How to make healthy CANDY! (low-sugar, healthy fats, great nutrition)

How would you like to try healthy creamy truffles, Paleo chocolate Bark, healthy PB cups, low-sugar candy bars, as well as healthy fudge, brittles, pralines, hot fudge sauces, macaroons, and clusters!

I've been excited to announce to you about an amazing new healthy candies manual called Carefree Candies - Your Guide to Healthy Homemade Indulgences, and how the ideas in this new manual on how to make healthy candies this holiday season are just pure genius!

And most of the healthy candy recipes in here only take 5-15 minutes to make!

But I wanted to do something different, and instead of trying to tell you why this new manual is so great, I'll just show you the exact table of contents from inside it... take a look through and you'll see exactly why this new healthy candy manual is sooooo cool:


*The Art & Science of Candy Making .................................................................... 7
*Sweeteners: Sugar & Beyond ........................................................................ 7
*The Raw Deal on Raw Sweeteners ........................................................................ 7
*Artificial Sweeteners: Just Say NO to Chemical Candies.................................... 8
*Sucralose: Tastes Like Sugar, Made from Chlorine! ........................................... 8
*Aspartame (and Neotame): The Neurotoxins in Your Treats...............................9
*All of the Sweetness of Sugar (Without the Sour Effects) .................................10
*Erythritol: The “Almost Sugar” (And a Sweet Antioxidant Too!)......................10
*Stevia: The Super-Sweet Superfood ......................................................................11
*Coconut Sugar / Coconut Palm Sugar ....................................................................12
*Coconut Nectar: A Healthy Swap for Agave ......................................................... 13
*Cocoa: The World’s Most Delicious Superfood .................................................... 13
*Choosing Chocolate: From Bean to Bar ............................................................... 15
*Working with Chocolate ...................................................................................... 16
*Melting 101: Adding Just Enough Heat ................................................................. 17
*Melting Chocolate with a Double Boiler (or make-shift version) ....................... 17
*Melting Chocolate with Liquids ............................................................................ 18
*Tempering: Making Beautiful Chocolates .............................................................. 18
*Nuts: The Crunch that Trims Your Tummy & Protects Your Ticker .......... 19
*Coconut: The Tahitian Secret for Glowing Skin (and a Trim Tummy!) .............. 20
*Pastured Butter: Golden Goodness with a Cell-Protecting “Superfat” ............. 20
*Cinnamon, Spice & Naughty Candies Made Nice! ...................................... 21

BASIC CANDIES ............................................................................................... 22

*Easy Dark Chocolate Bars & Chunks ............................................................ 23
*Paleo Dark Chocolate Bars & Chunks  .......................................................... 24
*Creamy Milk Chocolate Bars & Chunks........................................................ 25
*Alpine White Chocolate ....................................................................................... 26

SPECIAL FEATURE: Creating Artisanal Chocolate Bars ....................................... 27

*Dark Chocolate with Candied Orange Peel .......................................................... 27
*Dark Chocolate with Cinnamon & Coconut ................................................. 27
*Milk Chocolate with Dried Organic Cherries ........................................................ 27
*Dark Chocolate with Candied Ginger ................................................................... 27
*White Chocolate with Macadamia Nuts ............................................................... 27
*Milk Chocolate with Toasted Hazelnuts ................................................................ 27
*“No Pudge” Hot Fudge ....................................................................................... 28
*Gooey Golden Caramel ....................................................................................... 29
*Fluffy Whipped Topping ...................................................................................... 30
*Vegan Whipped Topping ...................................................................................... 31

CANDY SHOP FAVORITES ............................................................................... 32

*Paleo Coconut-Almond Bark ............................................................................... 33
*Chocolate Almond Crunch Clusters ...................................................................... 34
*Holiday Peppermint Bark ..................................................................................... 35
*Cinnamon Pecan Brittle ........................................................................................ 36
*Gingerbread Fudge .............................................................................................. 37
*Basic Nut-Coated Truffles .................................................................................... 39
*Kahlua Truffles ..................................................................................................... 40
*Chocolate-Covered Cherry Truffles ...................................................................... 41

SPECIAL FEATURE: Creating Handcrafted Truffles .............................................. 42

*Balsamic Chocolate Truffles .................................................................................. 42
*Pistachio-Mint Chocolate Truffles ......................................................................... 42
*Dark Chocolate Blueberry Truffles......................................................................... 42
*Almond Joy Truffles .............................................................................................. 42
*Classic Pecan Brittle ............................................................................................. 43
*Pistachio Pralines .................................................................................................. 44

COPYCAT CANDIES .......................................................................................... 45

*Mini Peanut Butter Cups ....................................................................................... 46
*Homemade Peanut Butter Cups ............................................................................ 47
*Classic Peanut Butter Cups.................................................................................... 48
*Chocolate Peppermint Meltaways ......................................................................... 49
*Peppermint Patties ................................................................................................ 50
*Chocolate-Mint Patties ......................................................................................... 51
*Instant-Freeze Chocolate Sauce ........................................................................... 52
*Butter Lover’s English Toffee ................................................................................ 53

SPECIAL FEATURE: Gourmet Toffee Variations .................................................... 54

*Fleur de Sel Toffee ................................................................................................ 54
*Chocolate Almond Buttercrunch Toffee ................................................................. 54
*White Chocolate Pistachio Toffee .......................................................................... 54
*White Chocolate Macadamia & Coconut Toffe........................................... 54
*Chocolate-Coconut Candy Bars ............................................................................ 55
*Dark Choco-Coco Candies ................................................................................... 56
*Joyous Almond Candy Bars .................................................................................. 57
*Chocolate Covered Raisins ................................................................................... 59
*Chocolate Hazelnut Spread ................................................................................... 60
*Chocolate Buttercrunch Bar .................................................................................. 61
*Million Dolla Bar ................................................................................................... 63
*Chocolate-Covered Caramel-Cookie Bar ............................................................. 65
*Peanutty Caramel Candy Bar ................................................................................ 67
*America’s Favorite Candy Bar .............................................................................. 69

SUPERFOOD SWEETS ....................................................................................... 71

*Paleo Candy Bars ................................................................................................ 72
*Superfood Chocolate Candy ................................................................................ 73
*Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles .......................................................................... 74
*Chia Protein Truffles ............................................................................................. 75
*Raw Chocolate Macaroons .................................................................................. 76
*Raw White Chocolate Candies ............................................................................. 77
*Macadamia-Goji Superfood Protein Fudge ........................................................... 78


As you can see... this is an incredible new recipe manual that you will LOVE!  Grab it today so that you can enjoy some of these recipes over the holidays and impress your guests!  Don't procrastinate as it's discounted for the holidays!

Carefree Candies - Your Guide to Healthy Homemade Indulgences

Enjoy!


Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

5-minute healthy peanut butter cups (low sugar, 100% natural)

My good friend Kelley Herring is an absolute GENIUS when it comes to making sweet treats that are actually healthy and fit into a natural fat burning plan that's low-carb, gluten-free, and just plain good for you.

All of her ideas and delicious dessert and candy creations are generally low-carb, low-sugar, and use all natural ingredients with no artificial sweeteners, and use REAL healthy fats to keep that creamy delicious taste that so many "low-fat" candies and desserts out there miss the mark.

Here's an example you can even try today that Kelley is letting me share with you from her awesome new manual called Carefree Candies - Your Guide to Healthy Homemade Indulgences...

5-Minute One-Pot Mini Peanut Butter Cups (Healthy, low-carb, and delicious!)

This is a simple version of making peanut butter cups that you'll find very easy. These minis combine the nut butter with the chocolate for a quick stir-and-set treat.

Yield: 16 servings (mini cups)
Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Preferences: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Paleo

Ingredients
•    6 Tbsp. unsweetened organic cocoa powder
•    3 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
•    3 Tbsp. Creamy Organic Peanut Butter (or your nut butter of choice)
•    1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
•    4 tsp. coconut sugar (or organic maple syrup)
•    1 pinch finely ground Celtic Sea Salt
•    8-10 drops NuNaturals Stevia (to taste)

Tools
•    Heavy-bottom saucepan
•    Candy molds or silicone muffins cups or paper mini muffin liners in a mini muffin pan

Preparation
1.    In a medium saucepan, combine cocoa powder, coconut oil, and nut butter over very low heat. Stir occasionally until mixture is completely liquefied.
2.    Remove from heat and stir in salt, vanilla (if using) and coconut sugar. Add stevia to taste.
3.    Pour mixture into silicone candy molds, silicone muffins cups, or paper mini muffin liners in a mini muffin pan.
4.    Transfer to freezer to set (about 15 minutes).
5.    Pop the peanut butter cups out of silicone molds
6.    Store them in airtight container in freezer or refrigerator.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
47 calories, 4.4 g total fat, 2.6 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0.24 g monounsaturated fats, 0.06 g polyunsaturated fats, 0 mg cholesterol, 8.7 mg sodium, 2.1 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 0.56 g sugars, 1.1 g protein

And for more than 50 additional makeovers of your favorite treats... plus valuable education on how to live a low-glycemic lifestyle, without giving up your favorite sweets, try out Carefree Candies - Your Guide to Healthy Homemade Indulgences.

Here's just a sample of the super-simple, ready-in-a-flash candy recipes you'll enjoy:

•    5 minute Chocolate Bars
•    5 minute Mini Peanut Butter Cups
•    10 minute No Pudge Hot Fudge
•    10 minute Cinnamon Pecan Brittle
•    10 minute Truffles
•    10 minute Peppermint Patties
•    10 minute Magic Shell
•    10 minute Macaroons
•    15 minute Mounds
•    15 minute Coconut Almond Bark
•    15 minute Chocolate Almond Crunch Clusters
•    15 minute Holiday Peppermint Bark

See below how you can also receive Soda Fountain Favorites and Better Breakfasts... absolutely free:

Carefree Candies - Your Guide to Healthy Homemade Indulgences
(and get Soda Fountain Favorites and Better Breakfasts for free)

You will LOVE these!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

The #1 most important thing for your GUT health

Today, we're going dive deep into the inner walls of one of the most critically important organs of your body -- your gut.

Unfortunately, many people think of their gut solely as the mechanism by which your body digests food, which is at best an extreme oversimplification, and at worst an ideology massively contributing to the health problems, weight loss struggles, and auto-immune disorders of millions world-wide.

In reality, your GI tract is MUCH more than a digestion center; in fact, it is quite literally your second brain as well as being “home” to 80% of your immune system.
You see, within your gut reside roughly 100 TRILLION living bacteria…
That’s more than 10 times the number of cells you have in your entire body – and maintaining the ideal ratio of “good bacteria” (known as probiotics) to “bad bacteria” is now gaining recognition as perhaps the single most important step you can take to protect your health and further along your fat loss goals.

In fact, there are more than 200 studies linking inadequate probiotic levels to more than 170 different diseases and health issues; here are just a few:

• Celiac disease, leaky gut, and irritable bowel syndrome
• Mood, psychological health, and behavioral disorders
• Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes
• The common cold, influenza, and pneumonia
• Liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and cancer
• Eczema, atopic dermatitis, and acne
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Food and wheat allergies
• Weight gain and obesity

And many, many more.

To touch briefly on the weight gain and obesity consequences, virtually every study performed on the obese population analyzing gut bacteria found higher instances of “bad” bacteria and lower levels of probiotics (again, the “good” bacteria) within these individuals.

Perhaps you yourself are already experiencing some of the more advanced signs that your intestinal bacterial balance is beginning to spin out of control, such as:

• Gas and bloating
• Constipation and/or diarrhea
• Acid reflux
• Skin problems
• Overall sickness
• Headaches
• Urinary tract infections
• Trouble sleeping
• An inability to lose weight
• Sugar cravings, especially for heavily refined carbs

You see, the ideal healthy ratio of “good” to “bad” bacteria is 85% to 15%, or 9 to 1.

Unfortunately, due to lifestyle and environmental factors, the vast majority of the population is severely lacking when it comes to good probiotic bacteria, throwing their gut flora ratio completely out of whack.

These lifestyle and environmental factors include, but are not limited to, exposure to:

• Sugar
• Artificial sweeteners of any kind (found in "diet" beverages and food items, chewing gum, and even toothpaste)
• Processed foods
• Chlorinated water
• Pollution
• Antacids
• Laxatives
• Alcoholic beverages
• Agricultural chemicals and pesticides, and…
• Antibiotics (from medications and/or antibiotics found in meat and dairy products that we ingest).

As you can see, unless you maintain a 100% organic diet, completely avoid all sugar, and lock yourself in the house in an attempt to only consume the purest of air 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is almost certain that your gut flora balance is suffering, and will continue to suffer, unless you do something to proactively correct it on a daily basis.

Can you really afford to neglect your gastrointestinal health much longer?

If you do, the likely result is dramatically increased risk for health problems and disease, failure to experience relief from any ailments you may be currently suffering from, and an inevitable, continual struggle with your weight.

With that said, it’s no wonder that research is now suggesting that supplementing with probiotics every single day is even MORE important to your health than taking a daily multi-vitamin.

Even more, a recent double blind study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that test subjects who received probiotics daily were able to reduce their abdominal fat by nearly 5 percent over a 12 week period, while the “no probiotic” group experienced no positive changes.

But here’s something you may not know…

93% of the probiotics contained in traditional probiotic supplements will be DEAD before they ever reach your gut.

And of course, dead probiotics are completely worthless.

You see, one of the greatest challenges in creating a truly effective probiotic formula is being able to actually deliver delicate probiotic cells to the gastrointestinal tract, fully intact and alive. Because probiotics are living bacteria, they are also extremely sensitive to even the slightest change in environmental conditions. In fact, research has shown that after one year on the shelf, in a sealed bottle at room temperature, on average only 32% of conventionally produced probiotics survive.

And get this, most of the probiotics products you find on store shelves are already well over a year old—some even as much as two years old. After all, big companies produce hundreds of thousands of bottles to cut cost and then store these bottles in their warehouses long before they ever end up in your hands.

But it gets worse.

Due to the extreme acidic environment of the stomach, another 80% of the remaining live probiotic cells will be killed off before reaching the intestine. In the end, traditional probiotic supplements, while claiming billions upon billions of active cells per dose, will only wind up delivering a measly 6.4% of what their label promises alive and well to your gut.

With that said, you can see how a probiotic product claiming 20 billion cells is reduced to a mere 1 billion count rather quickly.

When it all boils down, not only are these products a complete waste of your time and money, but much more importantly they are robbing you of the critically important health benefits that are the entire reason you would invest in a probiotic product in the first place.

Fortunately, there is a solution, and the answer lies in patented Microencapsulation Technology™.

Knowing the previously mentioned challenge, at BioTrust we’ve developed what we feel is the most advanced probiotic formula anywhere, Pro-X10™, using cutting-edge, patented Microencapsulation Technology™ developed by Italian researchers to solve this very problem.

Instead of leaving fragile probiotic cells to fend for themselves, this process encases each live cell in a lipid matrix to protect them from oxygen, light, acids, bile, and the like. The end result is dramatically enhanced survival of probiotic cells both on the shelf and through the stomach, and greatly improved delivery over traditional probiotic supplements.

Not only that, but with Pro-X10™ we recommend 2 doses daily for further enhanced absorption, effectively delivering TEN TIMES more live, healthy bacteria to your gut than traditional, non-microencapsulated probiotic products.

But we didn’t stop there. While most would be satisfied with the most cutting-edge delivery method and absorption rate of any probiotic product, we wanted to make Pro-X10™ even better for our customers… and that’s exactly what we did through the incorporation of one of the most powerful probiotic support nutrients of all time, Actazin™.

Actazin™, manufactured from New Zealand’s own superfruit, the Kiwifruit, has a four-way action on gut health:

1 . Prokinetic enzyme activity gently stimulates the movement of stool through your GI tract to help “keep you regular.”

2. Insoluble fiber further promotes regularity and softens stools without gas or bloating.

3. Prebiotics support the natural growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut to further improve your gut flora ratio.

4. Polyphenolics support beneficial bacteria, inhibit infectious pathogens, and further assist in maintaining long term digestive health

But perhaps most interesting is the fact that Actazin™ supports the regeneration of gut-lining cells, as well as enhanced gut lining protection. This means that even if the gut lining has been damaged by exposure to harmful compounds, including dangerous wheat fragments like gluten (which most people’s guts have), Actazin™ shows strong promise in being able to help heal the damage and return the gut to normal function.

Beyond that, Pro-X10™ is manufactured under a patented allergen-free manufacturing process that guarantees safe probiotic supplementation for all, even individuals with food allergies and/or food intolerances…use of this patented process is few and far between by other supplement companies.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, we even included 3 extremely unique probiotic strands not contained in 99% of other products, including:

1. Bifidobacterium lactis for constipation and inflammatory bowel relief

2. Lactobacillus salivarius for unprecedented oral health. In fact, this unique strain has been proven through research to dramatically decrease the level of plaque forming bacteria in the mouth while naturally freshening breath and reducing gum sensitivity

3. S. boulardii for unparalleled immune support, including a significant increase in mean blood cell count and a decrease in systemic inflammation, even during periods of high stress

Simply put, with research suggesting that probiotic supplementation is even more important to your health than taking a daily multi-vitamin, and the fact that inadequate probiotic levels have been linked through research to more than 170 different diseases and health issues, including obesity and weight gain, we truly believe that EVERYONE should be taking a probiotic daily.

But as we’ve clearly shown in this video, not just any probiotic product will do, and that’s why we developed Pro-X10™. Through patented microencapsulation technology, Pro-X10™ is able to deliver up to TEN TIMES more healthy bacteria to your gut–the equivalent of 50 BILLION cells daily–when compared to traditional probiotic products where 93% of the cells are rendered DEAD and useless before ever reaching their final destination.

And with the strategic addition of Actazin™ and 3 other unique probiotic strands, there really is no comparison. Pro-X10™ is easily the #1 probiotic on the market.

To begin experiencing just how easy managing your gut flora and bacteria balance can be, simply click on the special link below (only available via this VIP email) and select your money saving package right now:

> Buy 2, Get 1 FREE on Pro-X10 (very limited quantities available)

Again, this product is only currently available to VIP subscribers like you as we have very limited inventory...once this small lot runs out, we have no idea how quickly we'll be able to get more in as the exotic ingredients contained in Pro-X10™ ship from literally across the globe and many are in short supply.

Act now, and gain access to this super health-restoring supplement before we run out:

==> Buy 2, Get 1 FREE + Heal Your Digestion (very limited quantities available)

To your ultimate health!

Joel & Josh
Founders, BioTrust Nutrition
----------------------------------------------

Thanks Joel and Josh for that article, and for creating such an awesome product in this new Pro-X10!  I personally just started adding this to my daily plan a couple weeks ago to make sure I'm getting a great diversity of gut-healthy probiotics... so in addition to the fermented foods that I use, such as kimchi, kefir, yogurt, and kombucha, I'm also taking a daily Pro-X10 too in order to diversify the strains of probiotics that I'm getting.

I won't get into all the gory details, but my digestion has NEVER been as perfect as it's been in the last couple weeks!  Thanks for a great new product.


Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

The top 10 foods that help to HEAL your damaged gut

If you have any digestion problems at all, or don't have "perfect" bowel movements daily... if you have constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, or just don't go regularly, then you NEED to pay attention to these foods I'm going to show you today.  I'll also show you some powerful nutrients at the end that are proven to help HEAL a leaky gut.

These foods can dramatically improve not only your digestion, but your immune system as well, helping to keep you from getting sick! 

In addition, poor gut health is one of the main causes of autoimmune diseases (including Thyroid problems), and some researchers think that one of the required conditions for an autoimmune disease to exist is leaky gut.

Some of the main causes of gut problems are:

 

• Chronic stress (VERY important to control your stress)
• bacterial imbalances (we'll discuss more below)
• Poor diet
• Excess toxins and gut-harming lectins

Please note:  if you have food intolerances to foods such as gluten, dairy, or various grains, you'll still need to find out about those intolerances and get rid of those foods in your plan if you're going to completely fix your digestion issues. 

It should also be noted that grains and legumes have the highest concentrations of any foods of gut-harming lectins.  While some people may be able to get away with eating a lot of grains and legumes without any noticeable harm to their gut, many people need to minimize or eliminate grains and legumes in order to heal a damaged gut.

But aside from food intolerances and removal of gut-harming foods, I think you'll be amazed to see how rapidly your digestion and bowel movements improve once you start incorporating a LOT of these 7 foods we'll discuss below! 

This is important... even if you're already eating 1 or 2 of these foods below, it's MUCH more powerful to include as MANY as possible to dramatically improve your digestion.

So what exactly are we talking about... well, we're talking about probiotics from fermented foods, and also prebiotics to help FEED your gut bugs.

Unfortunately, today’s modern diets are processed, pasteurized and basically ‘dead’ foods most of the time. What happens when people eat a diet heavy in processed, ‘dead’ foods, is that harmful bacteria can take over in the digestive systems, causing many problems—not only with the digestive system, but the body as a whole.

Many diseases start in an unhealthy environment in our guts. And this becomes even worse from taking antibiotics. While antibiotics can kill dangerous pathogens, they also kill off the healthy and beneficial bacteria in our bodies as well.

Probiotic actually means "for life," and probiotics like lactobacillus, plantarum and bifidis help immune cells fight disease, prevent diarrhea and constipation, protect the mucous lining of the intestine, assist digestion and provide the proper nutrients for healthy blood cells. Probiotics are also responsible for the manufacture of B vitamins and vitamin K right in the intestines where are immediately absorbed.

Eating too much unhealthy, processed, starchy or sugary foods can cause bad bacteria to grow out of control, making our immune systems weak, and affecting our ability to metabolize and synthesize vitamins and nutrients.

The intestines also function as one of the body’s most important immune defenses. In fact, 70-80% or so of the body’s immune cells are present in the intestines. Of course our immune systems protect us from dangerous viruses, bacteria, and parasites, but they also control responses to foods and food allergies as well.

Negative changes in our intestinal flora can be associated with inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. It is now thought that many allergic reactions, asthma, and even obesity are tied to bacterial imbalances in the gut.

The good news though, is that adding the right types of probiotics and good bacteria will maintain or restore a healthy balance in your intestinal tract and improve overall health in the entire body, and fight aging.

Although we typically think of probiotics benefiting just the intestines, they actually benefit the entire digestive system, including the mouth, throat, stomach, etc.

Some of the other ways probiotics can benefit your body:

•    Probiotics can help prevent wrinkles and give you a glowing complexion by eliminating the toxins and fighting free radicals that can damage skin and cause early signs of wrinkling and sagging. And probiotics help you digest your food better, so you get more nutrients in your body.

•    Probiotics can help you burn fat better by reducing cravings for carbohydrates, sugar and alcohol and help you have more energy to be more active.

•    Probiotics help to protect your liver which is reflected in your skin and eyes. When you keep toxins from building up in the liver, you have younger looking skin with less liver spots, moles and skin tags, and you have bright, clear eyes.

•    Probiotics help your hair and fingernails grow faster and stronger by keeping the blood vessels surrounding your hair follicles nourished. Healthy blood nourishes hair, skin and nails. Probiotics also help to break down proteins in the diet that benefit hair and nails.

So what are the best sources of probiotics?

Kimchi (pronounced Kim Chee) -This traditional spicy Korean condiment is made of fermented cabbage and other vegetables and seasoned with salt, garlic, ginger and chili peppers. Fermented vegetables make them easier to digest as well as increasing the vitamin levels.  I like to have some Kimchi with my morning eggs for an extra daily probiotic boost...mmm, tasty! 

The types of beneficial bacteria in Kimchi are quite different than the organisms in yogurt and other fermented foods, and variety works best when it comes to probiotics!

Kombucha Tea - This tea is made from a culture of symbiotic beneficial bacteria and yeasts that has been popular in China for thousands of years. Kombucha contains many important amino acids, B vitamins, and powerful substances that can enhance your immune system. It’s also thought in health circles to help prevent cancer.  It may not be the "cure all" that many people make it out to be, but it's very healthy for your gut for sure!

Yogurt - Avoid the sweetened, heavily processed yogurts, and instead go for unsweetened, plain, organic types of yogurt. A good plain full-fat greek yogurt can be amazing with berries, nuts, and a little stevia!  And be sure the label says, “Live cultures” to be sure that it's not pasteurized after culturing.

Kefir - A cultured milk product and is generally helpful to those with lactose intolerance. Kefir contains different types of beneficial bacteria than yogurt does, as well as beneficial yeasts. Kefir contains more bacterial strains that remain viable in the digestive system, increasing the likelihood of intestinal colonization.  As with yogurt, try to avoid the sweetened varieties and get plain full-fat kefir and then add your own stevia and/or vanilla if you need it a little sweeter.  Kefir is great to use in smoothies! 

Remember, it is well known that in the Caucasus Mountains of eastern Europe, that natives to that area drink kefir daily throughout their lives and routinely live to over 100 years old.  Just remember THAT when some "guru" out there on the internet tells you that that all dairy is bad for you.

Sauerkraut - This cabbage dish has been salted and lacto-fermented over a period of weeks. The healthy bacteria in sauerkraut produce beneficial enzymes as well as having anti-carcinogenic substances.  Make sure it’s fresh and not canned sauerkraut which is likely to be “dead” from the heating during canning.

Tempeh - A healthier form of fermented soybeans (generally soybeans are not a healthy food-unless they are fermented). This soy food is easier to digest and provides many valuable vitamins and nutrients, as well as protein, calcium and iron, but without the antinutrients that non-fermented soy contains. The mold that is produced from the fermentation produces a natural antibiotic that strengthens the immune system.

Fermented drinks - Besides kombucha and kefir, there are beginning to be many fermented fruit and vegetable drinks showing up on the shelves of many healthy grocery stores and health food stores. One of my favorites is called, “Inner Eco”, which is a fermented coconut water, and can be found at Whole Foods and other health food stores or specialty stores. This product contains one of the highest concentrations of beneficial bacteria that I've seen with over 100 billion probiotics per Tablespoon, and at least a dozen strains!  I've also found a beet kvaas (fermented beet drink) at a local health food store that I really enjoyed.

Some people don’t enjoy the taste of fermented drinks like kombucha tea, so what I often suggest for them is to mix kombucha tea with regular iced tea to balance the taste.  Personally, I love the taste of most brands of kombucha tea, and some of the newer flavors brewed with ginger (or other flavors) in them too are really delicious in my opinion.

In addition to the naturally fermented foods we’ve talked about here, considering that we consume a lot less bacteria in our food compared to our natural ancestral diet, I think one of the smartest supplements you can take to FIX your digestion problems and boost your immune system is a probiotic…

Something that I personally use, and is fairly new on the market is called: Pro-X10

It's one of the most powerful probiotic supplements that I've seen yet to date… it also uses a patented technology called micro-encapsulation which prevents most of the probiotics from dying in your stomach and making it to where they need to be... this gives Pro-X10 the equivalent of 50 Billion CFU compared to other probiotic supplements since much more survive through to your intestines.

But perhaps most interesting ingredient in Pro-X10 is something called Actazin™ ... this unique substance supports the regeneration of gut-lining cells, as well as enhanced gut lining protection. This means that even if the gut lining has been damaged by exposure to harmful compounds, including dangerous wheat fragments like gluten and gliadin (which most people’s guts have been damaged by), Actazin™ shows strong promise in being able to help heal the damage and return the gut to normal function.

So if you want to fix your digestion, heal gluten damage, reduce GI inflammation, and improve your bowel movements, definitely try out Pro-X10 ... I'm very excited about this product.


Don't forget about Prebiotics:

With all this talk about probiotics, please realize that it's quite possible that prebiotics are just as important for gut health.  Prebiotics are basically fibers and resistant starch from various plant foods that FEED your gut bugs and help the GOOD bugs multiply.  On the other hand, sugar in your diet tends to feed the BAD bugs, while fiber feeds the good bugs.

Without getting into excess detail on the topic of prebiotics, just realize that if you're getting a good variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts, you probably get plenty of prebiotics daily.  It's also important to pay attention to your ratio of sugar to prebiotics.  Basically if you eat more sugar (from candy, sweetened drinks, ice cream, cakes, etc) and not enough fiber, you're probably feeding your BAD bugs more than you're feeding your GOOD bugs, and therefore, you're setting yourself up for gut imbalances and poor health.

In addition to prebiotics feeding your good gut bugs, there are certain polyphenols and other antioxidants that feed your good bugs too... such as certain phytochemicals found in coffee, red wine, pistachios, cocoa, dark chocolate, and other superfoods.

Here is an article I wrote on the gut benefits of red wine. 
And here is another interesting article on the gut benefits of pistachios.  
And here's yet another interesting article on the gut benefits of dark chocolate and cocoa.

Other Powerful Nutrients that can help to heal a damaged gut:

• Licorice Root - 500mg once or twice a day seems to be the recommended dose.  Licorice root is not supposed to be used long term, but just for a couple months during a gut healing protocol.
• Digestive enzymes - This is often overlooked, but enzymes can help to FULLY digest your foods, since partially digested foods can add more damage to your gut walls.  I personally use this digestive enzyme from a company that I trust.  It's the most complete digestive enzyme I've found.
• Glutamine - 5 to 10 grams per day added to a drink (I do 5 grams before bed since it is theorized to help improve growth hormone release too).  Glutamine is known to be a direct rebuilding nutrient for your gut walls.
• Bone broth - I have another blog post here about the powerful gut healing and joint benefits of bone broth

Don't overlook your gut health!  Remember the old saying from Hippocrates, the father of medicine... "All disease begins in the gut".  That also means that all HEALTH starts in the gut too.

PS -- if you liked today's article, please send this page on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist

These 4 foods accelerate aging (beware of them)

I have a brand new article for you today that is a MUST-READ if you want to protect your skin, organs, muscles, and joints from aging... I'm going to show you 4 common foods that you might be eating every day that can actually make you age FASTER... so beware of these:

These 4 foods accelerate AGING  (beware -- Are you eating these?)


I'm also excited to announce to you today that my co-author Catherine (from our famous FatBurningKitchen program) and I have just today released our brand-new manual called The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging, and we're celebrating this release by offering this little gem to you for UNDER ten bucks!  That's a whopping $30 savings by grabbing it today...

This new manual is MUCH more than a list of foods... it's actually 83 pages jam packed with all sorts of unique foods, herbs, spices, teas, little-known nutrients, and dozens of other tips and tricks to help you FIGHT the aging process and keep youthful joints, skin, organs, and muscles so that you look and feel 10 years YOUNGER than your real age!

The Top 101 foods, spices, herbs, and nutrients that FIGHT aging  (+ dozens of anti-aging tricks you'll love)

Catherine and I both are so excited to give you access to this new manual, as it has so many powerful tips that will protect your health and the youthfulness of your body!

Enjoy!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer