Good-For-You Food To Fuel Your New Year
December 30, 2022 by 4P Foods
As the year begins, we stop to take stock and think about how we want to feel and grow. Start your new year off healthfully with these selections from the 4P Foods shop!
Fermented Foods
Let’s talk about gut health. Naturally fermented foods help improve and strengthen your gut microbiome. Fermented foods are deliciously preserved using good bacteria. The fermentation process extends the shelf life of food and boosts the nutritional value with probiotics. Probiotics are microorganisms that are very important for digestive health.
“Digestive health can impact every aspect of your overall health. Everything starts with proper digestion – a north to south process that actually begins in the brain (see blog on mindful eating). If there are dysfunctions anywhere along this process, a cascade of issues can crop up,” says Devon Byrne, Certified FNTP, “Try including fermented foods in your diet to help improve gut health and the many health conditions that are linked to it like our immune system (including allergies), mental health, hormones, our ability to handle stress, metabolism…skin health...everything (see Leaky Gut blog).”
4P Foods’ Product Selections
Recipes
Organic Hummus & Pickled Carrot Pita Wrap»
Root Vegetables
We’re rooting for 2023! What we consider root vegetables includes rhizomes like ginger and turmeric, bulbs like onions, tap roots like beets and carrots, tuberous roots like sweet potatoes, corms like celeriac, and tubers like potatoes.
We are in the midst of root vegetable season. These winter delights are packed with antioxidants and are generally low in calories. For example, turmeric contains a component called curcumin that is both an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Meaning that adding turmeric to your diet may help reduce inflammation.
“Root vegetables are a great source of complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Silica in particular is an important mineral for collagen formation and connective tissue health. It also regulates calcium in the bones and tissues. Beets in particular have high levels of folate and manganese that support gallbladder function and the proper digestion of fats,” Devon Byrne, Certified FNTP.