Enjoy Fermented Foods

Clear Out the Junk                                                 

You know what it’s like. You start with only the best of intentions: you will stick to healthy foods, and you will avoid nasty additives, preservatives, toxic processed fats and sugars. Of course you will. Because you’re an educated person and you’ve invested your time into discovering what works best for your body, and as a result you’ve vowed to make those kinds of lasting changes that will protect your body, boost your energy, slim your waistline and give you that glow!

 The trouble is, you’ve just arrived home after a particularly trying day and you’re looking for something to cheer you up and reward yourself with. So you open up the refrigerator or cabinet and pull out those huge bags of potato chips, double chocolate cookies or family-sized packs of

candy and dive right on in, hoping to find solace in the bottom of their fat and sugar-laden pack. But does it ever work? Do you really feel better after you’ve stuffed in enough junk to feed a party of people? The answer is a large and resounding ‘no!’ What you end up feeling is guilt and anger; anger with yourself for tossing away your health for the sake of a whim, and guilt that you have eaten in this greedy and damaging way.

So what can you do to stop all of this happening in the first place? You simply clear the junk foods from your home (and your desk, your car, or your purse for that matter). It’s pretty logical, isn’t it? If it’s not there, you can’t eat it. Cravings of this type are usually whimsical and opportunistic in nature, and if you’re fuelled up on the right foods, you’re unlikely to find yourself driving the thirty minutes to the store just to get that processed sugar fix that you don’t really need.

Don’t ever let junk food into your home, not even if your kids beg you desperately or your partner complains. Instead throw away or donate those tempting foods and fill your cupboards with healthier alternatives and wholefood goodness. Why not stock up on butter-free popcorn for a little crunch, or satisfying, wholegrain crackers with fresh tomato and homemade hummus dip? You’ll be doing you and your family a massive favor and ensuring that you all enjoy longer and healthier lives, with trimmer waistlines as a result!

HABIT 4 Enjoy Fermented Foods A friend of mine was always highly supportive and encouraging when I endeavored on my journey to better health. But of course I’d expect her to be - she’d been a veggie munching, yoga-practicing pioneer of simplicity for years. But as soon as she started singing the praises of strange-sounds foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir, I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows and pass these things off as ‘crunchy’ foods. That is, until I experienced the benefits for myself. As you might already know about me from my Healthy Gut Solution , I’d been suffering from digestive issues that I just couldn’t shake off for years - whether it was bloating, indigestion, diarrhea, trapped wind or cramps, you could guarantee that I’d suffer from something. I’d tried all kinds of things over the years, from peppermint capsules, to teas to wheat bags and all kinds of other things. But it was only when I cleaned up my diet and incorporated these fermented foods that I really noticed a difference. So what are fermented foods and how can they help? Fermentation is a traditional way of preserving foods without the need for vacuum packs, canning or using silly amounts of chemical preservatives. The process works by using yeast or bacteria, which converts the sugars present into alcohol. The result is a food that is easier to digest, higher in vital vitamins and omega-3’s, and also high in digestive enzymes. It also increases the amount of healthy bacteria in your gut, which improves your digestion, eases symptoms of IBS, acne, arthritis, depression and even chronic migraine. You’d be foolish not to include some in your diet. Why not try some kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha or kefir and see which one you love the best? You can make them all very inexpensively at home without the need to visit the health food store, making it budget friendly as well as health- friendly. Take a look at my Healthy Gut Solution book if you’d like further information on gut health and how to improve it.