JOURNAL PROMPT
Last week we asked if there were things you were already doing that set yourself up for success. Are there any diet habits that you have incorporated into your routine that help aid your digestion?
“Optimum nutrition is the medicine of tomorrow”
-Linus Pauling
Foods like sauerkraut and kimchi help clean and nourish the gut with live cultures. Fermented foods help the beneficial bacteria in your gut proliferate like probiotic supplements. However, fermented foods have been shown to have a more diverse number of cultures when compared to over-the-counter probiotic supplements.
Fermented foods also contain digestive enzymes that aid your digestive system in breaking down proteins in the food you eat. This has been shown to help enhance immune support and address food sensitivities. The fermenting bacteria and yeast produce bioactive byproducts that help regulate metabolism, which is key to managing our weight.
When choosing fermented foods it’s important to look for the term “lacto-fermented” instead of traditional vinegar fermentation. Make sure they’re in the refrigerated section of the grocery store and choose raw/unpasteurized when possible.
Pro Tip: incorporate one or two forkfuls of sauerkraut or kimchi once a day or with each meal for 30 days and see how you feel.
Another fermented favorite is apple cider vinegar, made from fermented apples. Apple cider vinegar acts as a neutralizer in the bodies pH, it helps balance blood sugar, boosts metabolism and helps detox the body of waste by supporting the liver’s natural detoxifying role in the body.
Choose unfiltered apple cider vinegar with enzymes (known as with the ‘Mother’) to reap the most benefits. We prefer Braggs Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.
There are many ways to incorporate ACV into your diet. We recommend mixing 1 Tbsp with some honey into water in the morning or before meals. ACV is also easily incorporated into many recipes. Consider adding 1 Tbsp to your next salad dressing.
The third ingredient we encourage adding to your regimen is wheatgrass. Best when juiced, (check out Sproutman.com) this superfood is rich in chlorophyll, vitamins, and minerals. It balances blood sugar and helps alkalize the body. Modern American diets lead to an acidic environment in the body which leads to chronic, low-grade inflammation and prevents optimal cellular performance.
Intermittent fasting is a cycle of eating (and not eating). It involves restricting when you consume food, either by rotating between low-calorie and normal diet days, or by eating only during a specific window of time.
Intentional intermittent fasting is an age-old practice and our #1 “hack” for health. Fasting is an effective tool for helping the body reset and use up glucose stores which leads the body to immediately begin burning fat once the glucose is used up. It also jump starts autophagy which is automated cell death of old and damaged cells. The clearing of old cells help maintain cellular homeostasis and function. Improving autophagy processes has a wide array of benefits throughout the brain and body. There are many ways to incorporate fasting such as eating for an 8 hour window with a 16 hour fasting period. For example, you could start with one day per week only eating between 10am – 6pm. Start small, be consistent, and then notice how you feel.
Have a comment or question? Or suggestion for future Wednesday Wisdom? Email us at ‘support@livepurepower-dev.westlinkclient.com’ – we’d love to support you. We’re in it together.
