The secrets to good gut health

Your gut is your first line of defence against pathogens and toxins. It’s also responsible for digesting your food, absorbing nutrients and making vitamins. But the importance of gut health extends far beyond that! We now know that it impacts your immune system, body weight, metabolism, brain functions and mood regulation.

While many factors influence the types of bacteria that live and flourish in your gut, the number one most important variable in gut health is DIET. That's why we have specially designed a set of meals to improve the health of your gut microbiome. Our Gut Health Lunch + Dinner Pack offers you:

• More fibre – an average of 16g of fibre per day, across lunch and dinner. Plus, we’ll give you a range of ideas below on high fibre breakfasts and snacks to eat, to reach the overall recommended daily amount.
• Mostly plant-based – each day you’ll get one vegetarian meal and one meat meal. This provides a vast array of nutrients and phytochemicals to optimise health and dampen inflammation.
• Diversity – a wide range of foods, including plenty of brightly coloured ones, is one of the hallmarks of good gut health. This plan offers over 30 different plant foods across the week so you’re well on your way!
• No food additives – certain additives such as emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners have been shown to compromise the gut lining. You won’t find them in any of our food.

We also leave out: Processed food, added sugars and high fat foods all of which can lead to poor gut health. Our meals are made from scratch using only healthy wholefoods.

Breakfast + snack recommendations

The recommended fibre intake levels per day, are 25g for women and 30g for men. You can easily achieve this on our Gut Health Packs (which provides 16g-17g of fibre per day). Just add your own high-fibre breakfast and snacks. Here are some suggestions:

Breakfast – bowl of oat porridge (4g), ½ cup berries (3g), tablespoon of seeds (3g), 2 slices wholegrain toast (4g), ½ avocado (7g), medium tomato (2g), GF Toast w Hummus & Tomato Pesto (9g), Breakfast Beans w GF Toast (6g)

Snacks – medium banana (3g), apple (4g), medium carrot (2g), Organic Tamari Almonds (4g), Jaffa Ball (4g)

Please note – there’s no issue with exceeding the daily fibre recommendations, in fact, many experts believe the guideline amounts are too low!

Other tips to optimise your gut health

• Start the day with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (mixed into a glass of water) as this helps stimulate digestion. Alternatively, take lemon water.
• Stay well hydrated. Try to switch out caffeinated drinks for plenty of water and herbal teas instead. e.g. ginger tea is excellent for digestion.
• Make sure you eat the recommended 2 serves of fruit per day. Fruit is a powerhouse of nutrients, it’s really easy to digest, and it will boost your fibre intake too.
• Limit discretionary foods, such as highly processed items containing high sugar and fat as these are the worst foods for gut health. They damage your gut and promote unhealthy bacteria.
• Limit alcohol consumption, as drinking to excess is harmful to your gut.
• Do include probiotic foods good for gut health. For example kimchi, kefir, unpasteurised sauerkraut, yoghurt, miso, kombucha. Start with small amounts if you haven’t had them before. You can also consider a probiotic supplement.
• Be aware that it may take your body several days to adjust if you’re not used to eating a high-fibre, gut healthy diet.