Foods to choose and why.
Episode 16: Do You Have The Guts
I’m so glad you are here! We are diving RIGHT into the details today because there is A LOT to cover. I've been reading about all kinds of gut health diets to bring you this compilation of information from doctors and nutritionists!
And I am modeling my daily abits around this advice as well.
We are all always evolving and changing and I find myself in a slump sometimes with regards to food and I begin looking for different ways to improve my health through food and recipes.
I sort of begin a new quest for what will be fun and doable in the kitchen as well as fun and doable with the schedule. I allow myself grace and space to do things differently when I need to. I work hard to keep shame out of my game. No shame here. Just grace and working towards getting things done.
Lately I have not had a lot of free weekend time for whatever reason to really food prep. I'm planning and I've usually got things to throw together that I've thought through, but the amounts of what I am eating are not on point. I realized I'd strayed a lot when I realized that Amy Shah MD recommends 6 servings of a specific type of veggie and I had to think how many veggies a day I have been eating.
It has not been 6. Let me tell you.
Craig, my husband, tries to convince me that our greens drink takes the place of any necessary veggies...he doesn't like veggies. I do like veggies though I have not felt like eating them in a while due to probably all kinds of reasons that we are not going to dive into right now.
As I’ve gotten real with myself about cleaning up the diet and adding in the good things that are missing, it occured to me that this is a good process to share because you might think something is wrong with you due to your aversion to veggies.
There is nothing wrong with you. Me either.
We've just been eating in a way that has produced cravings in our system based on physical habits and what's happening inside of our guts. I'll share some details from her book today that blew my mind, and I will link it in the show notes for easy access. It's a really easy and fun read.
Nutrition Basics
First let's talk a few basics when it comes to our nutrition. Do you know about your hunger quotient and what food timing works best for you? Dr. Amy Shah also talks about unlearning our food behavior which I love.
Food Timing
Food timing is how often you eat. Some people maintain more balanced blood sugar by eating every few hours. This works brilliantly for some folks. Bear in mind that their food is HIGH QUALITY. A food that isn’t going to spike your blood sugar is likely going to be whole in form…not usually coming out of a package with ingredients you do not understand.
In this scenario you have 3 meals a day and 2 snacks.
Some people really prefer to let their full meal digest before stirring up the gut again. This can be very beneficial if you are working to heal your gut.
Full digestion takes at least 3 hours. I prefer to eat 3 meals a day and one mid-late afternoon snack depending on how hungry I feel. When I am really training I add in an early snack in the form of a pre-workout shake with protein. So that is technically 2 snacks, but my timing is different. It's worked quite well for me.
In peak times I am eating 3 meals a day plus work out shake, and I stop eating by 5:30 pm. This food timing is the ultimate timing for my body to release weight. It has taken me a few years - like 4 - to come to understand this. So give yourself grace. The goal is to not get super hungry. If you get SUPER hungry every few hours, create your day to support the best mood/feeling for you. I really want to get together my quick snacks as well as snacks I meal plan for myself to share in the show notes...we will see if that comes together.
Hunger Quotient
The nutritionist I mentored under is also a big proponent of hunger quotient.
HQ is the number related to a feeling that describes how hungry you truly are. Hunger isn't the only reason we eat. Yes ya'll. The microbes in our guts are a BIG reason we eat when we ARE NOT HUNGRY!!!
Let me stop so we don't rabbit hole before we all understand hunger quotient.
Tapping into true hunger is really smart if you have weight loss goals, or weight maintenance goals...or just a desire to live free from so many cravings.
HQ goes hand in hand with food timing. Listen to your body to understand when you are hungry and when you are satisfied.
The scale is 1-10. 1=stuffed. 10 = starving. You want to aim between a 6 and 4 at the beginning and end of your meals and snacks. 6 is slightly hungry. 4 is slightly satisfied. Eating when you are hungry and at times that work for your body help you make smart food choices all the time.
Proportions & Proportions
Now I don't want to tell you how much of what to eat. This is up to you, and it should be based on your individual needs. If you are on a journey to lose weight and change your nutrition, I do not recommend counting calories - ever.
If you desire a methodology for exactly how much food to eat at each meal, I highly recommend you research and determine your macros.
This is a way of portioning your food so that you have a specific amount of healthy fats, proteins, and carbs. You do not have to be keto to determine your macros. Knowing how much of what kind of food you are eating can help you find combinations that work best for your body.
Macros are not necessary, however. You can rely on the hunger quotient method to determine your portions and proportions.
A good rule of thumb is go for more veggies first if your HQ is higher than a 6 at the end of a meal or snack, and a lean protein second if veggies do not cut it.
And please do not be afraid of healthy fats found in avocados, coconut oil, or even butter. FAT IS GOOD FOR US and it helps us make essential hormones among other things! Don’t hate the fat! It might be what you are desperately missing!
Nutrient Density
Getting the most bang for your buck. Yes, that expression is what nutrient density is all about.
Choose the healthiest foods for your body and the most amount of nutrients per calorie. I spent years learning to do this.
Now I was strictly nutritional keto for about 2 years and I ate 25 grams of net carbs per day which doesn’t sound like a lot. Let me tell you. If your only carb source is low sugar veggies, then you are taking in A LOT of veggies!
Don’t waste time eating food that doesn’t fuel you up with vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein or other great nutrients.
We often focus on what’s not in our food -- that’s why companies label things as low in sodium or cholesterol -- while we should be focusing on what’s actually in our food! The goal is to get the most nutrients possible from a single food.
To figure out if a food in question is dense with nutrients, ask yourself: ‘Does this food come from nature?’ Foods that look like how they are grown in nature are more healthful. If the food is processed and you cannot see a grain, seed, leaf, chances are there is not much nutrient density.
So there is our overview and somewhat of a structure to eating. Understanding timing, how hungry we actually are, unlearning food behaviors that don’t support us, portions and proportions, and nutrient density.
A lot today's chat was inspired by Amy Shah MD who wrote Why am I so Effing Hungry.
Ultimately Dr Shah is saying (and I agree that ) "the best diet is one in which we do not count calories or macros, but simply add in, and prioritize, foods that promote feelings of fullness and satisfaction.
When we do this, we zap cravings and uncontrollable hunger, we shed our diet obsession, we lose weight effortlessly (if that’s our goal), and we get healthy.”
Do not eliminate anything unless you WANT to.
Over the next few weeks, add these super foods into your day every day and see what happens.
Focus on consuming plenty of healthy fats such as olive oil, sources of lean protein, fresh vegetables and fruits like avocados, and specific dairy products such as yogurt— I explained that if she did this, she’d begin to feel incredibly satisfied and should not have the need or desire for large amounts of unhealthy foods.
Don't worry about subtracting any food out...unless it's to get these additions in!!
And well, how well is your gut? Is it helping your body work efficiently?
These foods and superfoods recommended by Dr Shah are ingredients that will create satiety and gut health for us.
So here is the magic recipe of ingredients that Dr Shah says will begin to repair our gut bacteria and help us flourish.
If we add in these superfoods and include 6 servings of veggies a day…
However this can work for you, allow it to. Don't judge right away or say you could never...give it some thought and begin slowly if necessary.
The 6 Recommended Superfoods
1. Glucosinolates: The most common glucosinolate-containing vegetables found on grocery store shelves are:
Arugula
Bok choy
Broccoli
Broccoflower
Broccolini
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Collard greens
Horseradish
Kale
Mustard greens
Radishes
Rutabaga
Turnip
Watercress
When you eat these veggies, their glucosinates are broken down by microbes into compounds called metabolites. Metabolites halt inflammation, accelerate your metabolism, and set in motion enzymatic reactions to guard your cells from damage (these metabolites also mimic hunger or satiety hormones). Glucosinolates also work like natural antibiotics to help ward off bacterial, viral, and fungal infections in the body.
2. Polyphenols:
Foods high in polyphenols include:
Avocadoes
Berries
all types Broccoli
Cherries
Chili peppers
Citrus fruits
Coffee
Flaxseeds
Dark chocolate
Garlic
Legumes
Mangoes
Nuts,
all varieties Olives
Onions
Oregano, as well as many other herbs and spices (choose organic if you can in order to avoid pesticide residue)
Pumpkin
Spinach
Tea, all types especially green tea
Polyphenols are key for controlling hunger, appetite, and cravings. For one thing, they support the growth of good bacteria, while combating bad bacteria. This builds gut diversity, which helps normalize hunger and appetite. Additionally, polyphenols promote the secretion of satiety hormones by cells in the gut.
Extra: Craving Hacks
Peppermint Sniff Remedy
as a way to crush cravings. Peppermint is rich in polyphenols and it can defuse cravings when you sniff it, and you might end up not grabbing a particular treat.
In a 2008 study published in the journal Appetite: subjects whiffed the peppermint aroma every two hours over a five-day period. Each time, they ended up eating about 360 fewer calories daily compared to days when they didn’t inhale peppermint.
Why did the peppermint scent quash cravings so powerfully? Scientists haven’t figured out the answer yet, but it may have something to do with the fact that the smell of peppermint is known to boost mood. A better mood might dampen your desire for high-calorie comfort foods…
Do not eat sugary peppermint candy for this benefit, but other forms might be really helpful.
Eat more walnuts!
They found that consuming walnuts activates an area in the brain called the right insula, which is associated with regulating hunger and cravings. Basically, eating walnuts changes brain activity to lessen food cravings. This study was published in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism in 2018.
#3 Eat Protein & Amino Acids
Now Dr. Shah dives into serious details of what specific types of amino acids and proteins to eat for feeling full. And it is not just the protein that makes us full. Amino acids play a huge role in many of your body’s most vital functions, ranging from digesting food to building muscle to helping the body burn fat. They are also natural appetite suppressants. In fact, a 2009 review published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that protein and amino acids are more powerful than carbohydrates and fat in promoting short-term satiety in animals and humans. Ingesting amino acids will impart the sensation of feeling full and help you stop overeating.
If you want to satisfy hunger more quickly and flick off your hunger switch, send fullness signals to the brain after eating, causes the digestion process to perform at a slower pace; creating a natural decrease in your appetite
consume protein
Here are foods rich in protein and amino acids:
Almonds
Apricots
Avocadoes
Beef
Chicken
Lentils
Plums
Pork
Beans
Fish
Eggs
Milk
Nuts
Oatmeal
Seeds
Tofu
If you do not eat a lot of protein, this essential ingredient might be just what you need.
4. Group 4 - Dopamine Support Foods: Protein
In a 2014 issue of Nutrition Journal, in which researchers compared the satiety effects from high-protein breakfasts (containing 35 grams of high-quality animal protein) versus normal-protein breakfasts (13 grams) or breakfast skipping in overweight and obese teenage girls.
The high-protein breakfast worked best at curbing post meal cravings and boosting dopamine levels. This study was the first to show that dopamine surges after you eat protein. And we've learned that protein contains amino acids, several of which are the building blocks of dopamine. Thus, eating more protein is a healthier way to increase dopamine production.
5. Number 5 Superfood: Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fats are potent, natural appetite tamers! Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids include:
Algae oil (this is one of the best sources of vegan omega-3 DHA and my preferred omega-3 fat)
Eggs fortified with omega-3s
Fish (especially anchovies, herring, lake trout, salmon, and sardines).
Fish can contain an excessive amount of mercury, pesticide residues, and other toxins, depending on their source. Make sure you choose wild caught and organic as much as possible.
Nuts and seeds (flaxseeds, walnuts, nut butters, and chia seeds)
Other plant sources such as spirulina, spinach, red lentils, navy beans Plant oils (flaxseed oil and canola oil). Cold-pressed oils are preferred.
Number 6 Superfood: Fiber - all forms
Apples
Avocado
Black beans
Broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Bran
Cauliflower
Green beans
Nuts
Whole grains
Prebiotic fiber encourages the growth of good bacteria (probiotics) in your gut—which ultimately helps dampen cravings for sugar and keeps your hunger in check (My pink drink has an amazing pre-biotic-shamless plug) .
The top sources are:
Asparagus
(green) Banana
Chicory root
Garlic
Jerusalem artichoke
Leek
Onion
Virtually any vegetable
Veggies of this special type of prebiotic fiber that confers health benefits through alterations in the microbiome. In a 2019 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, volunteers who increased these fibers in their diets experienced greater satiety and fewer urges to eat sweet, salty, and fatty foods, and actually craved certain vegetables.
*Banana
*Garlic Jerusalem artichoke
*Leek
*Onion
So those are our 6 superfoods to add to our diets daily. And remember we are shooting for 6 servings of veggies per day eventually too.
Now you know what is next.
Add in fermented foods daily.
The ultimate goal is 4-6 servings per day.
So we want veggies and fruits as we’ve described, proteins, and let’s also add in fermented foods every day!
A Stanford study featured in the journal Cell confirmed this amazing fact that a diet rich in fermented foods creates a diverse microbiome and reduces chronic inflammation. This study is an example of how one simple change in your diet can alter your microbiome for the better.
How serious can you get about eating fermented foods? I have been trying for a while and other than the easy items like yogurt and cottage cheese, it is not always easy. And i like saukraut. Even if you can only bear a few, give a few a try and see how your body responds.
Cheeses : Typically, probiotics are in cheeses that have been aged but not heated afterward. This includes both soft and hard cheeses, including Swiss, provolone, Gouda, cheddar, Edam, Gruyère, and cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese
Kefir
Kimchi
Kombucha, low sugar (fermented tea)
Miso
Olives
Some Pickles
Sauerkraut
Tempeh
Yogurt
If we can center our food choices on those listed here, we will automatically clean up our diet with more hunger tamers and fewer processed foods and sweets. Now Why Am I So Effin Hungry dives in further to reprogramming and rewiring your brain with nutritious and wholesome foods and how that is possible.
She shares that it is entirely possible to rewire your brain so that it wants—and craves—nutritious, wholesome foods.
Ultimately these steps will help us activate healthy gut bacteria that can influence so much of our every day lives.
And of course if you are adding in 6 servings of veggies per day, there is going to be some stomach space lost for other foods. That's ok.
Resistance
My guess is that we will all want to resist a change like this because not only is our brain saying why bother, so are our gut microbes. Dr Shah gets into the science behind this in her book, but YES! The gut flora in our microbiome definitely have cravings and they drive our habits and behaviors without our knowledge all the time! Remember there are trillions of microbes in and on us! More microbes than human cells! So it is important that this army of microbes serves us well.
So let go of some of that guilt or shame or aggravation for not being able to kill a craving. There is literally a little army of microbes in your gut calling out for it. If you don't feed them, they will die off! If you use my probiotic, they will die off faster! HA!
If this sounds IMPOSSIBLE to you - eating so many veggies, fiber and fermented foods, I invite you to learn more about my gut health system. Thousands of people have found serious relief, weight loss, and overall vibrant health from a healthy gut. One thing we've all got in common is this gut health system. You can read more about it, learn about the company and the system on my website. There's even an extremely convenient order button!
Really guys, there is no magic pill (well except the triplex supplements) but you know what I mean. Those don't even work if you don't take them! No one else is coming to change your life for you, or to change your health for you, or to create a more vibrant and fulfilling future for you. That is something you must embark upon yourself!
You are the person you are going to know the best and the longest during this lifetime, so find time to understand what you need and want to flourish and invest those things in yourself. Nutrition or truly effective supplements like the ones I take are difference makers. And I eat pretty good most of the time AND supplement. You know that is the key!
Do you have the guts to add any or all of these ideas to your daily nutrition? You can start big or small, but starting is most important of all. 1 change a day or 2-3 changes a day in your nutrition will change your life! My gut health system can change your life! Do you have the guts to try? Change isn’t easy but it’s worth it!
Thank you for tuning in today! I hope you’ve found a few fresh ideas to implement into your nutrition journey. If you find yourself getting negative or wanting to throw these ideas out, get curious. Ask yourself why it is you feel that way! You know you gotta change your thoughts to change your life – and that includes thoughts around food and gut health.
So until next time, stay curious.
https://www.becomethenew.com/gut-health
https://www.becomethenew.com/blog/inflammation
https://www.becomethenew.com/slim
