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Spring is here, and winter's inactivity, weight gain, stress and fatigue are starting to show. A light diet of clean food and good care for the stomach will make us shine again, ready for adventures and the joy of life.
Fiber, fiber and more fiber
It's time to replace heavy foods – meat, cooked vegetables, lots of carbohydrates and sugar – with lighter meals. Greens are rich in fiber and help promote timely movement through the digestive tract.
Insoluble fiber helps „clean“ the intestinal lining, while soluble fiber forms a gel that binds to unwanted substances and „carries“ them out of the body.
Did you know women need 25 grams of fiber a day, and men 38 grams? If over the winter you accepted bloating, constipation and gastritis as normal side effects of overeating or inactivity, you can curb them this spring with more seasonal, clean plant-based food and the right pre- and probiotics.
Probiotics in spring
A vegetarian diet may not be for everyone, but salads and the first spring vegetables help cleanse the digestive tract. They provide nourishment for the gut microbiome – the ecosystem of bacteria, viruses and fungi in our body. To keep our microbiome healthy and effective, it's important to get enough probiotics from food.
Prebiotics come from carbohydrates called oligosaccharides - indigestible fibers that aren't broken down or absorbed by gastric juices. They stimulate the growth and development of beneficial bacteria in the gut. They're found in onions, garlic, asparagus, chicory root and more.
Probiotics are important microorganisms (yeasts and bacteria) for our health in the digestive tract. The most significant and best known are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. They feed on prebiotics, which is why combining the two is key to a successful spring renewal of the body.
The first step of a spring cleanse is adding plenty of prebiotic foods to your diet. Vegetables, artichokes, mushrooms, dill, pumpkin, garlic, leeks, onions, berries and apples help create a healthy environment in the gut where probiotics can thrive. Whole-grain bread and similar products also help the digestive tract function better.
Probiotic foods and drinks such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and fermented and pickled treats like kimchi or a quick fresh cabbage pickle are also recommended. But the best combination is a greener diet together with supplements that are proven to effectively provide enough pre- and probiotics for gut health.
Clean food and proven effective pre- and probiotics
Fresh green produce from local growers, free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, is a good idea all year round, but in winter this is often hard to find. With spring, the market offers more choice, but there's always a risk of the body reacting, whether for health reasons or due to how the produce was treated.
That's why we recommend washing and preparing your salad or leafy greens carefully. This will eliminate the chance of your body reacting to bacteria and nitrates in them.
Here are a few tips from the Active Consumers Association:
- Don't buy vegetables with rotten leaves, or leaves that are strongly chlorotic (bleached), dried out or nibbled;
- Avoid lettuce that's caked with dirt. This is a sign of carelessness on the part of the grower or seller;
- Wash leafy greens under running water, leaf by leaf! Remove any visible traces of soil, growing substrate and insects that sometimes hide between the leaves;
- Soak your salad greens in drinking water to rinse away some of the nitrates and bacteria. For a better effect, you can add an acid to the water – vinegar or lemon juice. These acidify the environment and kill most bacteria and viruses.
- If you suspect microbial contamination, you can disinfect lettuce with a 1% hydrogen peroxide solution, but be sure to first consult the pharmacist you bought it from about the procedure and instructions for use! Remember that after disinfecting you must rinse thoroughly with drinking water.
- Avoid giving leafy green salads to very young children, or at least soak and wash the greens thoroughly beforehand.
It's also worth adding that taking a pre- and probiotic supplement, especially during the first weeks of eating plenty of fresh greens, helps prevent stomach aches and discomfort.
Meat is fine too, but tender and light!
This season, moderate consumption of meat (without fat), fish and poultry is recommended - boiled or baked, but not breaded. Vegetable soups and clear local broths make a pleasant addition to an otherwise mostly green menu.
Fermented dairy products, cottage cheese, soft-boiled eggs, omelets, well-cooked porridge and pasta, but whole-grain, round out the spring menu. These foods keep the digestive tract healthy and support the microbiome, which is the first to sense when we're lacking pre- and probiotics.
Listen to your body!
In spring, chronic gastrointestinal conditions tend to flare up. People whose stomach is a weak spot know well what to listen for in their bodies.
The best thing we can do to stay healthy and energetic during this wonderful but transitional season is to avoid overdoing alcohol, caffeine and processed sugar, none of which do the microbiome any favors.
Also keep an eye on what might be causing inflammation or discomfort – a particular vegetable, dairy, grains, beans, but always keep in mind that you need plenty of fiber and prebiotics. Drink plenty of water and tea to support detoxification. Pay attention to how your body reacts to any new foods and supplements you try. And most importantly – enjoy your food, but in moderation.
