The Gut Health Diet Plan Archives

A herbed yogurt is served here with sweet potato röstis and salmon to make a healthy and delicious breakfast from Christine Bailey’s The Gut Health Diet Plan! Sweet potato is a tasty and nutrient-rich alternative to potatoes. It is packed with soluble fibre to support healthy gut bacteria and contains gut-protective carotenoids, and it is exceptionally tasty combined with apple!

Serves 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, about 200g/ 7oz, unpeeled, cut in half lengthways
1 eating apple
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp almond flour or very finely ground almonds, plus extra if needed
1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
2 large slices of smoked salmon
sea salt and ground black pepper

Herbed yogurt
60g/ 2 ¼ oz/ ¼ cup coconut yogurt
1 tbsp chopped coriander/ cilantro leaves
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c/ 350F, Gas 4. To make the herbed yogurt, put the yogurt in a bowl and stir in the herbs and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. To make the röstis, microwave half the potato at full power for 2-3 minutes until soft. Leave to cool, then peel off the skin. (Alternatively, bake in an oven preheated to 180c/350F/ Gas 4 for 1 hour.)
Mash the potato in a bowl. Coarsely grate the remaining potato and the apple onto paper towels and squeeze to remove the excess moisture. Tip into the bowl and add the egg and almond flour. Season and stir. The mixture should hold its shape. Add more almond flour if needed.
Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Divide the mixture in half and shape into 2 patties 1cm/ ½ inch thick. Use a large spatula to lift the patties into the pan. Lower the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until the base is golden. Transfer the pan to the oven for 5 minutes to cook the röstis through. Serve topped with the salmon and a spoonful of herbed yogurt.

Christine Bailey, M.Sc., is a qualified nutritionist, food and health consultant, chef and cookery teacher. A member of the Guild of Health Writers, she writes for numerous health and food magazines and is the author of The Top 100 Low-Salt Recipes and The Top 100 Recipes for Brainy Kids for DBP. Christine runs courses and workshops, advises local authorities and schools, and works with a number of charities and organisations including the World Cancer Research Fund UK.

Christine Bailey
The Gut Health Diet Plan
£12.99, available from Nourish Books

This article has been cross-posted from www.christinebailey.co.uk .

Your gut really is the gateway to good health. When your gut is dysfunctional it can result in a wide range of health conditions. One topic which is widely discussed in gastroenterology research as well as the field of immunology is ‘leaky gut’ or ‘intestinal permeability’. But what exactly is it?

The lining of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is composed of small epithelial cells that lie side-by-side each other forming tight junctions. These tight junctions act as a barrier between the interior of the body (blood/circulatory system) and the exterior of the body (the lumen of the GI tract). Under healthy conditions, our gut permits the absorption of vital nutrients from the gut lumen while presenting a barrier against the passage of harmful substances into the body.

A leaky gut arises when there is an increase in permeability of the intestinal mucosa that in turn leads to the increased absorption of intestinally derived endotoxins, antigens and inflammatory mediators. Gluten for example is known to cause the gut cells to release zonulin, a protein that can break apart tight junctions in the intestinal lining. Other factors including infections, medications, toxins, stress and age can also cause these tight junctions to break apart. When the epithelial cells and junctions start to break down it allows the passage of toxins through and between the cells into the blood. These foreign molecules may include undigested food molecules, toxins or bacteria. As a result our immune system is activated to eliminate or destroy these unwelcome molecules. This activation of the immune system leads to an inflammatory response and can lead to a wide range of signs, symptoms and health conditions.

This can lead to long term health consequences. In fact increased gut permeability has been linked with symptoms far from the gut including autoimmune conditions, depression, arthritis, diabetes and other conditions in which a pro inflammatory state continues.

Healing a leaky gut is one of the most important things you can do to restore overall health and vitality and I discuss in detail how to do this in my new book: The Gut Health Diet Plan.

When the gut becomes damaged instead of being a source of nourishment it becomes the source and gateway of toxicity and inflammation. Research has shown that intestinal permeability is associated with a range of health conditions not just IBS type symptoms. For example systemic inflammation, allergic reactions such as eczema, asthma or hayfever and progression of autoimmune conditions. By restoring the health and function of the gut, you prevent potential invaders from passing into the bloodstream where they can evoke inflammation locally in your gut but also systemically throughout your body.

Signs of leaky gut include:

IBS symptoms: bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhoea
Asthma, eczema, seasonal allergies
Hormonal imbalances, PMS
Autoimmune conditions e.g coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, hashimotos
Chronic fatigue / Fibromyalgia
Mood disorders, depression
Candida overgrowth
Food allergies
Inflammation in the body
Skin conditions e.g acne, psoriasis

Damage to the gut lining may occur for a variety of reasons including gut infections, sensitivity to certain foods (particularly gluten and dairy), oxidative damage, medications, stress, alcohol, smoking, nutritional deficiencies and poor diet. Therefore identifying key food triggers is also an important step in supporting long term healing. However healing the gut requires more than simple removal of known allergenic foods. It needs nourishment with nutrient dense and specific healing foods – this is why I have written the Gut Health Book to provide you with delicious, nourishing recipes to restore gut health.

Christine Bailey
The Gut Health Diet Plan
It will be published in 2016. Pre order your copy on Amazon.

Sign up to our email newsletter to keep up to date with all the latest news and offers. Follow us on Facebook and @nourishbooks on Twitter.

Tag Archive for: The Gut Health Diet Plan

Smoked Salmon with Sweet Potato and Apple Röstis to Improve Your Gut Health

Are you suffering with Leaky Gut?

Newsletter