Food intolerances often come with a whole set of unpleasant symptoms. Bloating, weight gain, stomach pain, irritable bowel are often part and parcel of a digestive system that isn’t coping with the foods it’s been given.
While an allergy free diet and supplements are a necessity to heal your gut, there are some wonderful healing foods which you can include in your diet to bring fast relief to food intolerance symptoms and help make the gut a healthy place for good bacteria to grow.
- Ginger – Ginger has a calming and anti-inflammatory effect on the digestive system. It can be sliced and brewed as herbal tea, added to soups and curries, or try adding a thumb-sized piece of ginger to your freshly squeezed juice. Ginger is also a warming tonic, so it’s perfect for cold winter weather.
- Turmeric – One of the strongest natural anti-inflammatories, turmeric has a healing effect on the digestive system, while helping to prevent digestive flare ups. You can also add this one to juice (it goes very well with carrot, orange and ginger juice), curries, or my most recent discovery – to pumpkin soup.
- Kefir – One of the oldest probiotic food in the world, kefir is a fermented milk drink which contains beneficial bacteria, and is said to have healing and restorative properties. It is also a rich source of vitamins and minerals. Can’t have dairy? If you look around, you will find kefir made with coconut milk and even water. You will also find recipes and advice online for making your own kefir at home.
- Kombucha – A traditional fermented tea drink, kombucha contains millions of beneficial bacteria and is dairy free. Kombucha has a wonderful, fruity flavor – just be careful to choose a brand which is low in sugar. Farmers markets often sell beautiful home made kombucha.
- Fermented vegetables – The humble sauerkraut is making a comeback! When made in a traditional manner, fermented vegetables are a powerhouse of good bacteria. For something a little different, try kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish, or if you are really adventurous, you can make your own fermented veggies.
- Calming herbal teas – Peppermint, ginger, fennel, lemon balm, and chamomile all have a calming effect of the stomach. If you are suffering the consequences after eating a food which you are intolerant to, make yourself a strong cup of tea (let it steep for 10 minutes). Having 3 cups of strong herbal tea per day is often enough to bring down symptoms and improve digestion.
Having a food intolerance is not just about learning which foods to avoid, it’s also about learning which foods to eat more of, and learning to select foods to help you to heal and feel better. Focusing on new foods can also help you to feel less deprived. Happy experimenting!
By Jules Galloway
Hi, my name is Jules Galloway and I’m a qualified naturopath, food and wine lover, beginner surfer and recent seachanger, living just 10 minutes from Byron Bay. My goal is to educate and motivate you to explore a variety of foods, to help you to make small, achievable changes to increase your wellbeing, and to spread the word that it’s easier than you think to feel awesome again! Connect with Jules on Facebook, Twitter or her website.
