Gut Health Means a Happy Tummy
We are talking probiotics and prebiotics this morning! My new obsession is goat’s milk kefir! Seriously so delicious, creamy, and tangy! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to cow’s milk. Anyways I’m all about the gut and gastrointestinal, GI, health these days. In my opinion a healthy gut equals a happy tummy! Due to the usage of many antibiotics and medications, processed foods, and harmful chemicals found in beauty and cleaning products many of us have stripped our guts of the good bacteria that we need for proper digestion and immunity. Probiotics, live bacteria and yeasts, are a great way to restore that good gut bacteria and the great news is we can get these through food instead of resorting to supplements. They are also found naturally in the body! Probiotics work by helping to replace the good bacteria that was lost and also by balancing the good and bad bacteria which helps keep your body and digestive system on track. Many people think that yogurt is a great choice, however lots of the yogurts on the market are loaded with unnecessary sugars which we don’t want. Also if you read the label only one or two probiotics are listed. The more probiotics listed the better for you. Goat’s kefir has 12-13 active probiotic cultures and no added sugars, just those found naturally in the goat’s milk. My favorite brand of goats kefir is Redwood Hill Farm. Other great sources of probiotics include kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods. What about prebiotics though? What are these? Prebiotics are non-digestible compounds fibers (oligosaccharides), and they actually work together with probiotics to help restore gut health. When prebiotics travel through the stomach they are not broken down by gastric acids or digestive enzymes. This helps to bring out changes to the digestive tract and organs, which are positive. They are a form of fuel for the healthy bacteria that lives in our gut! The prebiotics and probiotics work as a team allowing changes in the GI system such as composition and activity to occur. Both help to maintain the balance and diversity of the intestinal bacteria. They increase the presence of good bacteria. Some sources of prebiotics include : unripened bananas, raw garlic, raw leeks, raw jicama, cooked or raw onions, raw dandelion greens, and raw asparagus. I got three great smoothie recipes below to help up that good bacteria living inside your gut!
Omega and Blueberry Kefir Smoothie:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup goats kefir
1/2 cup of coconut water
1 cup of blueberries (I used frozen)
2 tsp of organic ground flax seed
1 tsp of organic chia seed
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (you can use vanilla as well)
Directions:
Blend together and enjoy!
*I’m not huge on protein powder at all! The brand that I trust and use is Aloha, which is a plant based powder free of gluten, soy, and dairy! It is also organic, non-gmo and vegan. This powder has no artificial sugars and gets its’ sugar content from coconut sugar and monk fruit extract!
Strawberry, Banana, and Nut Butter Kefir Smoothie:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup goats kefir
1/4 cup of coconut water
1 under-ripened banana (frozen)
3/4 cup of strawberries (again I used frozen)
1-2 tbs almond butter or any nut butter of your choice
2 tsp of organic ground flax seed
1 tsp of organic chia seed
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender, blend and enjoy!
*In this recipe the nut butter replaces the protein powder for your protein!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Kefir Smoothie:
Ingredients:
6 oz goats kefir
2 oz cold water
1/4 zucchini, frozen
1/2 unripened banana, frozen
1 tbs raw natural peanut butter (or nut butter of choice)
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Put in blender, blend, enjoy!