The lovely Steph Lowe has been contributing to my blog for a few years and I’m super excited that she’s just published her first book, The Real Food Athlete. Enjoy this post about Gut health, and if performance and nutrition interest you, grab a copy of The Real Food Athlete. Happy training – and eating!! Xx Amelia
Guest Post By, Steph Lowe – the Natural Nutritionist
Why is Gut Health so important?
You may be wondering how our gut can affect such distinct bodily functions such as mood and immunity and the answer is simple – the gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract comprises of more than 75% of our immune system and 95% of our serotonin receptors are located here. Now you can probably grasp why our gut health is so important!
Unfortunately, a number of modern lifestyle factors have the ability to destroy healthy gut flora and damage the intestinal barrier without us even knowing. Some include:
- The use of antibiotics and oral contraceptive pills
- Diets high in processed foods and refined carbohydrates
- Chronic stress
- Reoccurring infections, and more.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to help improve and even reverse these detrimental effects, including the consumption of real food and the inclusion of gelatin. Gelatin is an animal derived product, rich in the amino acids proline and glycine. It enhances gastric secretion, which improves nutrient absorption and decreases inflammation. Gelatin is not only fantastic for digestive integrity, and also an efficient metabolism, exercise recovery, joint health, immune function and strong hair and nails.
Try these Gut Loving Gummies for your way to fantastic gut health with the addition benefit of turmeric, a fantastic anti-inflammatory and healing spice.
Gut-loving Gummies
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 1/2 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin powder
• 2 teaspoons rice malt syrup
• 1 teaspoon cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• The juice 1/2 lemon
• A pinch of sea salt
Method
1. Dissolve the gelatin in ⅓ cup of cold water and let it sit for 5 minutes to become gel like. It will firm immediately so stir quickly and leave it until a rubber ball-like consistency forms.
2. Heat the rice malt syrup, coconut oil, turmeric, lemon juice and salt in a saucepan.
Stir in the gelatin and remove from heat.
3. Pour into a 10 x 15 cm glass or plastic container. Refrigerate for 1 hour then cut into squares.
Store in the fridge for up to 5-7 days and consume 3-4 per day.
© The Natural Nutritionist 2016 thenaturalnutritionist.com.au
About Steph Lowe:
Steph Lowe is a Sports Nutritionist triathlete, founder of The Natural Nutritionist, a hub for celebrating the importance of real food, and author of The Real Food Athlete. With a passion for spreading a positive message about real food and the incredible affect it has on performance, Steph launched The Natural Nutritionist in 2011 and is on a mission to inspire others to make health a priority in their lives. Steph specialises in metabolic efficiency, real food based sports nutrition and high performance fat loss. Along with self-publishing her first book, The Real Food Athlete, and running The Natural Nutritionist, Steph is also the resident Nutritionist alongside Sam Wood at The Woodshed in Melbourne, Australia, and is the creator of five eBooks available on her website. To book a consultation with Steph or to find out more about The Natural Nutritionist, visit: www.thenaturalnutritionist.com.au.
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