A Valentine’s Day – devoted to you and your gut
Valentine’s Day – steeped in history from Roman fertility festivities to the romantic devotions of the Courtly Love era and today’s cards, chocolates and red roses – is fast upon us!
This year, consider doing something different. You can still celebrate. In fact, we encourage you to do so. Why not change the focus and devote the day to you and loving your gut?
Our digestive health has the power to impact everything in our life, from mood to immunity, so it’s important to make sure we give it the love it deserves!
5 ways to Love Your Gut this Valentine’s Day:
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Sunshine to start
Skip the bubbles and start the day with a sunshine smoothie. Our Pineapple, banana and orange smoothie is the closest thing to sunshine in a bottle. A breakfast smoothie is a great way to get some energy, hydration and fibre first thing in the morning. Pineapple, orange and bananas are all gentle on the stomach you have a sensitive gut, as long as they are not over ripe.
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Love is in the air
Embrace the outdoors. At lunchtime, go for a stroll on your own or with a loved one. Just being outdoors is enough to influence your gut bacteria.
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Romantic dining
The recipe for making your stomach feel loved could be simpler than you think. Those easy-to-find foods that many of us already have in our fridge, freezer and cupboards – such as wholegrain bread/pasta, bananas, beans, berries, nuts and vegetables – can all be part of a gut healthy diet.
What’s more is that they all contain fibre (which many of us don’t get enough of), which feeds your gut bacteria, helping to support digestion and preventing constipation. Plus, they contain prebiotics and other important nutrients that work together to keep your gut happy and healthy.
Pick something you fancy from our recipes here.
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Dance the night away
Whether you are on your own, with friends or a loved one, get your groove going and dance to celebrate. Moving and getting enough exercise will increase populations of beneficial bacteria in the gut that can reduce inflammation. It also aids peristalsis – the movement of food through the gut – and may help against constipation.
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It’s all about the chocolate
Finally, it’s not Valentine’s Day without chocolate! For dessert, try our Chocolate Mousse recipe. It’s made with bananas for fibre to help nutrients move through the gut and cocoa powder which contains polyphenols that have a prebiotic effect and so can help ‘feed’ our gut bacteria and boost gut diversity. In addition, they can have positive effects on the body including immune system function.
For further gut health information see: www.loveyourgut.com