Food is Medicine

Your journey to better gut health really starts in your kitchen, eating whole nutritious foods can protect your body from disease. 

Eating seasonally, locally sourced, organic foods, truly is the best way to nourish your body and revolutionise your diet for better health, here is a little guide to help to choose better ingredients. 

Fats & Oils: 

Ignore previous ‘low fat diets’ fads, it is so important to use and cook with good fats. Chinese Medicine encourages a diet filled with saturated fats as they feed the Jing (If unfamiliar with the term, please read my previous article – The bodies treasures). 

Best to use, organic virgin cold pressed coconut oil, organic pasteurised raw butter, ghee, extra virgin olive oil (Olive Oil is better for making dressing rather than to cook with) and ghee. 

Ones to avoid, please stay away from vegetable oils, margarine, fake butters and fry-light/ spray oils. 

Milk Alternatives:  

Its super simple, oh so easy and delicious to make your own milk (Please see my recipes for home-made cashew/ oat milk) Just to note when making your own home-made milk its vital to use filtered high quality water. 

If not, home-made milk due to the rise of plant-based diets – many shops/supermarkets offer a selection of plant-based milk. 

Hemp, oat and almond and rice milk are best. I use the app YUKA which helps me to source the cleanest safest produce for my body. You just have to scan the barcode, if the product is deemed to have a negative impact on your health it recommends a healthier alternative.  

Please avoid shop bought cow’s milk – if cow’s milk is your preference source organic, grass fed milk. 

Broths & Stocks: 

Home-made vegetable stock or homemade bone broth – it is absolutely vital that this is to be made with bones from ‘clean’ animals. 

Nutrient rich bone broth, full of flavour and deeply nourishing has been used as a home-made remedy across cultures. Can be used for making soups, stews, sauces and reductions or you can just drink bone broth and all its healing powers on its own. 

Bone broth is key to gut heath and good digestion. Your digestion is just as important as the food you are eating. Without a healthy gut lining, your body won’t be able to digest and absorb vital minerals and nutrients. Bone both is an excellent way to heal a damaged gut lining, fuelled with amino acids, gelatine, glucosamine, fats, vitamins and minerals all found in bone broth. 

Avoid, canned and hydrated soups, shop bought stock cubes. 

Nuts, seeds & beans:  

For nuts and seeds best to source organic brands.