Recipes to Support the Gut Health

Having a happy gut can go a long way to feeling better and managing chronic health issues. Chronic inflammation often goes hand-in-hand with chronic diseases, causing pain and a host of other symptoms throughout your body. Thankfully, we can support our body’s ability to feel better by fueling up with whole foods that are dense with nutrients that the body can use to reduce inflammation.

Here are some of the best gut healthy recipes:

Broccoli-cauliflower soup

Star of this dish is bone broth. Bone broth is incredibly soothing to our gastrointestinal system. It’s a dense source of amino acids, minerals, collagen, and other substances that help to repair the gut lining.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow diced onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup bone broth (I used homemade, but store-bought broth or stock works)*
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tsp sea salt
• Optional: 2 chives, extra olive oil and/or extra sea salt for topping, black pepper

Instructions

1. Set a large stock pot on medium-low heat.
2. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, then add to the pot with the olive oil.
3. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
4. Add the broccoli and cauliflower, bone broth, coconut milk, and sea salt.
5. Turn the heat up to medium-high and let cook until the vegetables are fork tender.
6. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a separate blender and combine until the soup is completely mixed.
7. If using, chop the chives and sprinkle on the top of the soup with an extra drizzle of olive oil and sea salt.

Recipe Credit:girlinhealing.com

Homemade Natural Yoghurt Bowl

Natural yogurt is one of the best-known probiotic foods. Making your own means you know exactly what goes into it, to ensure it’s free of any additives and as healthy as possible. Once you have a big batch, use it in everything from smoothies to dressings, swirled through a soup, or just a big bowl topped with your favorite fruit.

Ingredients

• 2 litres (68 oz/8 cups) full cream milk
• 160 g (5½ oz/⅔ cup) plain (natural or Greek-style) unsweetened yoghurt with live cultures

Instructions

1. Pour the milk into a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and heat the milk to 85°C (185°F), whisking often to ensure even heating and prevent scorching on the base of the pan.
2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 45°C (113°F), whisking occasionally. To bring the temperature down, half- fill your kitchen sink with cold water and stand the pot in the sink. When the milk reaches 45°C (113°F), transfer 250 ml (8½ oz/1 cup) to a mixing bowl. Add the yoghurt (this is your ‘starter’) and whisk well until combined. Return this mixture to the milk in the saucepan and whisk gently until combined.
3. Pour into two 1 litre (34 oz/4 cup) sterilised jars. Cover loosely (but do not seal), wrap each jar with a clean kitchen towel and then in clean bath towels to maintain the temperature for as long as possible. Place in a safe, preferably warm, place and leave for 6–8 hours, until thickened and soured to your liking. Seal the jars and refrigerate for 3–4 hours until well chilled. Use within 7 days.

Recipe Credit: sbs.com.au

Fermented Red Cabbage and Apple Recipe

Make your own smart sauerkraut with red cabbage, juniper and coriander, to help heal your digestive system. Start every meal with a spoonful of fermented food to ‘switch on’ the body’s digestive system.

Ingredients

• 3kg (6lb 10oz) red cabbage, shredded
• 20 juniper berries, ground with a pestle and mortar
• 30 coriander seeds, ground with a pestle and mortar
• 300g (10½oz) Granny Smith apples, cored and grated
• 60g (2oz) sea salt

Instructions

1. Sterilise a 2 litre (3½ pint) Kilner jar: wash the jar in soapy water and dry it. Pour boiling water into the jar, empty it and place on a baking-tray in a preheated oven at 140°C/275°C/gas mark 1, until it’s completely dry.
2. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing-bowl. Using a rolling-pin, smash the cabbage with the other ingredients so it releases some of its natural juices. The salt helps this process as it naturally draws out the moisture of food.
3. When the mixture in the bowl is covered with a small amount of liquid it is ready to be spooned into the sterilized jar.
4. Fill the jar, leaving a 3cm (1in) gap at the top. Use a plastic spatula to clean around the top of the jar, ensuring that the mixture is submerged under the liquid. Close the lid of the jar and leave at room temperature out of direct sunlight for three weeks before checking for fermentation. When checking the mixture, use a clean spoon to taste whether the vegetables have started to ferment.
5. After opening, store in the refrigerator with the lid on. Fermentation will slow down at cooler temperatures and the mixture will last for up to one month.

Recipe Credit: telegraph.co.uk