Sunday School: Meal Plan Series
You do everything right.
You wake up, you try to have a morning routine, and you do your best.
You try to eat healthy, you try to work out, and you try to hydrate.
You probably journal, or meditate, or do something to go inwards.
Yet, it feels like nothing in your life changes.
So Why Does Nothing Change?
You’re truly not doing anything wrong.
The problem is there is so much mixed, confusing messaging out there.
We’re constantly being told different things:
“eat fruit”—“no it has too much sugar”
“eat vegetables”—“no there are anti-nutrients”
“cut out FODMAPs”—“no, they have prebiotics”
It’s near impossible to know what to do.
All of this mixed messaging not only makes it harder to know what to eat (and what to avoid), but it also creates unnecessary stress, which in turn, only makes the bloating worse.
real life view of what my google search history used to look like
Back when I struggled with chronic constipation, bloating, and laxative dependance; I spent so much of my life googling what foods to eat and which to avoid.
It sucked.
Not just because I was dealing with these life-disrupting symptoms.
Not just because I had to waste all my time googling these things.
Not just because I got confusing and contradictory advice.
But also because nothing worked.
The Blush Approach
I understand your pain. I understand the discomfort, the frustration, the stress. I understand trying everything and nothing working.
So I want to take some of the pain & uncertainty away from you.
For starters: it’s a lot easier to heal your gut than most people will tell you. You don’t need fancy tools, expensive supplements, or onerous cleanses.
Rather, you really just need a few things in motion at the same time:
You want to hydrate really well with mineral-rich beverages
You need to manage & regulate your stress levels
You need to do the subconscious work to create a sense of safety in your body
You need to move your body
You need to eat a diverse diet. Two rules of thumb here:
aim to eat at least 30 different plants every week. aim to have at least 20-25 of those come from whole produce (aka fruits & veg, versus nuts and seeds); and aim to have at least 15 of those be raw.
aim to eat at least 5 different colors of produce every day
Introducing the Sunday School: Meal Plan Edition
To take the stress & the guess work away from you, as part of our October DeBloat by Halloween series, every Sunday I will post a meal plan for the week, with a few different recipes that will help you eliminate regularly, reduce bloating, and improve your overall gut health. And on Saturdays I will post a grocery list for the upcoming meal plan.
So for our inaugural SSMPE (really rolls off the tongue, no?!), I would recommend making these recipes this week:
Tomato Butterbean Stew
Beans are one of the most underrated foods for gut health. You probably hear beans and think “bitch, I’m getting bloated just thinking about beans.” I get it, I was there too. But, eating beans consistently is one of the best things that you can do to reduce your bloating. Here’s why: first, if you regularly consume beans, your gut bacteria adapts to the complex fibers, leading to less bloating as they become more efficient at fermenting these fibers. Next, beans can help with debloating because they are rich in fiber, especially soluble fiber, which supports healthy digestion and regular bowel movements. Fiber increases stool bulk and promotes peristalsis, the contractions that move food through your digestive tract, helping to relieve constipation—a common cause of bloating. So stop fearing beans, and eat this instead!
I literally salivate just looking at this!
Warm Mushroom Salad
Real talk: this recipe is one of the best things I’ve made. The flavors complement each other so well; the dressing is so tart, refreshing, and complex; and the salad is somehow both light & refreshing, and warm and nurturing? It’s low key magic. Anddddd it’s really good for you. Not only is it filled with fiber and prebiotics, but it also has lots of arugula, which is a digestion powerhouse. Arugula is excellent for reducing bloating because it’s a bitter green, which stimulates digestion by activating your body’s digestive enzymes and bile production. When you eat bitter foods like arugula, your taste receptors trigger the release of saliva and stomach acid, improving the breakdown of food. This can prevent the buildup of undigested food that may ferment in the gut, producing gas and leading to bloating. Trust me, make this!
Green Papaya Salad
One of the biggest causes of bloating is really just accumulated waste. This is especially true is your bloating is in the lower belly, think below the belly button. When stool remains in the colon for too long, it continues to ferment, producing gas. Sooo to remedy bloating, we often really need to tackle the constipation. This Thai-inspired (but not fully authentic) green papaya salad does just that. It’s filled with fiber; which, when combined with healthy fats can encourage elimination; and the tamarind in the sauce has a mild laxative effect. Plus, it’s really refreshing & delicious.
Cleansing Water
If you are constipation-prone, the biggest game changer will be hydrating your colon. And before you think to yourself “but I already drink water,” let me be clear: hydrate with mineral-rich beverages rather than plain water. The minerals will help draw water into your colon (rather than peeing it out immediately), and when your colon is well-hydrated, you’ll feel the peristalsis—the wave-like contractions of the colon—and you’ll get the urge to eliminate. Try my cleansing water recipe for this, it’s soooo effective!
For More on Gut Health & Bloating
If you want more information on gut health, bloating, and constipation; and to get recipes that will help you debloat, I highly recommend checking out my [free] Gut Health Cookbook, which has 5 yummy, gut-friendly, recipes. You can download it here.
