A friend messaged this week:
I eat full fat greek yogurt with berries about 3x a week. Is this enough? What are some next easy, practical steps I can do to care for my gut? What’s the best bang for the effort?
I love these kinds of questions. Below is how I answered.
Incorporate more probiotic foods. You can make or buy them, depending if you have more time or money. Some suggestions: Raw sauerkraut found in the refrigerated section, kefir, kombucha. My goal is to eat something fermented at every meal. When the goal is something at every meal, I usually hit once or twice a day. Aim high.
If you struggle to be consistent with probiotic food, the easy button is to take a probiotic pill. There are other reasons to take a pill, too. A few weeks ago, I wrote about my daughter finding some relief from low grade constant anxiety with a specialized probiotic.
Cook whole chicken and learn to make broth with the bones. Full details here. And then make soup. Nourishing, easy, frugal. My favorite trifecta.
Avoid industrial oils like soy, canola, corn. These are inflammatory and inflammation is the root of all kinds of disease. At the beginning of my health journey, I tossed out these oils. They sneak into your diet via store bought salad dressings, most any packaged food, and definitely eating out - even at higher end restaurants. Canola is super cheap and restaurants cut corners where they can. Better choices are: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, expeller pressed sunflower oil (use sparingly), and traditional fats like butter, ghee, tallow, lard and schmaltz.
Buy the highest quality of eggs you can find or afford. Eggs are packed with nutrition, especially when chickens are allowed to live as a chicken should. Here’s an article I wrote to clarify what is the best and words to look for on the carton.
Buy the best quality of meat you can find or afford. Animals grown in confinement are not given exposure to clean air or sunshine (vitamin D). They are given routine antibiotics (which creates antibiotic resistance in humans). Antibiotics can also translate to weight gain for animal AND human. Buying directly from a farmer is the best.
Reduce sugar intake. Added sugar sneaks in our diets via packaged goods. Become a diligent label reader. Sugar also causes inflammation, the root of disease.
Do you find yourself eating the same thing on repeat? Buy the highest quality of that thing. My sons eat a lot of apples; we buy organic. Or figure out a way to make it. Do you eat a lot of salads? Find a homemade salad dressing (my recipes) you like and make it with quality ingredients.
Gut health isn’t just what you eat. Your gut is influenced by a host of other environmental factors as well: quality rest, reduced stress, and toxin loads all add to the equation. This letter is getting long enough -- I’ll go deeper on those another day. Related article: Top 5 Tips for Wellness.
What I’m Reading
I saw a book rec on IG for Rewilding Motherhood and bought the book right away.
@soulcaresanctuary said:
[This book] speaks honest truth about motherhood, which is applicable to all of us, and it reminds us that motherhood is not a place where moms go to give up their voices and die, but is a space where moms can flourish spiritually and creatively. Shannon’s refreshingly honest and raw journey gives all of us permission to pay attention — to explore — what is truly nourishing for each of us.
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Woven with Ignatian spirituality, including mentions of her journey through the spiritual exercises and spiritual direction, Shannon includes a variety of gentle spiritual and grounding practices at the end of each chapter.
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The first half of the book is about healing inwardly. The second half of the book is about being that healing presence to the world — contemplatives in action. This book is not just for moms. It is for the world.
It could be that you would disagree with much of what she says. The author is a former evangelical missionary, deconstructed faith, now Catholic on the verge of new-age, millennial, speaks negatively of patriarchy and vaguely about critical race theory.
BUT she puts a voice to what I think many women (in the church, esp) approaching 40 years old feel. And I love the contemplative tone of the book.
I've scribbled all over my copy -- where I agree, disagree, and want to know more.
I hope you get a copy. And I'd love for you to join me for a discussion in my home Thursday, Oct 28, 7pm. If you’re not local, I would consider a Zoom discussion too.
Please reply to me if you're interested in joining the discussion.
Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be.
Julie