Candyflosslife

Be kind to your gut

This time of year we naturally drift towards heavier food, so I’ve been asking myself a very simple question:

“How can I keep the comfort, but make this plate a bit kinder to my gut microbes?”

A few things that are working, in case you want to try them too.

Broccoli & Stilton Soup with seeds and croutons

1. Add one more plant to whatever you’re making

Instead of redesigning dinner, I’ve been asking “what’s one more plant I can throw in?”

Broccoli and Stilton soup in the soup maker? I add a handful of watercress or extra leeks.
Slow cooker chili? I toss in dark leafy greens or a different type of bean.
Dessert cravings? Make a lighter dessert (like this pumpkin filo pie), and get the sweetness from fruit (or veg 😉)

Soup maker soup and crumble both freeze well, so you can stash single portions for busier weeks.

Get the broccoli soup recipe

2. Make carbs work harder for you

Carbs get a bad reputation, but so much of it comes down to what you pair them with and how you cook them.

Lately we’ve been doing very simple things like:

Slow cooker chili stashed in cheesy tortillas sandwiches
Leftover potatoes turned into a veg-heavy breakfast hash with peppers and onions, or hidden into a shakshuka
Rice always teamed up with beans, Cavolo Nero (or Tuscan kale) or a yoghurt dressing on top

Get the Cavolo Nero risotto recipe

Cooling and reheating potatoes (or rice) changes some of the starch into resistant starch, which your microbes are quite happy about. For example, when you take last evening's dinner leftovers for lunch the next day! Pair that with fibre, some protein and a bit of color on the plate, and comfort food suddenly feels a lot more helpful than harmful.

3. Sneak in something tangy

I’ve also been leaning on “something tangy” to cut through richer meals and add a bit of extra interest.

That might look like:

A jar of quick pickled red onions in the fridge (grab my simple recipe from my sweet potato salad recipe)
A spoonful of plain yoghurt or kefir with lime zest on top of chilli or curry
A small side of crunchy naturally fermented pickles with a cheese toastie or stew

You don’t need your whole plate to be fermented, but a forkful of something sharp and fresh here and there is an easy habit. If you’re planning anything Thanksgiving-ish, a little bowl of pickled onions or crunchy cucumbers on the table does wonders next to the potatoes and gravy.

Tweak don't restrict
None of this is about perfect gut health. It’s just about nudging your everyday comfort food in a direction that feels a bit better in your body. If you try any of these tweaks, or cook one of the recipes this week, hit reply and tell me what ended up on your plate.

Or just reply with anything you'd like to see me making!

💌 I READ EVERY EMAIL!

See you next week !