Are you thinking of diving into the ever-elusive ‘weight-loss journey’?
One tends to think of this pain staking journey involving rabbit food with no flavour, hours in the gym and taking supplements using ingredients we can’t even pronounce. We can all agree that that approach is extreme and more often than not, unsustainable. Creating a cycle of disordered eating, guilt and disappointment.
The world is eager to find a new approach to weight loss, emphasising the enjoyment of the process and the ability to find balance in your body so it can easily and efficiently digest food and absorb nutrients.
If you have a gut feeling something is hindering you from losing as much weight as you would like to, you could be right. Researchers found that the gut microbiome - the bacteria that help digest food and absorb nutrients in the intestines - can influence your ability to lose weight. The people in white coats from the University of Washington in the US found that the presence of specific “good” microbes in the gut of people dieting to lose weight affected how many kilos they were able to lose.
Of course, we can’t forget that factors such as calorie intake and daily energy expulsion play a major role in weight loss. If we start from the inside and create a solid foundation, the process could be far easier than we imagined. Let’s have a look at what can be done to get our bodies functioning in balance:
1. Fiber, baby
Aim for about 30 grams of fiber per day through high fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and legumes. Fiber helps feed healthy gut bacteria, and leads to the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are important for health and weight control.
2. Drive-thru who?
Prepare your own meals, rather than relying on sugar and sodium-rich, processed ‘fast’ foods
3. Good bacteria
Two gut bacteria are associated with lean body weight. Akkermansia muciniphila and Christensenella minuta are good gut bacteria for weight loss because they are linked with preventing weight gain and are often found in slim individuals. Here are some foods you can eat to encourage the growth of these bacteria in your gut:
- Concord grapes
- Black tea
- Fish oil
- Bamboo shoots
- Flaxseeds
- Rhubarb extract
Struggling to find these things at your local supermarket? Not to worry! These ingredients can be found in Klean’s Revive Weight Control Capsules (black tea) and Gut Cleansing Powder (flaxseeds).
4. Inflammation station
The more we find out how our bodies react to foods, drink and medications, the more we are realising that inflammation is the cause of most of the ailments we suffer from. When our gut is in a state of dysbiosis (fancy word for unbalanced) we experience inflammation and increased blood sugar levels. These two factors are linked to being overweight. So how do we combat inflammation and high blood sugar levels? The best, most effective way would be to introduce more plants into your diet! Nature is the best medicine after all. If you struggle with your 5-a-day, Klean’s range of vegan gut health products are jam packed with superstar plants such as cinnamon, apple fiber, ginger, dandelion root and bladderwrack (to name a few).
5. Water, water and more water
Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before every meal. It will keep you from overeating. It is also an effective way to control calorie intake, thus aiding weight loss. Also, avoid drinking water immediately after a meal or during the meal so that your body can absorb the maximum amount of nutrients from your food effectively. For a water tracking schedule that you can follow, click here.
Weight Loss isn't a one size fits all solution. There are so many factors that affect how easily someone is able to lose weight but we do know one thing for sure - we all need a symbiotic gut microbiome in order to effectively digest food so that our bodies reap the maximum effects of whole, nutrient dense food.
For the ultimate gut symbiosis, try Klean’s 3-Step Gut Reconditioning Kleanse. Your weight loss journey has to start from within!
