by Elizabeth Magee, LRD
Are you walking through January with some new goals, resolutions, or ways to better yourself? Are you using January as a trial month and planning on starting some new positive habits in February?
Most of us could afford to be healthier, but that looks different for everyone. We all have different needs, different struggles, different goals, different levels of self-restraint.
Gut health is something we can all benefit from. Even if you don’t think about gut health, you don’t have irritable bowel syndrome or something else making you think about how you want your insides to be happy, healthy organs; taking care of our guts (stomach and intestines) is beneficial to overall health.
One of the best ways to help your gut achieve optimal health is through FIBER. Typically, Americans aren’t eating enough fiber. This makes sense because we aren’t eating enough fruits and veggies, which are also a main source of fiber. The goal is 25-35 grams per day. If you’ve ever checked a food label, you’ll quickly see that you aren’t going to accidentally meet your goal by just eating what you feel like. A valiant effort needs to be made to eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, beans and nuts. Those foods will all help you meet your fiber goal.
What are some of the best foods you can include to boost gut health for the new year?
Here are a few to add:
- Berries: In the dead of winter, frozen might be your best bet; throw some in your yogurt, oatmeal, and smoothies or enjoy as a snack.
- Cruciferous veggies: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower. Swap out regular rice for cauliflower rice. Add broccoli to those baked potatoes, roast some Brussels, or add them to a pot of soup you’re making; they are also delicious in the air fryer.
- Leafy greens: Not excited? I get it. Dump some kale or spinach into that pot of soup you added your Brussels sprouts to. You’ll get tons of extra nutrition and, hopefully, no complaints.
- Root veggies: North Dakota’s favorite potatoes fall into this, but can you change it up with sweet potatoes or better yet, beets?
- Pomegranates: Put one of the kids in charge of peeling/preparing these. Have them look up a new way to get those juicy pearls out. They’ll be busy for quite a while and probably sneaking in plenty of handfuls. (It’s a favorite in the Magee house.)
- Apples: Who doesn’t like apples? It seems like everyone is fine with this choice. There are dozens of varieties to try. Eat them raw, bake one for a warm winter night treat, or throw them in the dehydrator if you bought some you aren’t a fan of raw, whether it’s due to taste or texture. That’s my little hack — I’m a picky apple eater. If you don’t have a food dehydrator, use the air fryer or your oven.
- Artichokes: Maybe not in spinach artichoke dip though. This is one I don’t eat often, but I currently have a bag of frozen mixed veggies in the freezer that contains artichokes. I just dumped some of these in my current pot of soup, and it’s great!!
- Bananas: Not a bad guy but sometimes they seem to get that name. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying bananas. Your gut will thank you.
These are just a few things to try. Be creative. Think outside the box. You never know when you’ll add one of these and make a family favorite. The best benefit is that you will be improving your gut health at the same time!
Elizabeth Magee is a licensed registered dietitian. Her posts appear monthly on OYT.
Other popular posts from Elizabeth:
Navigating a life-changing diagnosis
Snack Wars (or how to survive feeding teenagers)