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Healthy Guts, Healthy Families We often talk about eating healthier foods for our hearts, our bones and even our brains, but have you ever thought about the health of your digestive system? If the answer is “No,” you’re not alone. The importance of gut health is a relatively new topic. Research is starting to show that having a healthy gut may help to1: • Lower seasonal allergy symptoms • Lower risk for getting colds
• Lower risk for chronic diseases • Lower risk for autoimmune diseases
Words to know: Gut – The digestive tract, including the stomach, small intestine, large
intestine and colon. Microbiome – All of the different bacteria or “bugs” living in the gut. Probiotics – Good or “helpful” bacteria found in the gut and certian foods. So what can you do to improve the gut health of you and your family? Try to include these three strategies in your family’s daily routine: 1) Eat more fiber. Fiber is the food that feeds the gut’s bacteria. When buying packaged fiber-rich foods – such as cereals, breads and pasta – choose products that provide at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Fiber-rich foods: • Dried beans (such as pintos, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans) • Bran cereals • Oatmeal or rolled oats • 100% whole-grain breads
• Whole-wheat pasta • Whole-grain barley • Lentils • Quinoa
• Brown rice • Fruits and vegetables • Nuts • Popcorn
2) Drink more water… and yogurt. When you eat more fiber, your body needs more
fluids to help flush the fiber through your system and water is the perfect beverage for this process. Another good choice for your gut is drinkable yogurts or kefir (a fermented yogurt drink) as they can be good sources of probiotics. When buying yogurt to eat or drink, check the label for “live and active cultures” and avoid products with a lot of added sugar.
3) Get a little dirty. While washing your hands after using the restroom or before eating is still important, the overuse of antibacterial soaps and cleaning products is actually killing a lot of good bacteria, too. So, let the kids play in the mud and don’t worry if your house is a little dusty or dirty – both are good for you and your family’s gut health.
food that fits YOUR LIFE Make a High-Fiber Family Dinner Tonight Beef and Bean Chile Verde Makes 6 servings (7 grams of fiber per serving) Ingredients: 2/3 pound lean ground beef 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, low-sodium 1 bell pepper, large (chopped) 1 onion, large (chopped) 6 garlic cloves (chopped) 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1¾ cup green salsa or 1 (16 ounce) jar enchilada sauce 1 (15 ounce) can pinto or kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
Instructions:
1) Place beef, tomatoes, bell pepper and onion in a large saucepan. Heat on medium 8 -10 minutes, stirring frequently until meat is browned. Drain fat. 2) Add garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook until fragrant (15 seconds). 3) Stir in salsa and bring to a boil. 4) Reduce heat and simmer. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 5) Add beans and cook until heated.
Serving suggestion: Serve with plain Greek-style yogurt. Spoon on top to cool the heat! https://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/beef-and-bean-chile-verde
Smart Phone Apps for a Good Gut: All-Bran® Fibre Tracker (free) – Keep track of the foods you eat and this app will calculate how much fiber you have each day. You also can keep a shopping list, search for fiber-rich recipes and set notifications to remind you to eat more fiber. iHydrate (free) – This app calculates how much water you should be drinking each day and provides an easy-to-use tracker to record your water intake. It also integrates with FitBit, Jawbone and HealthKit programs. 1
Sonnenburg J. & Sonneburg E. The Good Gut. New York: Penguin, 2015. Print.
Since everyone’s health history and nutritional needs are so different, please make sure that you talk with your doctor and a registered dietitian to get advice about a diet and exercise plan that’s right for you. visit myhealthyforlife.com
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