Ever dreamt of wandering through a vibrant farmer's market, your senses awakened by the earthy smell of fresh produce and the promise of flavourful meals waiting to be created? Let your dream be a reality as I, Karlee, your experienced guide and Certified Health Coach, whisk you away on a tour of the season's freshest finds. From the lush farmlands of British Columbia to the sun-drenched soils of Australia, we explore the amazing benefits of seasonal eating. Discover how embracing the ripest, most nutrient-dense fruits and veggies not only sparks joy for your taste buds, but also boosts the health of our gut and planet.
Feel the buzz of excitement as we embark on the "Spring Into Gut Health" challenge, a seven-day journey that promises to strengthen your relationship with food. Imagine a week where bloating is but a distant memory and your digestion purrs like a well-oiled machine, all thanks to an abundance of whole foods at their peak. With your very own meal prep master by your side (that's me!), you'll receive a week-long blueprint brimming with delicious recipes, smart shopping lists, and even a tracker to chart your soaring progress. Whether you're an omnivore or a dedicated plant-based eater, the challenge is ripe with options to suit your palate. So mark your calendars for a rendezvous with revitalization—your gut will thank you, and your energy will soar.
Struggling with bloating and tired of strict diets and expensive supplements? Download my free Ultimate Guide to Bloat Busting and discover simple, effective strategies for a healthier, bloat-free life. Learn about mindful eating, hydration habits, gut-friendly foods, and stress management. Get your free copy today at beyondbloated.com/ultimate-guide. Transform your gut health and feel lighter and more energized!
Get Started for FREE: Ultimate Guide to Bloat-Busting: Free Download
Ever dreamt of wandering through a vibrant farmer's market, your senses awakened by the earthy smell of fresh produce and the promise of flavourful meals waiting to be created? Let your dream be a reality as I, Karlee, your experienced guide and Certified Health Coach, whisk you away on a tour of the season's freshest finds. From the lush farmlands of British Columbia to the sun-drenched soils of Australia, we explore the amazing benefits of seasonal eating. Discover how embracing the ripest, most nutrient-dense fruits and veggies not only sparks joy for your taste buds, but also boosts the health of our gut and planet.
Feel the buzz of excitement as we embark on the "Spring Into Gut Health" challenge, a seven-day journey that promises to strengthen your relationship with food. Imagine a week where bloating is but a distant memory and your digestion purrs like a well-oiled machine, all thanks to an abundance of whole foods at their peak. With your very own meal prep master by your side (that's me!), you'll receive a week-long blueprint brimming with delicious recipes, smart shopping lists, and even a tracker to chart your soaring progress. Whether you're an omnivore or a dedicated plant-based eater, the challenge is ripe with options to suit your palate. So mark your calendars for a rendezvous with revitalization—your gut will thank you, and your energy will soar.
Struggling with bloating and tired of strict diets and expensive supplements? Download my free Ultimate Guide to Bloat Busting and discover simple, effective strategies for a healthier, bloat-free life. Learn about mindful eating, hydration habits, gut-friendly foods, and stress management. Get your free copy today at beyondbloated.com/ultimate-guide. Transform your gut health and feel lighter and more energized!
Get Started for FREE: Ultimate Guide to Bloat-Busting: Free Download
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Karlee:
Welcome to the Beyond Bloated Podcast. I'm Karlee, a certified health coach, helping women under 50 ditch their bloat without having to follow super strict and stressful protocols. As someone who's struggled with all sorts of digestive issues for over five years, I know exactly how you're feeling. I also know that there's a way to feel better, and it doesn't have to involve tons of expensive supplements and insanely restrictive diets. Join me as I share all of my bloat-busting wisdom to help you say goodbye to that bloated belly and regain your confidence. It's time for you to move beyond bloated. Hello, hello. Can you believe it is about to be May? I can't believe it. I've had this podcast for a month now and I'm having a great time. Thank you guys for listening for this whole month and you're still here, so that's great.
Karlee:
May is definitely one of my favorite months A little biased, because my birthday is in May. I'm turning 30 this year, so RIP to me. But also the weather starts to turn around in May Like it's already been pretty nice. But May is when it really starts to feel like okay, summer is coming and the best part about it is farmer's market season starts. So here in BC they love farmer's markets here and when I lived in Ontario, I never really went to farmer's markets. I'm sure they had them, but I don't know. Just wasn't something I was interested in back then, I guess. But since I've moved here I've become obsessed with farmer's markets. There's one every Saturday, starting in May. It runs from May to October right around the corner from my house. So every Saturday or not every Saturday, but most Saturdays I go to the farmer's market and there's a lady there that sells gluten and dairy-free treats, so I'll pick up one of those. I got my macrame holders for my plants from that farmer's market. There's a lady there that makes her own macrame plant holders. I can't do that myself, so that's a cool thing to buy at that farmer's market. There's a lady there that makes her own macrame plant holders. I can't do that myself, so that's a cool thing to buy at the farmer's market. I've got them hanging from my ceiling. And of course, there's the farmers. So the farmers set up shop. They got their in-season produce and it is delicious. There's a reason why the seasonal produce that you buy at the farmer's market tastes way better than buying berries from the grocery store during the winter or something like that, and that's what I'm going to talk about today.
Karlee:
Practice of eating seasonally just means that you're consuming foods that are naturally abundant and harvested during a specific time of the year in a particular region. So the world is a big place and seasons vary depending on time of year where you live, and not every produce can be grown in every region. For example, I live on Vancouver Island Island and in May what we have in season are strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus, radishes, spinach, kale, different varieties of lettuce like butterhead or romaine, and peas. Those are just some examples. There are others that are also in season, but those are some popular ones. Now, what's in season for me on Vancouver Island in May is going to be different than what's in season in May for Australia. Australia experiences autumn in May, whereas where I live it is spring heading into summer. So some produce that might be in season for Australia in May are more like apples, pears, kiwis, grapes, pumpkins, broccoli more autumn type produce. If you want to know what's in season right now where you live or any time of year, really, it's very easy to just Google it and look it up. Or if you head to your farmer's market, the farmers typically harvest their produce the night or day before a market so that it's extra fresh. So whatever they're bringing to the market is going to be in season, so that's a pretty safe bet. If you go to the farmer's market, you see a farmer's stand head over to it and whatever you buy there is pretty much guaranteed to be in season.
Karlee:
You might be wondering why should I eat seasonally? What does it matter? There are so many benefits of eating seasonally, from how it's going to benefit your gut health all the way to benefiting your wallet. So, no matter what your goal is, eating seasonally is always going to be a fantastic choice. I'm going to share with you a bunch of those benefits right now, so that you can get hyped up for farmer's market season and you can start going every Saturday as well. Okay, so number one, we have nutrient density, so seasonal produce is fresher and more nutrient dense than non-in-season produce, and this is going to support our gut health and our overall wellness, because we're eating more nutrients.
Karlee:
Seasonal produce is typically harvested at its peak ripeness, so that means it's packed with all the essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that that fruit or vegetable would normally have. When we eat fruit and vegetables out of season, it has to come from somewhere other than here. So let's say we're getting it from a different country. So that produce item needs to be picked before it has reached its peak ripeness, because it has to travel all the way to where you are and during that travel we don't want the produce to spoil or go moldy. So it's picked before it's ready in a way to make it have a longer shelf life is, I guess, the best way to describe it.
Karlee:
Which brings me to point number two, the environmental impact. So eating local, seasonal foods is going to reduce the need for long distance transportation and refrigeration. Like I said, when we're buying out of season produce, it's coming from somewhere that is not here. To get to here, it needs to travel on trucks, planes, depending on how far away it is, and we need to refrigerate it to keep it from spoiling. This all uses energy and greenhouse gas emissions, things that are going to negatively impact the environment.
Karlee:
When buying in-season produce, it's already grown here. So if you were heading to the farmer's market and you're picking up your lettuce and berries there, the farmer literally picked it and brought it there himself. There was no planes and trucks and long-distance travel required, which means you're doing the environment a favor by buying in-season produce. The reduced transportation cost is going to roll into point number three, which is cost effectiveness. Buying in-season produce is going to be more affordable because it's not traveling from a different country or wherever region, so the cost of getting it to the supermarket or the farmer's market is cheaper than the out-of-season produce.
Karlee:
And there's the simple concept of supply and demand. In-season produce is grown in an abundance. For example, blackberry season here is like August, september and there are so many blackberry bushes around where I live People go blackberry picking for free because they're literally everywhere. So you get all these blackberries for free. Make your pies, you eat them as a snack. The grocery stores are not charging $9 for a pint of blackberries at that time because they know people are just out getting them for free and no one's paying that. The same concept applies for all in-season produce. When it's grown in an abundance, then the price goes down because there's plenty to go around. So buying in-season is going to save you money.
Karlee:
The fourth benefit of eating seasonally is supporting your local farmers. So choosing seasonal produce often means you're going to the farmer's market or you're buying the produce at the grocery store that was grown by local farmers, and by doing so you're contributing to the sustainability of small-scale agriculture and reducing the carbon footprint associated with food transportation. So it's a win-win all around. Everybody loves supporting small businesses, small scale agriculture, so the best way to do so is to buy what's in season, and that way you're getting the nutrient benefits, it's cheaper for you, you're benefiting the environment and you're helping out a small local business. How could you go wrong? We're still not done either. I've got benefit number five variety and flavor.
Karlee:
So by eating seasonally, you're kind of going with what's in season. You're not picking like I only like to eat carrots. I'm eating carrots all year round. You're forcing yourself to try new things by saying I'm going to go to the farmer's market, I'm going to check out what's on his stand and I'm going to try something new. I'm going to buy what's in season, whatever that may be, and I'm going to figure out how to cook with it. I actually have something for you coming up that's going to help you know how to cook with all of this in-season produce so you can reap all of these rewards. So stay tuned till the end of the episode where I'm going to give more information on that. But we're going to carry on with the benefits for now. So eating a wider variety of foods is just fun, honestly, because who wants to eat the same boring meal day in, day out? So you're getting to try all these different fruits and vegetables that you might not necessarily pick if they weren't sitting in front of you on a stand saying, hi, I'm in season, buy me.
Karlee:
Diversifying your gut microbiome. In 2018, scientists published results from the American Gut Project, which was a collaboration of researchers and more than 10,000 citizen scientists from the United States, the UK and Australia. The study volunteers shared detailed information about their eating habits and they also provided poop samples. The researchers analyzed their poop and they discovered which gut bugs they contained. The study showed that participants who ate 30 or more different plants per week were more likely to have certain good gut bacteria than those who just ate 10. Having a more diverse microbiome with lots of different types of good gut bacteria has been associated with having better overall health, so it's going to improve your bloating, your digestion, your bowel movements, your energy levels Literally, all aspects of our health can be traced to the microbiome. You might be thinking that eating 30 different plants a week is insanity, but plants, from this study's perspective doesn't just mean fruits and vegetables. So, like the plant-based foods included spices, herbs, nuts and seeds as well as fruits and vegetables. But if you're eating different in-season produce, that's going to help contribute to this 30 a week, which is going to diversify your microbiome and help you feel better.
Karlee:
Seasonal produce also just tastes way better than out of season produce. If you've ever eaten a strawberry like peak summertime and it's juicy and it's super red and pretty, tastes delicious. And then you're like midwinter, I really want that same strawberry. And then you're like midwinter, I really want that same strawberry. So you go to the grocery store and you pay $8 for a stupid pint of strawberries and then you eat them and they suck. You're like these. They're not the same red, they're like a faded pink, they're not juicy, they don't taste sweet, they're kind of like bitter, yucky tasting. That's because the winter strawberry wasn't grown here. It's being picked before it's fully ripe. It's being transported and refrigerated for days. Then it gets here and it's just not the same. It's way more expensive and it's way less tasty.
Karlee:
The sixth benefit of eating in-season produce is the higher fiber content that you're going to be consuming. Many seasonal fruits and vegetables are super rich in dietary fiber, and dietary fiber plays a crucial role in our digestive health. Fiber helps us regulate our bowel movements, prevent constipation and supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which is what I just talked about. Diversifying the microbiome providing different sources of fiber to your gut, is going to help diversify that microbiome and help you eliminate bloat, improve digestion and just feel better. Institute of Medicine recommends a daily target of 25 grams of fiber a day for women and 38 grams for men. The problem is, we as a population don't even come close to hitting this. In the US, it is estimated that only 5% of the population are meeting this dietary fiber recommendation, which means 95% are not.
Karlee:
According to consumer research, the public is actually aware of the benefits of fiber and most people think that they do consume enough fiber, but when it comes down to it, clearly that is not the case. Adequate intake of dietary fiber is actually associated with a lot more benefits than just digestive health. It obviously does help with reducing constipation, reducing bloat and other GI symptoms, but it also is associated with a reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers. So if you were not aware of all of the benefits of fiber. Now you are, and if you're not sure if you're eating enough fiber, I would recommend tracking it for a couple days. You don't have to track your eating all the time, but just download like a free app like MyFitnessPal, and put in your meals for like the last two days, see how much fiber you're eating. If you do this and notice that you're not hitting the recommended 25 grams a day, if you're a woman, then eating seasonally is going to be right up your alley, because fruits and vegetables are a fantastic source of dietary fiber and if you're going to the farmer's market and you're picking out some fresh, juicy, in-season produce, you're going to enjoy it because it's going to taste good. You're going to be trying something fun and new and you're going to be hitting because it's going to taste good. You're going to be trying something fun and new and you're going to be hitting your fiber target which, as we just discussed, is super important for preventing serious conditions and improving your gut health.
Karlee:
The seventh benefit may be a little unexpected, but eating seasonally can actually help with hydration, because seasonal fruits and vegetables often have a high water content. So this helps keep you hydrated and supports healthy digestion. If you think about food like cucumber, watermelon and leafy greens these are all very high in water content you know you're sweating it out. On a summer day, what's more hydrating than a nice juicy piece of watermelon? Staying adequately hydrated is essential for maintaining optimal digestion. When we become dehydrated, we start to feel tired and have low energy. Our nutrients can't be absorbed as well and we can also become constipated. Constipation is going to cause bloating. So staying very well hydrated is definitely going to help with all of those symptoms, and eating fruits and vegetables like watermelon and cucumber is actually going to contribute to your hydration levels, which is super cool.
Karlee:
Benefit number eight of eating seasonally is the variety of nutrients that you're going to be consuming. I mentioned all the way back at the very first benefit of eating seasonally that in-season produce is most abundant in nutrients because it's reached its peak ripeness, it's got the most nutrients that it could possibly have and then it's picked. It's got the most nutrients that it could possibly have and then it's picked. So you're getting the most amount of nutrients in a seasonal fruit or vegetable. But you're also getting a wide variety of nutrients if you eat seasonally, and this is because you're widening your horizons. By eating produce that's in season, you're likely choosing foods that you wouldn't normally eat, which means you're also eating a wider variety of colored foods.
Karlee:
If you've ever heard the term eat the rainbow, it is a real thing, and I'm not talking about like the stupid Skittles garbage slogan. I'm talking about eating the natural rainbow, which means a variety of fruits and vegetables that are all different colors. The thing that actually gives fruits and vegetables its color is called a phytonutrient, and these are natural compounds that help protect plants from germs, bugs, the sun and whatever other threats it might face, and each color indicates an abundance of. Red produce, like apples, tomatoes, cherries, help fight cancer, reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease and improve skin quality, Whereas yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, like carrots and lemons, have been shown to improve immune function, reduce the risk of heart disease and promote eye health. These phytonutrients aren't essential to keep us alive, like vitamins and minerals are, but they may help prevent certain lifestyle diseases and keep our bodies working in tip-top condition. So why not do it? So there you have it Eight different reasons why you should be eating seasonally.
Karlee:
You're going to get more nutrients than if you were to eat out-of-season produce. You're going to reduce your environmental impact. You're going to get more nutrients than if you were to eat out of season produce. You're going to reduce your environmental impact. You're going to be saving money while supporting local farmers. You're going to expand your horizons by eating a wider variety of foods and flavors that you might not normally choose. The abundance of fruits and vegetables that you're eating is going to help you hit your fiber goal. You're going to remain hydrated because of the high water content in certain fruits and vegetables that you're eating, and you're going to be eating a wide variety of nutrients that are going to support your overall health. If this all sounds super awesome to you and you're like, yes, I want to start eating seasonally, but I might need a little help getting started, I got you Starting.
Karlee:
On May 13th, I am going to be running a seven-day challenge called Spring into Gut Health, and the main objective is to learn how to eat seasonally to eliminate bloat, improve digestion, increase energy and just feel overall better. By registering for the challenge, you're going to be embarking on a week-long journey filled with tons of delicious meals featuring fresh seasonal produce. This is going to be spring produce, so if you live in a region where it is not spring, this meal plan that you're going to get is not going to be spring produce. So if you live in a region where it is not spring, this meal plan that you're going to get is not going to be for you. So make sure, if you're interested in doing this challenge when I start it in May, that you live in a region where it is spring. You're also going to get expert guidance from a certified health coach, aka me, and the support of a private community filled with like-minded individuals. So everyone who is participating in this challenge is granted access to the private Facebook group where we're going to share all of our wins. We're going to support each other, we're going to celebrate our successes, share our favorite recipes all the cool things that supportive communities do.
Karlee:
By the end of the challenge, you should experience reduced bloating and improved digestion because we're eating seasonally for seven days. We're making whole, nutritious meals breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. We're eliminating ultra-processed foods for that time period and our bodies are going to freaking love it All of the benefits that I just talked about for eating seasonally. If you experience those for every single meal for seven days straight, you are going to notice a difference in how you feel. On top of that, you're going to learn the lifelong skill of meal prepping.
Karlee:
Maybe right now you don't know how to plan ahead and you're rushing your meals, or you're grabbing too much takeout and you want to start eating less, but you're not sure how to do it. This meal plan is the perfect place to start, because you're going to get seven days breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. The grocery list is already done for you, the recipes are there, step-by-step instructions on how to make the food, and there's leftovers. So, for example, on Monday maybe you make breakfast, but you make breakfast for the next three days. So now, monday, tuesday, wednesday, you've got breakfast and you don't have to stress about that. You get to keep the meal plan as well, so it's yours to keep forever. So any of the recipes that you love, you can just throw them into your weekly routine. Maybe you loved all the breakfasts in the meal plan and that's going to be your breakfast for springtime going forward.
Karlee:
If you have dietary restrictions, that is no issue whatsoever. Everyone who signs up for the challenge is going to get a omnivore and a plant-based meal plan, so you're welcome to choose whichever plan suits your lifestyle. You can even mix and match. If you are an omnivore, but you like eating some plant-based meals from time to time, throw some of them into your plan. The recipes can easily be modified to become gluten and dairy free as well, or any other intolerance or preference that you may have when you register and you receive the meal plan.
Karlee:
If you have any issues, reach out to me. I will happily help you modify the plan so it suits your needs, and I'm going to be holding you accountable. I want you to sign up for this challenge and I want you to succeed so that you see the results that you desire. So I will be sending you daily accountability emails throughout the challenge to make sure everything's going swimmingly. If you have any issues, you can respond to the emails and ask me your questions. I will gladly help you work out whatever the problem is, and I'm going to be sending you a progress tracker. I find it's very easy for us to forget where we started, even if it's just a seven-day journey, so I designed the progress tracker to support you on your journey over the seven days. This way, when you're working towards reducing your bloat, improving digestion and enhancing your overall health and well-being, you'll be able to see that progress on paper or electronic, because that's the way it's coming to you.
Karlee:
Tracking tools are highly underestimated. They're a fantastic way to stay accountable, identify patterns, celebrate your achievements as you're going through the challenge. So I highly recommend using the tracker if you are participating in the challenge. It's going to make the world of a difference for you in seeing how far you've come and really be able to celebrate what you've achieved. So this is all going down May 13th seven days. It is called Spring Into Gut Health.
Karlee:
If you go to beyondbloatedcom slash challenge, that's where you can see all the information about the challenge and that is where you can sign up. Basically, the goal is to reduce bloating, improve digestion, increase energy levels and learn how to prep whole food meals for the week ahead so that you can continue to eat this way on a regular basis. And the benefits that you notice in the seven days are going to be great. But imagine the benefits you're going to have once you learn these skills and you implement them into your daily life. I'm already so excited for you.
Karlee:
If you have any questions about the challenge, please reach out to me.
Karlee:
You can email me carlyclose at beyondbloatedcom or you can DM me on Instagram at beyondbloated. I'm super happy to answer any of your questions. Or, like I said, if you want to participate but you have dietary restrictions and you're stressed out about it, let me know. I am the queen of modifications because I do it for myself all the time, so I really want to help you succeed in this challenge. I want you to reap all of the benefits, I want you to get happy and healthy and I want you to have a great time during farmer's market season.
Karlee:
They're opening up next week. I'm going to be heading down there and getting all of my produce ready for the challenge, so I hope to see you there and thank you so much for listening today. I'll see you next week. Thank you for listening to the Beyond Bloated podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review, and don't forget to share this podcast with your fellow gut goddesses. If you'd like to chat about today's episode, send me a DM on Instagram at beyondbloated. Until next time, bye.
