I hope this email finds you well!!
I want to thank all of those who filled out the questionnaire for the “What the Gut (f$*#) is Going On” retreat!! We did have a winner to the drawing and that will be gifted the Sonic Yogi’s, “Be the Love You Seek” CD. Congrats!!
I am sitting here writing you with love and gratitude for the peace and quiet of the morning soft sunlight until the gardeners dance in with their blowers.
Something that came to mind as I finish my matcha/cacao nibs/hawthorn berries on ice and how the bitter cacao nibs are not bitter to me anymore. I have grown to enjoy the super bitter crunch and natural flavors. I never would imagine that I could like something so bitter!
DNA studies have shown that certain people may have an aversion to bitter tastes (like watercress, dark chocolate, and coffee) that is genetically determined. It is shown that this avoidance can actually lower the quality of a person’s diet and encourage a preference for sweeter foods, because lots of plant foods contain bitter flavor compounds.
Eating bitter foods such as these have phytonutrients that support the liver help manage cholesterol, balances hormones, detoxify the blood and metabolize fats.
Taste receptors in your mouth assess bitterness are also in your gut and they respond to bacterial stimuli. Researchers suggest that bacteria may be able to interact with your food preferences and, by doing so, play a role in weight gain!
You cant change genetics, but you can nourish your beneficial bacteria to maintain a healthy metabolism and body weight. Beneficial gut microbes love plant foods like vegetables, fruit, seeds, and nuts, as well as whole grains and legumes, and good fats. In exchange, they keep your gut happy and your body healthy.
These foods contain certain pre-biotic fibers that help your elimination, PLUS they’re less energy-dense than refined sugars, meaning they don’t make your blood sugar spike.
Rather they are digested slowly, and they also feed your gut bacteria due to their many compounds can’t be broken down by the body.
Looking for a place to start!!
Start with not tossing your skins away. Eat your scrubbed clean sweet potato, carrot, apple, pear, and that white part of your citrus fruit. That stuff is magic!
Foods like artichokes, onions, beets, garlic and mushrooms. Berries, beans and steel cut oats are also top notch for the gut microbiome.
Research also shows that people who eat 30+ different plants of the food rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, and purple/blue) each week have the most microbiome diversity.
Your goal? 30 g fiber per day!
Now, if you have a pre-existing gut condition, eating fibers like these for now might be problematic. You should seek attention from a practitioner or doctor who knows something about human digestion.
Have you figured out about now much fiber you eat on most days??
