While Hippocrates coined the phrase, “all disease begins in the gut” thousands of years ago, current research is finding there’s much truth in this ancient piece of wisdom!
 
If you think your intestinal tract is only responsible for digestion and waste elimination, think again… your gut also plays a big role in immune system function, the synthesis of essential nutrients, and balancing neurotransmitters important for brain and mood health.
 
It’s even been referred to as our second brain by experts in the health professional community.



It’s all about the health of our gut

Your intestines are home to billions of bacteria, collectively known as the microbiome. Some of these bacteria are beneficial and some are not, but the balance between the two is really key to normal digestion, proper absorption of nutrients, and promoting a healthy intestinal environment.
 
The integrity and structure of the intestinal walls is also extremely important when it comes to good gut health - and our health overall.
 
The gut lining is a permeable barrier designed to allow certain molecules, like broken down nutrients from food, to crossover into the bloodstream for absorption and use in the body. But, the gut lining should also keep harmful molecules, like toxins and pathogens, from being absorbed.

Many of my clients struggle with various gut problems. To these individuals, I suggest introducing the GAPS Nutritional Program which I find to be the most effective program for gut healing. The power of this program lies in the relatively strict diet protocol and in the essential daily lifestyle habits that support the natural detoxification process.

As a nutritionist, I need to make sure that the client will be able to implement the protocol with success. Therefore, I start with assessing the person's diet and lifestyle habits and later move to discussing the details of transitioning into the program.

The greatest challenge for many of my GAPS-clients is the complete removal of grains from their diet. Many of them cannot imagine preparing their meals without some sort of grain. No bread? No cookies or muffins? No rice or pasta? Not even gluten-free grains? I will be starving all the time!

For centuries, chicken soup has been known as a healing remedy for the common cold. In my house, whenever somebody starts sniffing or coughing, I am already in the kitchen cooking chicken stock in my biggest pot.

However, the benefits of homemade meat stock do not stop there. This magical pale yellow liquid is also a great food for various digestive conditions. It has a soothing effect on any areas of inflammation in the digestive tract while providing the essential nutrients for the rapidly growing cells of the gut lining and therefore supporting cell regeneration. For this reason, meat stock is a staple food on the GAPS Nutritional Program which addresses a plethora of physiological and psychological conditions,all originating in compromised gut function. More information on this program can be found here.

With the season of family and friend get-togethers, delicious food and great wine behind us, many of us welcome January bloated, fatigued, moody and a few pounds heavier. Naturally, we promise ourselves to improve our lifestyle: to go to bed earlier, to take short breaks from social media, to exercise more and to eat healthier. And we seriously mean it!
 
Well, if you’ve already tried and failed to get your eating habits in check, then you know how frustrating “dieting” can be. Undereating and failing to properly balance your meals can make it impossible to get back on track.

Here are five essential steps to begin your transition towards healthy eating and feeling energized!

Family-Friendly Customized Meal Planning

It's that time of year again, school has started! And with it, after school activities have begun as well. You rush your children to dance, hockey, music, or perhaps martial arts a few times a week. And then there is homework, signing papers for school... and many other activities and duties that leave you with no time for anything else. It will take a few weeks until you establish a routine and get everything running normally again. Until then, you have to figure out how to help your children adjust to their new routine, how to avoid the infections that start spreading in the classrooms at the start of the year and how to stay calm and organized in the midst of all this chaos.

Providing nutritious meals and avoiding last minute meal pickups, that are far too often rich in calories and void of nutrients, are essential during this hectic time. It provides your kids with energy for the whole day, enhances their learning abilities and boosts their immunity.

If you feel overwhelmed and need some help with healthy meal ideas, try out my family-friendly customized meal planning program. I am going to share with you a month-worth of detailed recipes, a shopping list, prep guide and tips for creating custom meal plans so you can not only organize and run the family schedule but also save some time for yourself to relax and re-charge!

 With September quickly approaching, many of you fellow parents start thinking about how to plan the hectic back-to-school weeks before you settle into your new routine.
 
Let me offer some help for all of you Moms and Dads who need some inspiration with healthy meal ideas to pack in your child's lunch box. As a mother of two adult boys, I still remember how I felt when my nutritious foods were brought back almost untouched after school.  It took me some time to come up with creative meal ideas which were successful (at least, most of the time!).
 
In this post, I would like to share a few tips that worked for me and offer the free Nutritious School Lunch Recipes booklet to you with helpful meal and snack ideas. The recipes within this booklet will provide your child with energy throughout the school day, enhance concentration and strengthen his/her immune system.
 
 You can access your free recipe booklet here.