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Good mental and physical health requires a nutritious and tasty diet to support it. The gut microbiome prefer an alkaline environment, which is achieved by eating many dark and leafy green vegetables, eating fresh and avoiding processed foods where possible. 

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The link between the gut and the brain is a very important one when we're talking about good mental, as well as physical health. Scientists have recently discovered the impact the gut and diet have upon neurological conditions such as autism, epilepsy, and depression. Gut microbiome interact with our nervous system and can even release molecules that can  make their way to the brain, through the permeable brain/blood barrier.

 

A diet rich in fresh produce such as vegetables, fruit, legumes and nuts, is key to keeping a healthy gut. When we indulge in processed foods such as bread, pastry, boxed cereals or packaged foods, we are usually digesting food with a higher sugar content and all sorts of un-necessary additives. The impact this has on the body is inflammatory. High sugar content, increases the overall inflammatory response of the body, leading to aching joints, and build up of disease causing toxins.

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I eat a gluten free diet that is mainly vegetarian. I also use some Aryuvedic principles in deciding what and how to eat. I am still working on reducing the sugar and processed content of my diet, but I believe in progress and not perfection. If I have a day which is not so good for my body, then I make sure to try and eat more fresh food the next day, letting go of judgment about poor choices I might have made in the past. Here are some of my favourite simple and healthy recipes, which you are welcome to try out!