Mondays, as always here on the blog, we build your grocery list with one food, focusing on this month’s main topic. As July is here, we’re zeroing in on those foods to nourish the intestinal lining.
What’s next on your grocery list?
CARROTS.
Oh yes, the humble carrot! Let me give you three reasons why…
BECAUSE MICROBIOME LOVIN
I love me some good fibre when it comes to gut health. Fibre is the perfect food to enhance the good guys in your microbiome - yea yea, think of fibre as that prebiotic that helps feed your probiotics.
When you eat fibre rich foods, you help enhance the good guys to stick around, and do their work. You’re feeding them their favourite foods! The more they stick around, the more they’ll crowd out the less favourable bacteria.
Heck yeah, it’s not just about adding in fermented foods: raw carrots can be a brilliant microbiome-building ally! Good news for those who aren’t able to tolerate fermented foods. Adding in a variety of plant based foods for the different types of fibre and polyphenols available will have a positive sway on your microbiome.
BECAUSE SPENT-HORMONE-DISPOSAL
Raw carrots are especially brilliant purveyors of a specific type of fibre that has been found to escort spent estrogen out of your intestinal tract. The specific type of fibre and phytonutrients found in carrots help bind to toxins and metabolic waste like spent estrogen, and help to move it out of your system safely with no chance of reabsorption. This helps keep estrogen from re-circulating, one of the biggest contributors to estrogen coming into dominance. Raw carrots can do this? Heck yeah!
BECAUSE SUPER POOPING PROWESS
You’ve heard this many times before: fibre helps to bulk up your stool. It’s true! Fibre-rich foods, such as the ones found in carrots, help to bulk up your stool to help it move through you innards more swiftly and easily.
Bulking up your stool helps to improve your motility, meaning moving of stuff down the digestive tract. This is code for relieving constipation!
While I do love fibre for this, some fibres can do this work with less insult to the intestinal tract than others. The fibre found in carrots is one of those fibres that is gentle on the intestinal tract, a pro-metabolic root veg packed with good fibre that will ease the poop down the chute. (I love me a good alliteration. Especially the pooping kind!)
Know this though: fibre is awesome, but only when done in conjunction with enough water. So make sure to drink your water and stay hydrated over the course of the day to help relieve constipation!
(*and to be honest, when there is chronic constipation in the picture, it’s not always because of a lack of fibre and water combination. There can be so many other reasons behind this scenario - so get that checked out first and foremost. Or hit me up to try to get to the root of your constipation troubles. That stuff ain’t no fun.)
So carrots: now what?
Eat ‘em. Every day. Or maybe every other day if this feels too much. Raw as much as possible. Grate them into bowls, into salads, eat ‘em straight up.
Doesn’t matter.
The only type of carrot that need not apply: the baby carrot. Often, those carrots are treated with a little bit of chlorine to help extend their shelf life and reduce spoilage. (1) Know what chlorine does? Wipes out bacteria.
Wait. What’s your microbiome made of? BACTERIA.
Oh.
Ditch the baby carrots, my kittens.
Aiming to Keep Well? Looking to love up your guts + intestinal health? Need some help in feeling real good?
Get in touch by clicking here. Let’s meet up to start drawing up your road map to support you in both quantity and quality of life.
*This is not medical advice.