A couple of weeks back I was contacted by the great team at Taymount Clinic, the world’s first faecal microbiota transplant clinic and experts in digestive health. They challenged me to eat 50 different foods in 7 days and this is mainly because The Taymount Clinic recommend that to maintain diversity in your gut, you also need to have diversity in your diet. Of course, I jumped at the chance to learn more about my own gut health, I received a chart to record all the foods consumed during the 7 days. Doesn't sound like much of a challenge right? Wrong. Duplicates were not allowed, so things like buns, pizza, bagels etc did not count as different things; you guessed it, they are all wheat. That for me is what made the challenge tricky but on the bright side, oils, spices, vinegars and spices did count as individuals. I have never appreciated my love for spices and herbs as well as my kitchen cupboard more than I have the past 7 days. I was also sent a basket with different healthy foods to help get me on my way.
Being an IBS sufferer means planning ahead when it comes to your food, it also means you are already quite limited food wise so this was a really tough challenge to complete. However, I did manage to finish at a surprising 58 different foods in 7 days, if that's not impressive, I don't know what is. This regime worked well for me, my abdominal pain has lessened, bloating has pretty stopped and my stomach is feeling a lot more 'normal' than it has the past 8 years. I have learnt so much about my own gut and how diversity on the plate really does lead to diversity in the gut flora.
The past 7 days, I consumed so many different herbs and discovered lots of new textures and tastes.
So what did I eat?
& the extras..
52. Black pepper
53. Eggs
54. Butternut Squash
55. Coconut
56. Kiwis
57. Corn on a Cob
58. Bok Choy
53. Eggs
54. Butternut Squash
55. Coconut
56. Kiwis
57. Corn on a Cob
58. Bok Choy
My range was boosted by a lot of fruits and of course herbs. I've been cooking since the age of 9 and since then, herbs and spices have grown to be a big part of my cooking. I've definitely felt a significant change in my gut and this is particularly noticeable due to my IBS. I'm so glad I took on this challenge and I plan on implementing this regime in my daily diet permanently.
Want to know more about the Taymount Clinic? Visit their:
How many foods do you eat a week? Is your diet diverse?
Nokhuthula xo
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