energy levels, help with digestion, and lower inflammation. Pineapple contains bromelain, which aids digestion, as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-blood clotting, and cancer-fighting properties.
FoodTrients: Anti-inflammatory, Disease Prevention, Gut Health
Ingredients
1 pineapple, peeled and diced (about2 ½ cups)
1¼ cups cooked (or canned, drained and rinsed) black beans
1 avocado, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 stalk spring garlic (or 2 green onions), chopped
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest
Salt to taste
Procedure
Place the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined.
Recipe and photo may be reprinted with the following credit: Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from Anti-Aging Recipes from Around the World by Grace O/www.FoodTrients.com.
Avocado Toast with Chickpeas and Miso
Makes 4 pieces
Though this recipe isn’t in any of my cookbooks, I saw it online, thought it looked like a delicious gut-supporting breakfast or brunch item, and adapted it for the FoodTrients audience. It’s always good to have chickpeas on hand in your cupboard. They’re high in a soluble fiber called raffinose, which is broken down by beneficial gut bacteria to support a healthy lower GI tract. Miso is easily digested and highly nutritious, filled with B vitamins and protein. Avocado offers essential nutrients such as healthy fat, magnesium, zinc, and potassium to support digestion.
Ingredients
15-16 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs. white miso paste
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 lemon, ½ juiced, ½ wedged to serve
1 large avocado
4 medium slices of cracked wheat sourdough bread, toasted
A sprinkle of sesame seeds
1 green onion, finely sliced on the diagonal
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Procedure
- Put the chickpeas, miso, sesame oil, lemon juice, and some seasoning in a bowl. Use a potato masher to crush everything together until you have a rough paste.
- Spoon the avocado into another bowl and mash with a fork until crushed, but still chunky. Fold the avocado with the chickpea-miso mixture, then spread on the toast. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and sliced spring onions. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
- Option: a couple of sliced cherry tomatoes on top of each piece of toast provides a sweet counterpoint to the chickpea-miso-avocado topping.
Recipe and Photo may be reprinted with the following credit: Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from www.FoodTrients.com.
About FoodTrients
FoodTrients® is a philosophy and a resource dedicated to the foods and rejuvenating nutrients that help us fight the diseases of aging and promote longevity. All of the recipes combine modern scientific research and medicinal herbs and ingredients from cultures around the world. They’re loaded with flavor and superfoods, which promote wellness, increase energy and vitality, improve skin, and help people look and feel younger. For more information and recipes visit www.FoodTrients.com.
For more information:
CONTACT:
Trina Kaye – Public Relations / The Trina Kaye Organization / TrinaKaye@tkopr.com / 310-963-3964
