I am always interested in seeing how people put together meals to maximize benefits. Thank you for this post. I am curious what you or Robin would suggest for GF folks? Oat bran is what jumped to my mind but wondering what else might be good.
Hi Kirsten. That's a good point about gluten free, and in my experience, some people (especiallly celiacs) can't tolerate oats either. I recently bought some quinoa flakes...and also some buckwheat flakes as non-gluten alternatives to bulk up a home made muesli. But they have a fifth of the fibre of the wheat bran. In which case, I would then have to use a couple of teaspoons each of prebiotic fibres like inulin (from Jerusalem artichokes), psyllium and ground flax seeds to get some fibre going, plus probably a handful of almonds, hazelnuts, and chia seeds (all good levels of fibre). Also this time of year, I'd cut up a couple of fresh figs into it for fibre (and because they are delicious) too.
Hi Jeannette—what do you think about using lots of nuts—walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds—instead of protein powder? I try to use less processed foods so I’ve been making my own “granola” with only a little gluten free oats and heavy reliance upon nuts, the aforementioned mentioned oats. I could switch to the linseed oil instead of the organic canola oil I’ve been using.
Hi Jeanne. I think using nuts and seeds for unprocessed protein is great - and you also get fibre, and polyphenols to feed your microbiome, and good oils from them and they taste good. Plus you are giving your gut variety which is important. It’s all about personalisation. Adding a bit of flax oil - for easy to absorb anti-inflammatory omega 3 would be good if you fancy it. Xx
Really interesting and very useable. I've just run out of my morning concoction so I'll try out this one and see how it goes. Mostly variations of what I was doing - an upgrade. Thank you.
Really interesting. Coincidentally, I was working on some recipes yesterday where I needed to ascertain the macronutrient and calorie content of some recipes so ChatGBT. As I’ve never done this before I checked the data against a reliable source and found that chatGBT had actually got some of the figures wrong. I wonder whether I could use a different prompt?
I also get a bit unsettled whenever I see whey powder and an ingredient I don’t recognise (or only recognise something that might appear on a UPF) on a recipe. I know you offer substitutions find it difficult to understand why he’s recommending them in the first place.
The link to the science paper on fibres and butyrate for the brain seems to be his driver. Ground flax a natural alternative fibre to use - without processing. And can produce butyrate for brain too.
I am always interested in seeing how people put together meals to maximize benefits. Thank you for this post. I am curious what you or Robin would suggest for GF folks? Oat bran is what jumped to my mind but wondering what else might be good.
Hi Kirsten. That's a good point about gluten free, and in my experience, some people (especiallly celiacs) can't tolerate oats either. I recently bought some quinoa flakes...and also some buckwheat flakes as non-gluten alternatives to bulk up a home made muesli. But they have a fifth of the fibre of the wheat bran. In which case, I would then have to use a couple of teaspoons each of prebiotic fibres like inulin (from Jerusalem artichokes), psyllium and ground flax seeds to get some fibre going, plus probably a handful of almonds, hazelnuts, and chia seeds (all good levels of fibre). Also this time of year, I'd cut up a couple of fresh figs into it for fibre (and because they are delicious) too.
Thank you, I can see you have thought about this also. Oh and yes, fresh figs!!
Hi Jeannette—what do you think about using lots of nuts—walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds—instead of protein powder? I try to use less processed foods so I’ve been making my own “granola” with only a little gluten free oats and heavy reliance upon nuts, the aforementioned mentioned oats. I could switch to the linseed oil instead of the organic canola oil I’ve been using.
I’m very interested in your insights.
Hi Jeanne. I think using nuts and seeds for unprocessed protein is great - and you also get fibre, and polyphenols to feed your microbiome, and good oils from them and they taste good. Plus you are giving your gut variety which is important. It’s all about personalisation. Adding a bit of flax oil - for easy to absorb anti-inflammatory omega 3 would be good if you fancy it. Xx
Let us know how it goes!
Really interesting and very useable. I've just run out of my morning concoction so I'll try out this one and see how it goes. Mostly variations of what I was doing - an upgrade. Thank you.
Really interesting. Coincidentally, I was working on some recipes yesterday where I needed to ascertain the macronutrient and calorie content of some recipes so ChatGBT. As I’ve never done this before I checked the data against a reliable source and found that chatGBT had actually got some of the figures wrong. I wonder whether I could use a different prompt?
Agree. I find lots of variation on the apps generally. By no means perfect but a quick rough guide if needed and you’re not near a Widdowson.
I also get a bit unsettled whenever I see whey powder and an ingredient I don’t recognise (or only recognise something that might appear on a UPF) on a recipe. I know you offer substitutions find it difficult to understand why he’s recommending them in the first place.
The link to the science paper on fibres and butyrate for the brain seems to be his driver. Ground flax a natural alternative fibre to use - without processing. And can produce butyrate for brain too.
Really interesting. I actually take butyrate supplements for inflammation.
Fascinating thank you, as well as being very helpful. I make my own muesli but am looking forward to taking it to a new level!
An adventure!