We’re one week into 2021, and boy oh boy, it has been a year already! Something many people have suspected given our year of 2020.
I’m sure many of you may start deterring from your big New Year’s resolutions just in this first week.
Why does this happen?
With the state of the world there could be many reasons… However, we’re here to talk about health and wellness, thankfully, something we can control in our daily lives.
Sometimes we choose health goals that don’t really align with our lifestyle, or we don’t see the big why behind them. Eating healthy, for example, is a big one for many people. If you’ve gotten used to ordering takeout or stopping for fast food at lunch, then eating primarily healthy foods may be tricky.
However, we are here to tell you it’s your time to R.O.A.R! Rise up, Overcome, take Action and REPEAT! Mindset is everything, it can make or break your new found healthy habits. It takes commitment and with that commitment comes great knowledge.
Ask yourself why you want to eat healthier? Maybe you over-indulged during the holidays or you can’t figure out why you are feeling sluggish. If your “why” is to lose weight, to have more energy, or to improve your overall vitality, then join us for Rowdy’s collective “why” and improve your gut health!
A Healthy Gut is a happy gut
To improve your overall health, let’s start with your gut. To start lets try to understand the gut-brain connection. Your gut is like your second brain. It can operate on its own and communicates back and forth with your command center, which is your actual brain. Your gut and brain are connected physically and chemically. But these connections are sometimes disrupted by “gut microbiomes.” Keep your “gut microbiomes” regulated to decrease those times of feeling sluggish after a meal.
So how do we improve your gut health? With food of course!
Let’s kick off 2021 with a clean slate! For your gut health revolution, start by cleaning out that pantry. Toss refined foods, processed foods (or donate them if they are unopened!). This is the year of aligning your health goals with your life. Remember, that new year, new you moto!
Increase Probiotic Food Consumption
Probiotics are beneficial good gut bugs. They are known to deliver healthy bacteria to your body, and this can work to your advantage. These good gut bugs help improve digestion, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and even promote heart health.
Probiotics are found in fermented foods, such as:
- Sauerkraut
- Kefir
- Yogurt
- Kombucha
- Koleslaw
Here are some of our favorite ways to use Probiotics:
- Add some sauerkraut to burgers, salads, a buddha bowl
- Drink kombucha throughout the day (instead of that third cup of coffee)
- Add kefir or probiotic yogurt to smoothies
It’s best to be eating real food, rather than taking supplements (like probiotic pills). Often times supplements are processed so the nutrients that you could be getting may not actually be present after the process.
Increase High Fiber or Whole-Grain Consumption
Fiber helps to ward off disease, such as auto-immune diseases, regulate the system to prevent food allergies, and even helps prevent joint pain.
Fiber feeds your good gut bacteria, which allows them to live, breed and thrive. The better microbes in your system means more stomach mucus, which reduces inflammation and aids in digestion. In fact, a higher volume of fermentable fiber insulin protects your body against metabolic syndrome.
Don’t forget to add prebiotics to your diet. Prebiotics are an important form of fiber that work directly with probiotics to optimize your microbiome. Prebiotics are found in chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, and yacon root. We use yacon root to sweeten our Rowdy Bars to help improve gut health. It’s time to nourish, replenish and feed your body with healthy superfoods.
Here are some of our favorite ways we like to include fiber into our diet:
- Add chia seeds to any smoothie
- Boil an artichoke
- Have oatmeal for breakfast
- Eat a Rowdy Bar before during or after a workout
Increase Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Did you know that 80% of your immune system is located in your digestive system? That goes to show that healthy food and fruits help support your gut health. Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which will aid in supporting your gut health.
ROWDY TIP: Flush your gut out with bitter greens and vitamin K that are full of detoxifiers and fiber.
When trying to boost your gut health, stick to in-season fruits and vegetables. Not only will your produce be tastier and less expensive when in season, but it also ensures you’re getting a diverse range of fibers and nutrients.
You gut loves high-quality food diversity!
Here are some of our favorite ways to use fruits and vegetables:
- Big salads
- Add greens to sandwiches, burritos and burgers
- Put a dash of greens to your favorite smoothie
- There’s a saying out there about apples… I’m sure we all know it! Eat an apple a day to keep the (insert word here) away!
We Are Quite Familiar with Collagen
You’ve heard all about collagen and its benefits, but did you know it’s also great for gut health?
Collagen helps build the lining of your gut and is great for boosting the luster and strength of hair, skin, and nails. It makes up 25-35% of your body’s natural protein content, which includes your gut.
Collagen is present in bones and cartilage and can be consumed through meat and bone broth. Modern foods today are no longer a good source of collagen. Taking Collagen Peptide supplements not only supports your cells by providing your body with ingestible collagen, it also contains amino acids that are beneficial for keeping your gut health happy.
Here’s our favorite ways to consume more collagen
- Try Rowdy Bar’s newest Keto Chocolaty Cookie Dough Bar that features collagen protein!
- Eat a steak made with grass fed beef
- Add beef bone broth to your favorite soup
- Collagen powders in EVERYTHING (coffee, smoothies, etc.)
Gut Health Rocks!
Feed the good gut bacteria what they love: prebiotics. Rowdy bars are a good source of prebiotics that both your gut and the good bacteria love.