This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
The benefits of a healthy gut are almost innumerable–among the top of the list are better digestion, improved energy and mood, and and decreased inflammation. A healthy gut is the cornerstone of your nutrition, health experts explain. “If your gut is clogged up with sludge then any food, clean or junk, you’ll only absorb so many nutrients out of it,” Ronnie Lubischer, CSCS, of Burn and Blast Training explains. A healthy detox smoothie every day can help move the sludge through and promote what your body *wants* to do naturally, which is detox itself. Here’s how our nutrition experts suggest preparing yours for these miracle benefits:
Daily Detox Shake
"About a decade ago I made gut health a huge component of any client plan that I write up," Ronnie explains. "I recommend this shake as a meal replacement once to a maximum of twice per day to all clients with great benefits. It serves as both a liver and gut detox, as well as has a plethora of waist-slimming ingredients and inflammation-killing properties."
Ingredients: Kale, cucumber, celery, steal cut oats, blueberries, natural almond butter, chocolate-flavored protein, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, sea salt.
How it works: "Coffee, green cruciferous veggies, blueberries, and certain nuts have all shown in meta-analysis to have beneficial effects on the liver while oats and protein provide gut-cleansing," Ronnie explains. Lastly, the ayurvedics components of this shake have a host of benefits including but not limited to: decreased inflammation, increased circulatory capacity (heart health), and regulating blood glucose levels (insulin sensitivity)."
Kefir
Don't have time to prepare the detox smoothie above? Another super-ingredient when it comes to making the most out of your morning drinks is kefir. "Using kefir as a base for your smoothie is one way to increase your metabolism, boost your energy, and reduce inflammation to name just a few amazing side effects," registered dietitian Trista Best of Balance One tells us.
How does it work? "Kefir is a fermented drink that makes it rich in probiotics, the primary reason kefir leads to all of these benefits," she explains. Probiotics actively repopulate your gut with healthy bacteria which are needed for improving gut health. "The gut's microbiome plays many vital roles in the body and when it is out of balance nearly every body system is impacted," she continues. Widespread, chronic-low grade inflammation "keeps the body from shedding excess weight, causes brain fog, and impedes energy," is why its so important to manage the gut's microbiome.
