The Healthy Gut Cookbook: How to Keep in Excellent Digestive Health with 60 Recipes and Nutrition Advice. Marguerite Patten
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Food sensitivities are more difficult to define, and some doctors cast doubt on their existence. Most often, your own body is the best judge of what makes you unwell. If symptoms persist, an elimination diet will help. Elimination diets vary, but in all cases foods are either withdrawn or introduced into the diet under a prescribed eating programme. Undertaking this diagnostic procedure on your own is possible, but help from a professional nutritional therapist or dietitian will provide a comprehensive and objective view of your problem. A list of helpful addresses and websites is found at the back of this book.
Foods most frequently linked with food allergies and intolerances are:
Eggs may cause stomach upset, asthma and eczema.
Avoid egg white and all foods made with eggs, including baked goods, ice cream and mayonnaise.
Fish may cause digestive upset, rash and migraine.
Avoid all smoked fish and fish pâté; check to see if you are sensitive to white fish, such as cod and haddock.
Food additives may cause hyperactivity, migraines, flatulence and indigestion.
Avoid food and drink containing additives; watch out for benzoic acid, tartrazine and monosodium glutamate.
Gluten can cause migraine and coeliac disease (Crohn’s disease).
Avoid wheat, rye and barley, and products made from these grains. Gluten is used as an additive by the food industry to improve the appearance and texture of many products. Unless specifically stated to the contrary, assume that all stock cubes contain gluten.
Milk (cow’s) and products made with cow’s milk can cause gastric upset, constipation, catarrh, eczema and wind.
Avoid cow’s milk products. Ewe’s milk and goat’s milk are less likely to cause problems. Soya milk is another alternative, although some people find it causes indigestion.
Nuts can cause rash, eczema, swelling, asthma, and death due to anaphylactic shock.
Avoid all nuts and products containing nuts. Most food manufacturers are becoming conscious of this problem and labelling foods that may pose a danger. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL ON THE PACKAGE. Restaurants are more difficult; if you are concerned, call ahead to check how the chef deals with cases of nut allergy.
Shellfish can cause rash, nausea, stomach upset, asthma and death due to anaphylactic shock.
Avoid shellfish and all products containing shellfish. Watch out for fish soups and mixed fish salads, as they may contain shellfish or shellfish stock.
four good foods for a healthy gut
And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart, ‘Your seeds shall live in my body, And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart, And your fragrances shall be my breath, And together we shall rejoice through all the seasons.’
KHALIL GIBRAN, THE PROPHET
This chapter is about foods that benefit the gut. Information has been gathered from three different healing systems: modern medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and the ancient Indian practices of Ayurveda (read more about these healing methods in the Glossary). The extent of overlap between these healing systems is remarkable: all three recognize the health benefits of garlic and ginger, for example. With a few exceptions, these healing foods are fruits and vegetables. Meat, fish and fowl are mostly excluded, not because they are unimportant, but because of a simple truth: the vast majority of nature’s therapeutic substances are found in plants.
We all know that nuts, seeds, root vegetables, fruits, leafy vegetables – and even flowers – provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients needed for human development, health and reproduction. But that is not all. Beneficial parts of plants are as basic as the structural fibre in fruits and root vegetables, and as complex as molecules responsible for the colour of a flower or the content of a seed. Scientific research exploring the properties of plant compounds has already unearthed the therapeutic potential of isoflavones, indoles and lycopene, and more information will come. Research is important, but in many cases it only elaborates on what we already know: certain foods have specific benefits.
The following list of healthy gut foods will help you select ingredients and prepare meals that meet your unique digestive requirements. If, for example, you tend to develop constipation, try substituting yams or sweet potatoes for white potatoes once or twice a week. If you suffer from frequent intestinal infections, try selecting fruits and vegetables rich in natural antibacterial substances: garlic, onions, blackcurrants and apples are ideal choices. Build these foods into your personal plan to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
A ‘serving’ of fruits or vegetables is as follows:
• ¼ cup dried fruit
• 1 piece of fruit, ½ cup diced fruit, ½ cup fresh berries or grapes
• 1 cup 100% fruit juice (not fruit extracts or concentrates)
• 1 cup raw leafy vegetable (lettuce, spinach, bok choy, endive)
• ½ cup cooked vegetables, such as carrots and beets, and cooked green vegetables, such as beans and spinach
• ½ cup onions, leeks or spring onions (may be a combination of all alliums)
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup cooked pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans)
• ½ cup cooked grain (rice, bulgar, buckwheat, oats, barley)
• ½ cup grated raw carrots (most other raw root vegetables can be hard to digest)
In the following chapter, ‘When Things Go Wrong’, you will learn which foods to enjoy and which to avoid in the case of 20 different digestive disorders, and two or more of Marguerite Patten’s healthy-gut recipes are recommended for each. Remember: adapting your diet can help control both the symptoms of illness and the side-effects of medication.
Use foods sensibly. Do not ‘overdose’ on specific items. When eaten in large quantities, many foods – figs and turmeric, for example – can upset your system. Remember that many herbs and spices contain powerful substances and all should be eaten in moderation.
healthy gut foods
ALLIUM (GARLIC, ONION, SHALLOTS, LEEKS)
If you are susceptible to gut infections (gastroenteritis), or are heading for СКАЧАТЬ