Supporting your gut with the 50 food challenge

The simple way to help your gut is to give it some diversity.

When you are experiencing gut issues such as bloating, cramping, constipation or just feeling a bit off, it may well be that the gut bacteria are out of balance and asking for a bit of assistance. This is when the use of fibre-rich, brightly-coloured foods can be a great help in “reviving” the good guys and help them flourish by giving them food, or what we refer to as Prebiotics. These prebiotics come from the polyphenols- that make up the colours of the foods and indigestible starch.
 
We should note that different prebiotics feed different bacteria, hence “Eating a rainbow” will not only ensure a wider variety of nutrients, but will feed a wider variety of good bugs. This means minimising the repetition of foods and having as diverse a diet as possible.
 
 If you’re unsure of how varied your diet really is, you should take the “50 food challenge”.
 
This is very simple:

1. Download my “50 food challenge chart” by clicking on the link below.
2. Keep track of every different food you eat for a week and aim for at least 50 foods, mostly plant-based and of all colours of the rainbow, the brighter the better.
3. Do not exclude any groups of foods unless you actually need to for specific reasons that make you feel unwell.
4. Note down every food only once only within the next 7 days to assess your diet’s diversity. For example, red and white onions count as 2 different foods, bread and pasta count as just one as they’re mostly made from the same ingredient, i.e. wheat. If you start filling out the chart on a Monday and you note down red onions as 1 ingredient, you may add white onions again on a Tuesday, but if you have red onions again anytime in the following 6 days, you can’t note them down again.
5. Herbs, spices and oils all count as individual ingredients.

​Some notes on using the 50 foods challenge chart
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Remember that the idea is to increase the amount of foods you include in your diet, not to increase the amount of foods you exclude from your diet: only do it if they don’t suit your health or if they have a tangible effect you wish to avoid, e.g. weight gain. Working with a practitioner who understands your goals will help you get there more easily.
If you’re just using the chart for yourself, please download in PDF Format below
 
Have fun and note, the only side effect may be a bit of extra wind and good health.

50_foods.pdf
File Size:	442 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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