— So You Can Stay Physically and Mentally Fit Through the Holidays

That picture is from September, the last time I wore a swim suit. I don’t love it. But I wanted a picture of a belly without using stock photography. There it is.

Let’s talk about our bellies. We want them to be flat. We want to look good. But what about what’s going on inside? Everyone is talking about gut bacteria these days. It seems that it has a much bigger effect on our weight and overall health than we thought. Is it possible that staying thin is more than just cutting calories and working out every day? And, ever since I read a couple of articles about how the right amount of healthy bacteria in your stomach can even effect whether or not you’re depressed I can’t stop thinking about it.

I’m not a scientist and I’m not going to tell you anything you couldn’t just Google yourself.*

To improve your Gut Bacteria you need to:

Limit sugar — unless it’s dark chocolate!
Eat your veggies
Eat fiber — leafy greens, beans/legumes, nuts, bran cereal
Limit meat — eat more “animal fiber” when you eat meat
Avoid antibiotics
Avoid anti-bacterial cleaners, hand sanitizer
Get outside and get dirty—i.e., dig in the garden
Take probiotics/eat yogurt and kefir
Eat fermented foods — sauerkraut, pickles, etc.
Lower stress — meditate, do things you love, take a bath
Get a good night’s sleep
Exercise

*What I Googled:

10 Ways to Cultivate Good Gut Bacteria and Reduce Depression

16 Things That Affect Your Gut Bacteria

How Soil Microbes Make You Happy

Speaking of food, I did a Instagram-your-meal round-up for you which sort of looks like I live on eggs which I don’t. I try to eat a healthy balance of real foods. I do love bread so I try to eat whole grain and not too much. I eat blueberries and almonds and cashews and cheese and olives and hummus and plain greek whole fat yogurt and eggs with spinach and hot sauce. I eat pasta but also potatoes and quinoa and rice. Chicken and tuna and corn tortillas. I have a secret stash of really good chocolate. I eat too much ice cream and I love a burger and fries. If I’m hungry late at night I’ll eat raisin bran with almond milk. Oh, and in the summer lots of smoothies and salads. And Peet’s French Roast coffee. And Starbucks.