An easy way to start incorporating more plants into your life, is choosing easy recipes that taste amazing and require minimal work!

Let’s talk about the benefits of including more plants in our everyday life. 

The American Gut Study is the largest published study of the human microbiome. What were the results of this study?

People who were regularly eating more than 30 different types of plants per week had a SIGNIFICANTLY more diverse microbiome than those eating 10 or fewer plants per week. 

Having a diverse gut microbiome means that our large intestine (which houses our gut bacteria) has diversity in the different strains of those bacteria. This is important because the more diverse strains we have, the more our bodies are able to fight inflammation. 

There are gut bacteria that exert major health benefits, and gut bacteria that are actually pathogenic: meaning they promote disease!

As Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.”

Believe it or not, it can be easy to get this amount of diversity of plants per week!  

The list is not just confined to fruits and vegetables, but:

• Herbs
• Spices
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Grains
• And legumes!

This doesn’t mean suddenly ramping up the amount of fiber you are intaking! Take it slow, as the gut needs time to adjust. 

What if you decided to start adding in more plants, and have noticed you still have GI symptoms such as bloating, irregular bowel movements, acid reflux, etc?

This is a common complaint I get with many of my patients, and this occurred in my personal health journey as well!

If you are noticing GI distress with the more carbohydrate rich foods you are eating, there could be a few possible reasons:

• Bacteria overgrowth within the small intestine (SIBO)
• Fungal overgrowth within the small intestine (SIFO)
• Fructose intolerance
• Hypersensitivity within the gut 

Specifically with SIBO/SIFO, which makes up a majority of unexplained GI symptoms cases, this is due to the bacteria/fungus actually competing with your body for those carbohydrate rich foods, which in turns produces those symptoms. 

SIBO & SIFO really just means the presence of excess number or bacteria and/or fungus in the small bowel leading to symptoms of bloating, gas, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and more. 

So if you are noticing these symptoms with eating more plants, it isn’t the diet! There is an underlying cause that needs to be addressed.

Hit REPLY to this email if you have any questions regarding getting more plants in or GI distress concerns! I’ll be happy to respond within 24 hours. 

In the meantime, enjoy this recipe… :) 

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini
• 14 ox firm tofu
• 31 oz oil free marinara 
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4T nutritional yeast
• 1t garlic powder

Method:

1. Heat oven to 400F
2. Wrap tofu in paper towels to squeeze. Then add to food processor along with lemon juice, nutty yeast, garlic powder and pulse a few times
3. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/8 long strips 
4. Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta along each zucchini, then roll up
5. In a baking pan, place half marinara sauce and the roll ups. Then top with remaining sauce
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes

Looking for more support in your gut health and/or toxic burden symptoms? Sign up for a free 15 minute phone consultation and we can get into detail about what is occurring. 

Happiness & health, 

Dr. Steph

Instagram: @drstephpeacock

TikTok: @drstephpeacock 

Website/consults: www.stephaniepeacock.com