Life is about choices, for yourself and your family. It will determine how fulfilled and healthy you are. Something as simple as doing exercise not only benefits you physically, but it aids you mentally and emotionally as well.

But here’s an aspect many of us underestimate. Your gut health. Simply by eating healthy foods, you can boost health but also contribute to elevated moods. And isn’t that what you want for your family? Luckily, with a click of a button or via a phone call you can have healthy family meals delivered to your doorstep. So, it’s easy to make the right choice for your loved ones!

Gut and Health – What’s the Connection?

Dieting can be difficult due to all the tempting foods out there. But there might not be any better feeling than the sense of euphoria after eating healthily. Your gut is home to trillions of micro-organisms, all of which produce neurochemicals that indirectly regulate your emotional state-of-mind.

Not only that, but they direct your brain to regulate other mental processes such as your memory, learning capacity and attention. This affects so much—your career endeavours, but also your children’s learning processes.

Since your gut is a huge role-player in determining your mental stability, don’t you want to ensure that there a lot of ‘good’ bacteria?

What is Good and Bad Gut Bacteria?

An imbalance between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ gut bacteria can not only drop your mood, but also cause digestive issues, such as stomach cramps, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.

You may even experience negative mood swings and mental depletion as a result of eating poorly. Conversely, if you achieve an equilibrium between the good and bad kinds of bacteria you’ll experience better digestion and more mental sharpness.

Your good bacteria also fights the bad bacteria and keeps it in check by multiplying, thereby taking up space and preventing the unhealthy kinds from growing and spreading. Your gut bacteria are determined solely by your lifestyle choices and what you choose to eat. So, choose wisely!

Foods that Produce Good Bacteria

Take in your probiotics and prebiotics: Probiotics refer to your beneficial gut bacteria, while prebiotics refer to the foods that feed your ‘good’ gut bacteria. Prebiotics are fibre found in foods – such as asparagus, garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, apples, barley and oats – that help your good bacteria to thrive.
Avoid foods that harm your good bacteria: You should abstain from eating foods that include sugar, gluten and artificial sweeteners, as well as foods that are processed. Spoiling your kids is okay, but you should do it in moderation. Avoid giving them too many sweets!
Eat foods high in fibre: Fibre provides nourishment for your ‘good’ bacteria and helps with your digestion. Foods with much fibre include beans, legumes, berries and whole grain foods.
Try fermented foods: Fermented foods provide probiotics that aid good digestion and prevent the bad bacteria from multiplying. These foods include kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, fermented sausages, as well as cultured milk and yoghurt. These, however, need to be worked into your diet gradually as they can cause bloating and other digestive issues if you consume them excessively.
Don’t forget your fruits and vegetables: Fruits and veggies provide excellent nutrients for a healthy gut and they’re also rich in fibre. Additionally, vegetable leaves produce a type of sugar that promotes healthy bacteria in various ways.

Lifestyle Choices that Produce Good Bacteria

Do exercise: Doing regular exercise would significantly promote ‘good’ bacteria in your gut, as well as enhance a stronger immune system and mental health. To get you started, why not go on more family fun runs or hiking trips with your kids? That will surely feed your motivation.
Don’t use antibacterial soaps: These types of soaps and wet wipes can kill your good gut bacteria. Simply use plain soap and water to get the job done!
Avoid antibiotics if possible: Unless completely necessary, if you can avoid using antibiotics you can boost your immune system and activate your ‘good’ gut bacteria. This is because your fighting antibodies – medically called immunoglobulin A (IgA) – are produced within strong gut health.
Immerse yourself in nature: If you’re around different types of bacteria you will be able to increase bacteria diversity, thus bettering your chance of achieving bacterial balance. Nature exposes you to a huge variety of flora, which all carry an array of healthy agents. Your children will also boost their immune systems if they play outside more!

[Conclusion]

Overall, a lifestyle change and a change in your diet is never easy. You need to implement them at your own pace. Eventually, you need to make these changes a habit, for your and your kids’ wellbeing.

If your family can make these lifestyle changes together, you give everyone a chance at healthier, but also happier days.

Whenever you’re struggling to get going, why not start off by services for meal delivery Melbourne residents love, that matches all your dietary needs? If you want to find out more about what we offer, be sure to call us on 0448 885 266 or email us at pippa@pippaskitchen.com.au.