Gut-healthy Multi-grain Salad

Are you eating enough fibre?

For optimal health, the daily target for adults should be 30g of dietary fibre per day. This has been shown to improve gut health, appetite control and weight management as well as reduce the risk of heart disease, colon cancer and type 2 diabetes. ¹https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/how-to-get-more-fibre-into-your-diet/

Plus, people who eat at least 30 plant foods per week have “greater diversity within their gut microbiome” ²https://www.ion.ac.uk/news/five-a-day-try-30-a-week-for-better-gut-health. You can choose from all kinds of fruits, vegetables, pulses, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices – variety is key!

The result is a healthy digestive system and high diversity within the gut microbiome. Why is this such a good thing? Well, a diverse range of friendly bacteria provides the body with a wealth of beneficial substances including anti-inflammatory chemicals, vitamins, enzymes, and neurotransmitters to name just a few. ³https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00005/full

Here is a recipe that gives you 8 of your 30 weekly plant foods and approximately 7 grams of fibre per serving – all in one dish!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 40 g of red/black/white quinoa
• 60 g of brown rice
• 1 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander
• 1 – 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice (to taste)
• 2 small radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 handful of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 8-10 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 bulb spring onion, thinly sliced

Method

1. Chop all the salad vegetables and put to one side.
2. Cook the quinoa and rice according to the packet instructions. For ease, you can buy pre-mixed quinoa and rice!
3. Once the quinoa and rice are ready, drain and leave to cool.
4. Once cooled, drizzle over the lemon juice.
5. Then simply add the coriander, radishes, spinach, tomatoes, and spring onion. Voila! A quick and easy lunch or side dish.

Enjoy this salad with a dollop of hummus/guacamole or with a side of grilled chicken, halloumi or tempeh – yum!

For more delicious, gut-healthy recipes, check out our Gut Health Express blog.

Questions? Feel free to get in touch with one of our Nutritional Therapists on live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.

References

• 1
  https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/how-to-get-more-fibre-into-your-diet/
• 2
  https://www.ion.ac.uk/news/five-a-day-try-30-a-week-for-better-gut-health
• 3
  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00005/full

Questions? Talk to a Nutritional Therapist on live chat!