NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS
“Eat the Rainbow” is becoming a popular theory behind healthy eating. The bright colors in whole plant-based foods are powerful indicators of the nutrient density within. Foods can make us happy and be good for us at the same time. It’s the quality of the food we eat that matters! Our bodies require a balance of healthy fats, proteins, carbs and nutrient dense ingredients.
While fad diets may be popular on social media, they aren’t tailored to your specific needs, they aren’t sustainable and they may lead to unhealthy eating.
Below is a list of the general benefits of each color of the “rainbow”. Do you think you can add just one additional color to your plate at each meal?
Red - reduces inflammation
Orange - good for reproductive health
Yellow - benefits digestion
Green - excellent for cardio vascular health
Blue, Indigo, Violet - improves brain and cognitive function
GUT HEALTH
Auto-immune disease, IBD, SIBO, SIFO, certain cancers, cardio vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and anxiety, Autism, Alzheimer’s, ADHD - what do each of these diseases have in common? Inflammation.
Why do we get inflammation?
An unhealthy gut. Gut microbiome is a collection of over 100 trillion microbes that live within our gut and balancing this bacteria is the key to its health. A healthy gut is more than just healthy digestion…it supports immune responses, metabolism, mood, brain function, and so much more. The foods we eat are crucial to our gut working properly and being balanced.
What if our gut bacteria is out of balance?
A whole list of symptoms occur if our gut isn’t happy with our choice of foods and lifestyle habits. In addition to acne, brain fog, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, heart burn, indigestion and so many more discomforts, we may also develop inflammation.
Research studies indicate that most disease begins in the gut and most disease is caused by inflammation. Inflammation causes the immune system to be constantly stimulated. This can result in it attacking healthy cells which can lead to chronic illness. Inflammation can also influence our brain function by disrupting signaling to the brain along the vagus nerve. This has been linked to mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
Foods we are sensitive to, sugar and processed foods can trigger inflammation causing bad bacteria to outnumber good bacteria. It is ideal to crowd in whole foods and crowd out processed. Improving gut health improves long term health in all dimensions.
