The gut makeover is done! And I’m so ready to start reintroducing some foods. So ready I’ll be starting tonight with some freshly baked sourdough to have with a vegetable laden soup. Read below for this week’s meal plans and my thoughts on my gut makeover experience.

I am pleased to say that the uncomfortable bloating and constantly upset tummy I was dealing with pre gut makeover, have gone! I’ve been including more garlic than normal and my fructose sensitive belly seems cool with it. My skin is also great, no hormonal breakouts to be seen. I haven’t weighed myself but my clothes are fitting much better than after lockdown 1, unsurprisingly! I’ve also had far more energy and interest in exercising, I feel like I’m out of my rut.

My positivity about doing this gut makeover sort of faded by halfway through the 3rd week. Even though by that stage I’d got used to not snacking, I wasn’t headachey or hungry (1st week only), and I wasn’t craving sweet things. But I missed pasta, rice and legumes. I was finding the vegetarian meals a bit boring without those things. Zoodles aren’t actually noodles and cauliflower rice is not rice. They’re both great in their own right but not the same. Anyone who tells you otherwise has been on a diet too long and forgotten the joy of grains. Sourdough is the first grain based thing in reintroducing, then pasta, then legumes, then rice. I’ll be introducing one every few days to just check how my body deals with them.

I have occasionally craved a coffee, because I like the flavour, but once I got past the headaches I was fine without it. That said I will be reintroducing a max of 1 coffee a day, if I feel like it. I missed wine most on the weekend so think I’ll be leaving it as a weekend thing for now. It will hopefully make the weekend feel more like a weekend rather than Groundhog Day.

There will be some habits that I’ll continue: 5 serves of veg and 2 of fruit a day, at least 20 different plant foods a week, and focusing on filling my plate with plant foods and proteins first. I also don’t want to get back into the habit of having an actual dessert most nights as too much sugar makes me feel crap. I’ve really enjoyed having fresh fruit or a spoon of cashew butter if I wanted a little something something after a meal.

So this week is about maintaining the healthy habits I’ve reignited. And enjoying some grains and legumes!

Breakfast

I’m still sticking to a smoothie most week day mornings, I might throw this sweet potato brownie smoothie bowl in the mix this week!

This weekend Cauliflower and Chickpea Baked Eggs are in the menu.

Lunch

Mushroom Satay Skewers are on high rotation because satay sauce is life.

Looking forwards to having avocado toast, loaded with extra veg of course!

Dinner

Hummus with a Grilled Chicken, Herb and Lemon Salad. Oh how I’ve missed hummus! I think I’ll add some green beans to this one.

Eggplant and Potato Curry with a serve of actual rice.

Zucchini, Chilli and Garlic Pasta with Broad Beans, use peas if you can’t find broad beans. They should be in the frozen vegetable section if nowhere else. Serve with a salad to increase your serves of vegetables.

Seared Ginger and Sesame Salmon Bowls, give me noodles! Balanced with lots of vegetables 😉

HH. x