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?
CRANBERRIES.
Oh yes, these bitter and tart berries are tops of the list for a few reasons, when it comes to gut health. Read on…
BECAUSE MICROBIOME LOVIN
In a few different ways: cranberries have been the subject of good research indicating their ability to sway a specific strain of probiotics that is a beneficial one at the gut lining, Akkermansia muciniphila. A. muciniphilla is well documented to be a metabolic health regulator, enhancing your body’s ability to better regulate your blood sugars and help insulin work better. (1) Cranberries for the microbial win!
BECAUSE INFLAMMATION BUSTING
Recent studies indicate that the polyphenols found in cranberries have been shown to have a positive effect on those markers that are checked to indicate how much inflammation your body has: things like oxidative stress, C-reactive protein, blood pressure levels, and other risk factors specifically related to cardiovascular disease. (2)
If you understand that the gut is ground zero for inflammation, then it will make all the sense in the world that cranberries are a brilliant intestinal health ally, especially when it comes to helping reduce inflammation!
BECAUSE ANTI-BIOTIC + ANTI-FUNGAL + ANTI-VIRAL ACTIONS
The compounds found in cranberries have been found to hamper the ability of certain infectious agents to adhere to the intestinal wall. Things like E. coli, Candida albicans, and H. Pylori have a hard time adhering to the walls of the intestinal lining when cranberries are around. (3) They also appear to prevent biofilm formation. I think of these biofilms as the ultimate invisibility cloak - when an infectious agent dons their biofilm, your immune system can’t see them. Their stealth-like work can continue under the radar.
But add cranberries in to your meals and whammo, those biofilms get busted up. And now your immune system can see them, and take action to reduce infections at that gut level. Cranberries for the intestinal triple win, friend.
Know what other food does similar work? POMEGRANATES.
Lucky you: both cranberries + pomegranates are readily available in your freezer section at the grocery store. Toss them in to your smoothies, make some switchel with them, toss some into your next crumble, muffin or pie. Make a sauce with these babies!
How would you feature cranberries, or pomegranates? I’d love to hear from you.
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.