Our digestive tract, mainly our colon, contains trillions of friendly and beneficial gut bacteria, known as good gut bacteria. These good gut bacteria positively affect our health in many different ways. However, the balance of these beneficial gut bacteria can be easily disrupted by some dietary and lifestyle factors, which results in negative health effects, poor mood and decreased immune function.

What exactly does our beneficial gut bacteria do for us

• Assists with digestion and absorption of nutrients
• Synthesises B group vitamins (helps give you energy)
• Supports and stimulates up to 70% of our immune function!!
• Enhances bowel function by improving motility, stool formation and helps keep you regular
• Inhibits the invasion of pathogenic, disease causing bacteria and viruses
• Is linked to improving and preventing depression & anxiety symptoms
• Produces over 80% of the happy hormone serotonin
• Assist in the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA’s)
• Helps with weight loss and sustained weight management

What disrupts our good gut bacteria balance?

• A diet that is low in fibre and polyphenol (antioxidant) rich foods
• Processed foods, artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners, trans fats and pesticides
• Excessive sugar intake
• Alcohol
• Smoking
• Increased physiological or physical stress (increased cortisol levels)
• Antibiotics and medications

To help maintain beneficial levels of good gut bacteria it is important to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet that is high in fibre and polyphenol rich foods, avoid smoking and artificial ingredients, and limit your intake of alcohol, sugar and processed foods.

Our good gut bacteria includes many different strains that are fed and strengthened by different coloured prebiotic fibre and polyphenol rich foods. Therefore, eating a wide variety of different coloured, good quality, fibre rich foods will ensure you are feeding and strengthening all strains of your good gut bacteria in your digestive tract not just a few of them.

Below I have provided a Immune Dahl recipe, that is high in a variety of fibre rich polyphenol foods to help feed and strengthen your good gut bacteria. Give it a try, it is delicious and freezes really well so is great to made in advance or in bulk.

Prebiotic and fibre rich polyphenol foods

Prebiotics are carbohydrates that ferment in the colon to make short chain fatty acids. These short chain fatty acids feed your good gut bacteria and also assist in repairing the gut wall. Polyphenols are the coloured pigment of the fibre rich food. These also feed and strengthen your good gut bacteria, as well as help clear free radicals from the body.

Examples of some prebiotic and polyphenol fibre rich foods to include into your diet regularly are:

• Orange foods – sweet potato, carrots, apricots, orange lentils, pumpkin, orange capsicum, fresh turmeric
• Brown foods – mushrooms, brown lentils, almonds, chickpeas, ground flaxseed, chicory root, cacao, brown rice
• White foods – garlic, onion, cooked and cooled white potatoes, traditional rolled oats, leeks
• Green foods – brussel sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, green leafy veg, celery, artichoke, green tea, fresh green herbs
• Red foods – raspberries, tomato, red capsicum, strawberries, cherries, red kidney beans, beetroot, apples
• Black foods – black rice, wild rice, black lentils, black beans, blackberries
• Purple foods – purple carrots, purple cauliflower, purple sweet potato, purple grapes, purple cabbage

Probiotic foods

Probiotics are good gut bacteria that when ingested increase the amount of healthy gut bacteria in a person’s digestive tract. They help to re-balance your digestive tract.

Examples of probiotic foods to include in your diet are:

• Greek yoghurt: chose plain, natural, Greek or coconut yoghurt with NO flavours or added sugar
• Tempeh: fermented soybeans, similar to tofu but has a nutty taste and much better for you
• Miso: fermented soup base from rice, barley or soybeans.
• Kefir: fermented milk drink, similar to drinkable yoghurt, found in health food stores & some supermarkets
• Sauerkraut: fermented cabbage, can buy in health food stores or make your own – recipe here:
• Kombucha: A fermented tea drink that can be found in health food stores or brewed at home – instructions here:
• Probiotic supplements: Great to use after taking a course of antibiotics, if you are feeling immune compromised, or if you are under high levels of mental or physical stress.

Immune boosting Dahl recipe

Ingredients

• 2 brown onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of virgin coconut oil
• 1 tsp of fresh ground turmeric
• 1 tsp of fresh ground ginger
• 1 tsp of mustard powder
• 1 tsp of curry powder
• ½ tsp of cinnamon
• ½ tsp of cayenne
• 1 cup of dried green lentils
• 1 ½ cups of veggie broth or chicken broth
• 1 can of organic pure coconut milk
• Fresh parsley or coriander to serve with
• Brown rice
• Veggies to stir-fry, e.g. shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, red capsicum and green beans

Method

• Cook onion and coconut oil in med pot over med heat.
• Add spices and cook for 3 more minutes, then add the lentils, veggie broth and coconut milk.
• Bring to boil and then reduce to low heat and simmer uncovered for 45-60 minutes (until lentils have absorb most of the liquid)
• While lentils are cooking stir-fry your veggies in some coconut oil or grass fed butter and tamari sauce
• Turn off heat, add the garlic immediately and stir for 1 minute.
• Serve the dahl with veggies, some brown or black rice, fresh parsley/coriander and a large dollop of plain Greek or coconut yoghurt

Our good gut bacteria makes up close to 70% of our immune system, and includes many different strains that are fed and strengthened by different coloured fibre rich foods:

• Orange foods – sweet potato, carrots, apricots, orange lentils, pumpkin
• Brown foods – mushrooms, brown lentils, almonds with skin on, chickpeas
• White foods – garlic, onion, cooked and cooled white potatoes, traditional rolled oats
• Green foods – brussle sprouts, asparagus, celery, green leafy veg
• Red foods – raspberries, tomato, strawberries, cherries, red kidney beans

Foods for optimal immune support

• VEGGIES – the more variety (type and colour!) we eat, the more strains of good gut bacteria we’ll strengthen
• BERRIES – are all high in vitamin C and polypehnols that feed your good gut bacteria
• SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS – high in vitamins and minerals and have been found to fight infectious diseases
• GARLIC – contains an immune boosting compound called allicin which helps prevent and reduce the severity illnesses
• ONION – a great source of vitamin C, packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and can also inhibit the growth of bad bacteria
• GINGER & TURMERIC (fresh) – both help reduce inflammation, have high levels of antioxidants and the curcumin in turmeric has anti-viral properties
• LEMON (fresh) – high in vitamin C and has antiviral and antibacterial properties – excellent in hot water with fresh ginger, turmeric & RAW honey
• COLOURED RICE & LEGUMES – both high in fibre and polyphenols that feed your good gut bacteria, plus both contain protein which is needed for optimal immune function

With all this in mind, the below vegetarian shepherd’s pie recipe is super satisfying, packed full of immune-boosting nutrients and is simple to make (although a little time consuming).

Vegetarian shepherd’s pie

Ingredients

• 5 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 cans of lentils drained and well rinsed
• 3/4 cup of traditional rolled oats
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon of Pink Salt
• 1-2 teaspoons of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (or extra virgin olive oil, or grass fed butter)
• 450g of a mix of shiitake and button mushrooms, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 500ml of vegetable stock (or use chicken stock if you’re not a vego)
• 1/2 a cup of chopped fresh parsley
• Cheddar cheese to grate on top
• Extra Parsley to serve on top

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200°c.
• Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet
• Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very soft, set aside to cool
• In a medium pot, combine the lentils, rolled oats, bay leaves, salt, pepper and stock
• Simmer uncovered for 15-25 minutes, or until rolled oats are well cooked and liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pot
• While the lentils and oats are cooking, chop up the onion, mushrooms, carrot and celery
• Warm the oil or butter in a large pot over medium-high heat
• Add the diced onions and mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until browned and soft
• Add the chopped carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes
• Lower heat to medium and add the lentil and oat mixture, paprika, fresh parsley and a few grinds of black pepper
• Simmer mixture for 2 minutes, taste, and salt/season as needed, then add in crushed garlic
• Evenly spread the lentil mixture into a 9-x-13-inch baking dish (smaller is fine, but it will be nice and high)
• Drop the oven to 175°C, peel sweet potatoes with your hands and place in a medium bowl
• Use a fork to mash them into a smooth paste and season with salt and pepper
• Evenly spread the lentil mixture into baking dish
• Spoon the sweet potato mixture on top and smooth with a spatula
• Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the filling is bubbling at the edges
• Grate cheddar cheese on top and serve with some extra fresh parsley
• Enjoy 🙂

Extra notes:

• Both the filling and the roasted sweet potatoes can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days before assembling and baking.
• This recipe freezes well. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake uncovered at 175°C for 35-45 minutes, or until filling is bubbling.

I think good quality protein powders can be beneficial for a lot of people’s diets, but it’s not a necessary supplement for everyone.

For example, a good quality protein powder can really help athletes or avid gym goers, vegetarians or vegans, busy people who struggle to get time for proper meals, and people who are immune compromised.

However the quality of protein powder is paramount! There are a ton of poor quality, highly processed, and artificially-sweetened powders out there that you want to be avoiding! If you’re adding a protein powder into your diet, you want to make sure that it is actually going to be beneficial – you want to ensure it is made up of real, nutritionally-dense ingredients, and is minimally processed.

I have had the pleasure of working with the owner of INCA Organics protein powders and I can hands-down say that INCA Organics is the purest protein powder I can find on the market. It is packed full of nutrients from real food, contains absolutely nothing artificial, and is very minimally processed.

My  favourite is the Organic Natural Whey protein powder – it is just 100% organic whey protein concentrate – absolutely nothing else. Plus it blends really well into my favourite post-run berry smoothie (see below).

The only thing to note is that if you are a drug tested athlete, INCA Organics protein powders are not yet ASADA approved. One of the best ASADA approved protein powders currently on the market is ISOWHEY Sports Refuel and Rebuild – best straight after training.

If you’d like to know more about why we need protein and when and why it could be appropriate to have a good quality protein powder in your diet, then check out my blog post on the INCA Organics website about protein and protein powders.

Post-run Berry Smoothie:

• 1 – 1.5 cups of Nutty Bruce un-sweetened almond milk
• 1 cup of frozen organic mixed berries
• 2-3 heaped tablespoons of traditional rolled oats
• 1 scoop (30g) of INCA Organics Natural Whey Protein Powder
• 3 heaped tablespoons or organic plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon of prebiotic fibre (feeds your good gut bacteria)

Blend all the ingredients together, and enjoy cold! If you’re running longer than 10km, then I also add in a banana to this recipe too.

For prebiotic fibre, I recommend Natural Evolution – Green Banana Resistant Starch.

So whether you have a key race locked in, or you are just running for fun, optimising what you put in your mouth will help you get more performance from your legs, let you recover quicker, and promote optimal immune function so you don’t get run down.

To get your nutrition on track for your running goals I have answered a few of the most common questions I get asked by runners during consultations.

To read the questions and answers jump over to the Register Now blog, where I posted this article.

I’ve also included my post-run recovery smoothie below.

Post run recovery smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup of raw unsweetened Nutty Bruce almond milk
• 1/2 – 3/4 of a cup of frozen berries
• 2 tblsp of INCA organics natural whey protein powder
• 2 tblsp of traditional rolled oats
• 2 tblsp of Organic Schulz natural yoghurt
• 1 tbslp of raw cacao powder
• 1 tblsp of natural evolutions green banana starch
• Optional – add half a fresh or frozen banana for extra sweetness!

Method

• Blend all ingredients and enjoy 🙂

Below are a couple of oat-based cookie recipes that are slightly different to the traditional ANZAC cookies, but they are just as yum and boast a range of healthy benefits, such as:

• being high in fibre
• lots of good fats
• absolute no table sugar in them at all!
• low GI for long lasting energy

Give them a go and let me know what you think – always a winner with kids and adults a like!

Happy baking 🙂

Coconut & Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of traditional rolled oats
• ½ cup of desiccated coconut
• ½ cup of flaked or chopped almonds
• 2 ½ tablespoon of liquid coconut oil or macadamia oil
• 2 tablespoon of raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
• 1 tablespoon of water

Method:

• Combine oats, coconut and nuts together in food processor.
• Then add oil, raw honey and vanilla, process for 30 sec until well combined.
• Then add water and blend again for 30 sec.
• Make mixture into 20 small flattened cookies on a pre greased / line tray.
• Cook on low at 150C for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Makes a small batch of cookies double recipe for more.

Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of traditional rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon of almond meal
• 1 free-range egg
• 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup or raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of organic cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons of raw cacao nibs or dried fruit of choice

Method:

• Line or grease a baking tray
• Flatten mixture into desired shapes
• Cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown on 175 degrees
• If mixture is not wet enough add a little water.
• Makes small batch of cookies double recipe for more.

Then make up a bunch of these easy muffin-sized frittatas, stick them in your freezer and grab 1 or 2 of them as you need, for a super quick and healthy meal!

Perfect for all meals – for example:

• Breaky: just heat 1 or 2 of them up, in the oven or microwave, and have them on their own or with a home-made berry or green smoothie.
• Lunch: Take 1-2 or two of them in your lunch box to school or work. You can have them hot or cold, on their own, with a salad or with ¼ of a cup of cooked black, brown or red rice. You can pre-make rice and freeze serving-sized portions, or you can buy good quality ready to go serves from the supermarket.
• Dinner: Same as lunch have 1-2 frittatas with salad and or ¼ cup of coloured rice or home-made sweet potato and parsnip chunky chips.
• Snack: Grab one on the go, have it hot or cold.

The recipe is below, enjoy 🙂

Muffin-Sized Frittatas:

• 1 cup of chopped broccoli
• 1 small zucchini grated
• 1 small carrot grated
• 1 handful of chopped spinach or basil
• 1 handful of chopped parsley
• 6 whole organic eggs
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 100-150g of canned wild red salmon (optional – go vego if you prefer)
• ½ teaspoon of pink salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground pepper
• 60 – 80g of cheese of choice, tasty, goats, parmesan etc.

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
• Line a 12-cup muffin pan with a little oil, butter or baking paper
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs
• Add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly
• Add ground black pepper and pink salt and any other preferred herbs or chilli flakes if you like
• Pour ¼ to ½ a cup of the egg mixture into each of the twelve muffin cups.
• Bake for about 15-25 minutes (depending on your over, check after 12-15 minutes to make sure the frittatas don’t burn)
• Double the recipe and make more – these freeze really well 🙂

I get it, snacking on veggie sticks and dip and fresh fruit can get a bit boring, and lets face it, these foods don’t feel like a treat. It’s only human to want a treat every now and then!

Making and baking healthy snacks can be very time consuming, and lots of people start off with great intentions of making lots of healthy snacks to always have on hand, but sometimes life just gets in the way and we run out of time.

So what is the answer to delicious yet quick and simple healthy snacks options??

Funch protein power balls! I absolutely LOVE these protein ball mixtures – they have a heap of delicious flavours to choose from, they use raw protein powder, there is no added sugar, and all the ingredients are completely natural!!

No food processor is required to make these protein bliss balls – you just need to grab a packet of your desired flavour of Funch protein ball mix, soften some dates in hot water, melt some coconut oil, and mix all these ingredients together. Then roll the mix into bite sized balls.

Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes, and they’re ready to eat! Store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. So quick and simple, and most importantly, very delicious and nutritious!

These protein balls are not only great as a treat/snack but also for a pre-workout energy boost or as a quick post-workout recovery food, to tie you over until your next main meal!

My favourite flavour is the vanilla and coconut protein ball mix, but there are flavours for every palate. Funch also have some super food snack bar and slice mixtures that you can buy which are again super quick and easy to whip up into a delicious healthy snack.

If you are doing some grocery shopping this weekend, add Funch protein powder to your shopping list, and whip up a batch so you have plenty of delicious snacks for the coming working week.

Find them at your local organic grocers, health food shops or online!

Happy snacking!

This is why I love this Blueberry and Flaxseed muffin recipe, it is super filling, tastes great, really easy to make and is packed with heaps of nutrients. They are high in fibre, omega 3’s and a range of healthy fats, antioxidants and protein and it is wheat free and low in sugar!

During the winter months these muffins are one of my staple comfort foods! There is nothing more enjoyable for me then relaxing during my break on a cold rainy day with a hot cup of herbal tea and a warm blueberry and flaxseed muffin. I find they are best enjoyed warm and with a spread of organic butter!

These muffins are a great morning or afternoon snack or a healthy quick breakfast option when you are in a hurry, they are also a great energy dense easily digestible snack to have before or after sports training!

Blueberry and Flaxseed Muffin Recipe:

• 1/4 cup of rolled oats
• 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen organic blueberries
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed
• 2 teaspoon of organic cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (at liquid)
• 2 free-range/ organic eggs
• 1 tablespoon of raw honey or pure maple syrup

• Mix all ingredients together in large bowl
• Cook mixture in oiled muffin trays on medium heat for 15 minutes or until cooked
• For extra sweetness can add 1 ripe mashed banana into the recipe and or 2 tablespoons of organic dark chocolate chips.
• Make a couple of batches and store in the freezer pull them out and heat them up whenever you are craving a treat!

Happy baking!!

Who doesn’t love pancakes for breakfast? Want to be able to eat pancakes that taste delicious but are also nutritious? Look no further than this super easy, quick and healthy pancake recipe that I absolutely love!

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 organic eggs
• ½ a cup of rolled oats
• 1-2 teaspoons of organic cinnamon and/or nutmeg
• ½ a teaspoon of baking powder
• Pinch of pink sea salt
• If you want an extra hit of protein you can always add 1-2 tablespoons of good quality raw protein powder (this is optional) – my favourite is Jimmy Blacks Raw Black Bean Protein Powder.

If you find the pancake consistency is too thick just add a dash of water or another egg until you reach the consistency you like.

Method:

• Place all ingredients into a blender, I tend to put chopped bananas in first then follow with eggs and then all the other ingredients.
• Blend all ingredients for a couple of minutes, or until smooth.
• Let mixture sit for a couple of minutes to thicken.
• Cook batter with organic coconut oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
• Makes 4-5 medium sized pancakes – for more, just double the recipe.

Serve with organic natural yoghurt or coconut yoghurt, organic berries (fresh or frozen), pure maple syrup or raw honey, chopped raw nuts such as almonds or walnuts, and a sprinkle of chia seeds. Enjoy!!

A good quality organic natural dairy yoghurt brand is Barambah Natural or Greek Yoghurt.

A delicious dairy free coconut yoghurt option is Pure n Free.

Hope you all enjoy these pancakes as much as I do!