with LISA BRYAN

GUT SUPERFOODS
Essential Foods + Spices for a Healthy Gut
 with LISA BRYAN

© 2014 by Downshiftology
Food photography, design and layout by Lisa Bryan
Portrait photography by Chris Becker
All rights reserved worldwide.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
The content in this document is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or
prevent any medical condition or replace the advise and guidance of your healthcare professional. If you suspect
that you have a medical condition, I strongly suggest that you seek medical attention immediately.

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER
Some of the links in this ebook are free and some are affiliate links for products that I wholeheartedly believe in,
support and buy myself. If you purchase through these links, the price will be the same but I will earn a small
commission and you will have my sincere thanks! I have personal experience with these products (which is why I
recommend them), but please only purchase the products you feel would be useful to your own wellness journey.
“Always trust your gut.
It knows what your head
hasn’t yet figured out.”
– Unknown
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 5
Superfood 101 6
Tools & Equipment 7
Sauerkraut 8
Bone Broth 10
Yogurt 12
Pickled Ginger 14
Eating Superfoods 16
Gut-Healing Spices 17
Using Spices 18
Biography 20
Hi Lovely Friend!

How often have you talked about your gut—

saying things like “I have a gut feeling” or “my gut
is telling me…”? And when you don’t feel well you
might say “my gut’s a little off ” or “I just have a
sensitive stomach.” Did you ever wonder why?

Our gut (which, in science speak, is our

microbiome) is home to hundreds of trillions
of bacteria. That’s a lot! And it’s true that these
bacteria might very well be just as important as our
brains. We affect them (through diet and lifestyle)
and they affect us (through health and disease).

But here’s where it gets interesting. Science may just

now be stumbling on what cultures have known
for thousands of years—that good gut health is the
key to wellness. In 400 BC, Hippocrates said, “All
disease begins in the gut.” Smart guy!

So how did we get so lost? Has our food become

so complicated, manufactured and processed
that modern versions are shells of their ancient
counterparts? Sadly, I believe so.

But here’s the great news. With the recipes on

the following pages you’ll be one step closer to
improved health. The recipes are simple yet potent.
They’ll crowd out your bad bacteria with loads of
good bacteria, helping to create a happier gut. And
a happy gut is a happy you! Enjoy!

With love and smiles,

5
 While the term “superfood” might
Superfood 101 be somewhat ubiquitous, most in the
What is a wellness space agree that these foods
are multi-tasking, disease-fighting
superfood? powerhouses!

Europe and Japan actually refer to them

as “functional foods,” as they impart
benefits to multiple functions of the
body in addition to being nutritionally
dense. Abundant in antioxidants,
polyphenols, phytochemicals, vitamins
or minerals, superfoods synergistically
improve your state of health and/or
reduce your risk of disease.

Gut superfoods narrow this list even

further. These specific foods (and
spices) provide healing, calming and
restorative qualities to the stomach and
intestines. They’ve withstood the test
of time and are backed by extensive
research.

If you’ve had less than stellar health,

been plagued with digestive issues or
are just looking to boost your wellness,
these gut superfoods should be in your
daily food regimen. Sometimes all it
takes is a back-to-basics approach to
heal from the inside out.

6
 The gut superfood recipes are quite
Tools & Equipment simple, but having the right tools and
Kitchen equipment makes preparing them
far easier. Listed below are the tools I
tools that personally use for each recipe.

make life SAUERKRAUT

Cutting board
BONE BROTH
Cutting board

easier Chef ’s knife

Mandoline
Chef ’s knife
Slow cooker
Large mixing bowl Strainer
Mason jar Storage containers

YOGURT PICKLED GINGER

Instant-read thermometer Peeler
8-cup measuring bowl Mandoline
Whisk Sauce pan
Yogurt maker Mason Jar

7
 SAUERKRAUT

F ermented vegetables have been eaten for thousands

of years. Sauerkraut, which means “sour cabbage” in
German, can be traced back to 300 BC, when horsemen
from China and Mongolia learned to preserve cabbage
in brine.

On its own, cabbage has many health
benefits. It’s high in vitamins A and C
and can help to lower cholesterol. But
when it’s fermented, it becomes one of
the earliest superfoods.
During the fermentation process,
bacteria feed on the sugar and starch
in cabbage, creating lactic acid. This
process not only preserves the food,
making it extremely shelf stable, but
also creates enzymes, additional
vitamins, fatty acids, fiber and several
strains of beneficial probiotics. The
fermentation process also makes
the cabbage more easily digestible,
increasing the bioavailability of the
nutrients.
Recent research has found that previous
studies oversimplified the quantity
and diversity of lactic acid bacteria in
sauerkraut. To put it in perspective,
if you took a standard probiotic, you
might get 10 billion colony-forming
units of bacteria. But if you ate one
serving of sauerkraut, you could get 10
trillion colony-forming units! That’s
more than what’s in an entire bottle of
probiotics.

8
Sauerkraut
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 medium green cabbage (approx. 2 lb)
2 Persian cucumbers*
1 tbsp kosher or sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Wash and remove outer leaves of the
cabbage. Cut it in halves or quarters
and remove the core. Using a sharp
knife or mandoline, cut the cabbage
into thin shreds.
2. Wash and thinly slice the Persian
cucumbers.
3. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly
mix the cabbage, cucumbers and salt.
Press down firmly as you mix for 5 fermentation. Cover the jar with the
minutes, similar to kneading dough. lid, but do not screw the lid on.
4. Let the cabbage stand for 5–10 7. Each day, spoon off the froth that
minutes to wilt, then mix again for has formed. Bubbles indicate
a few minutes. The cabbage should fermentation is taking place.
have reduced in size by almost half, 8. Fermentation will take approximately
with liquid pooling in the bowl. 2–4 weeks. You can sample your
5. Pack the salted cabbage into a quart- sauerkraut as it’s fermenting, for
sized mason jar, firmly pressing taste. When it has reached the flavor
down until the liquid fully covers the you like, seal the lid and refrigerate.
cabbage. Note: Fill jar only ¾ full, as It will last for several months in the
the sauerkraut will expand. refrigerator.
6. Leave the jar in a room with a
temperature of 70-75 degrees for *The cucumbers are optional. You could also
use shredded carrots or another vegetable.

9
 BONE BROTH

B one broth has a long history as a curative food for

illness. As a mineral-rich tonic, it’s been called
everything from “longevity soup” for supporting our
kidneys and digestive system to “Jewish penicillin” for
relieving symptoms of the cold and flu.
The health benefits of bone broth are Homemade bone broth is also rich in
nothing short of miraculous. Known gelatine and collagen (which promote
to benefit a wide variety of conditions, healthy hair and nails) and provides
including osteoporosis, arthritis, PMS, a boost in the amino acids glycine
anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, low and proline. These amino acids fight
immunity, allergies, fatigue and stress, inflammation and help with digestion,
it’s an obvious choice as a superfood. connective tissue repair and liver
detoxification.
As the bones cook in hot water, a bevy
of minerals and nutrients leech from Together, all these nutrients and
the bones and marrow into the water. minerals work to “seal and heal” the
These include calcium, magnesium and lining of the gut. And gut health is
phosphorus as well as glucosamine and priority number one for improved
chondroitin (which reduce joint pain immune function and general
and symptoms of arthritis). wellness.

10
Bone Broth
Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 lb bones from previously cooked
organic chickens*
3–4 quarts, cold filtered water
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bunch parsley
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the chicken bones in a 4–6
quart slow cooker.
2. Add the chopped ingredients, garlic
and parsley.
3. Add enough filtered water to cover
all ingredients. The water level should
nearly reach the top of the slow
cooker.
4. Add the apple cider vinegar and stir.
5. Turn the slow cooker to low and cook
for a minimum of 12 hours and up
to 48 hours. Stir occasionally. The
longer you cook the broth, the more
flavorful and nutrient dense it will be.
6. When the broth is done, remove the
ceramic slow cooker insert and let it
cool for 15 minutes.
7. With a fine strainer over a large
bowl, carefully pour out the bone
broth. The bone pieces and vegetables
should remain in the strainer. Discard
those ingredients.
8. Pour your bowl of bone broth into
several individual containers.
9. Refrigerate the portions that will be
used immediately. For the remainder,
freeze until needed.
*Beef bones (from grass-fed cows) will create a
delicious bone broth as well.

11
 YOGURT

Y ogurt was most likely discovered by accident.

Central Asian herdsmen from 6000 BC carried the
milk of their animals in “containers” that were available
at the time—animal stomachs. The enzymes from these
containers curdled the milk, creating yogurt.
Today, store-bought yogurt has very lactobacillus bulgaricus—bacteria
little in common with its healthy ancient similar to the ones residing in our
counterpart. In fact, store-bought yogurt digestive track.
could actually irritate the gut versus heal
it, due to artificial colors, sweeteners and While yogurt is widely regarded
flavorings. for its digestive healing properties,
it’s also been found to reduce high
But healthy, homemade yogurt is blood pressure, promote a healthy
easy to make. It’s also a vitamin and heart and boost immune function.
probiotic superfood. One serving of It simultaneously promotes health
yogurt is nutritionally rich in protein, and fights disease. And for those who
calcium, potassium, phosphorous, can’t tolerate dairy products because
riboflavin, iodine, zinc and B vitamins. of lactose, you may be in luck. Yogurt
It’s also chock-full of beneficial bacteria, is usually well tolerated after the
such as lactobacillus acidophilus and fermentation process.

12
Yogurt
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
5 cups organic milk (whole or 2%)
1 packet yogurt starter

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pour the milk into a large glass,
microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high
for 5 minutes.
2. Using an instant-read thermometer,
check the temperature of the milk.
Keep heating in 1- to 2-minute
increments until the temperature has
reached 180˚F.
3. Remove the milk and let it cool to
110˚F - 115˚F. This process can be
sped up by using an ice-water bath. 7. Once the incubation is complete,
4. Pour ½ cup of the milk into a small remove the glass jars and refrigerate.
glass. Sprinkle the packet of yogurt 8. Before serving, you can add any
starter on top and thoroughly mix it toppings, such as fruit.
in.
5. Pour the small glass of milk back into
the large bowl and stir. Note
6. Fill the glass jars of the yogurt maker. If you still react to dairy in yogurt, don’t
Set the timer for a minimum of fret. You can use coconut milk instead!
8 hours. The longer you leave the It’s delicious, creamy and still loaded with
yogurt, the firmer and more tart it good probiotics. Paleo Mom has a great
recipe on her website here.
will become. More beneficial bacteria
are also produced with a longer
incubation time.

13
 PICKLED GINGER

P ickling began more than 4,000 years ago as a way

to preserve food for out-of-season use and long
journeys. For ginger, this process allowed the herb to
reach distant shores, where it could be used for both
culinary and medicinal purposes.
Ginger is a historic, cross-cultural nausea, motion sickness and upset
superfood and pickling it just adds stomach experienced after surgery or
convenience. In Japan, pickled ginger is chemotherapy treatment.
known as “gari” and is typically served
with sushi as a palate cleanser. As a digestive aid, ginger has a long
history of effectively eliminating gas,
Ginger’s health benefits are well bloating, pain and discomfort in the
researched and immense. It’s a stomach. It’s a potent antioxidant and
versatile spice with anti-inflammatory has broad-spectrum antibacterial,
properties, making it beneficial for antiviral and antiparasitic properties.
many inflammatory diseases such as Similar to probiotics, ginger can alter
autoimmune disorders, cancer, and our gut flora and heal our intestines
arthritis. Interestingly enough, those from bacterial imbalances and
same anti-inflammatory compounds pathogenic overgrowths. It’s both a
(known as gingerols) can reduce the superfood and a superspice!

14
Pickled Ginger
Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 lb fresh ginger (approx. 2 cups sliced)
1¾ cups white wine vinegar
½ cup honey or molasses

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Peel the ginger with a peeler or the
edge of a spoon.
2. Using a mandoline, carefully slice the
ginger as thinly as possible and set it
aside.
3. Fill a medium saucepan half full
with water and bring to a boil. Once
boiling, add the ginger and blanch it
for 1–2 minutes.
4. Drain the ginger in a large colander
and set it aside.
5. Pour the vinegar and honey into a
small saucepan and stir. Bring to a
boil and then turn off heat.
6. Place your ginger in a large mason jar
or other glass container.
7. Fill the jar with the vinegar mixture
until the ginger is fully covered,
then refrigerate. The pickled ginger
will last for several months in the
refrigerator.

15
Eating Superfoods
How to eat more superfoods
All of the gut superfoods (except the
yogurt) can be made in bulk and stored
for several months. The sauerkraut and
ginger can be stored in the refrigerator
and the bone broth can be frozen. With
a supply on hand, you’ll never be short
of natural gut-healing power when you
need it.
Now you might be wondering “how
do I eat these?” For the sauerkraut and
ginger, I simply eat them straight out
of the jar! Each day (or when I need it),
I’ll scoop out a spoonful of sauerkraut
or a slice of pickled ginger. A cup of
the bone broth can be easily heated
and the yogurt is always ready in the
refrigerator.
But if you find any of these too strong
in flavor, I’ve mentioned a few ways
(in the box to the right) to incorporate
them into other foods. However you
choose to eat them—they’ll still do their
superfood job!
SNEAKING IN SUPERFOODS
SAUERKRAUT
• Top on an organic sausage
• Saute as a side dish with
caramelized onions and apples
• Blend into a smoothie
• Make into a slaw with carrots
BONE BROTH
• Use as the base for soups
• Mash into sweet potatoes
• Make into Jell-O-like squares
with gelatin and coconut water
• Use in a reduction sauce
YOGURT
• Substitute for mayonnaise or
sour cream
• Mix with fruit in a popsicle
mold for a frozen treat
• Make a tzatziki sauce
PICKLED GINGER
• Slice into a relish with
cucumber, onion and cilantro
• Dice and mix with ground
beef in lettuce wraps
• Chop into a carrot soup
16
 GUT-HEALING SPICES

TURMERIC CINNAMON CORIANDER CUMIN

As a key ingredient As a warm and sweet From the same plant With a nutty, peppery
in Indian curry, spice, cinnamon is rich that we get cilantro, flavor, cumin adds zing
turmeric has a warm in manganese, iron, coriander has an to Mexican, Indian
and bitter flavor. Its calcium and fiber. It earthy, citrus-like and Middle Eastern
main compound, stimulates the digestive flavor, with wide- dishes. Cumin is an
curcumin, is a potent system and has strong reaching health excellent source of
anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial and benefits. Not only does iron, manganese and
helps with digestion anti-fungal properties, coriander strengthen other vitamins. Studies
and gastrointestinal making it effective the immune system have shown that its
conditions such as in fighting candida and detoxify the antioxidant content
inflammatory bowel and other pathogens, body, it stimulates is even more effective
disease. It’s also a bacteria and viruses. the endocrine gland than vitamin C. Cumin
strong antioxidant and Cinnamon is also a and lowers blood has potent antiseptic
promotes radiant skin powerful antioxidant sugar. Coriander qualities and can
and supports healthy and protects the body also encourages the control stomach pain,
joints and bones. against free radicals production of digestive indigestion, diarrhea,
Studies have shown that lead to premature enzymes and gastric nausea and morning
that curcumin may aging, cancer and other juices, calming an sickness. It’s also
also inhibit cancer cell damage. upset stomach and effective at reducing
growth. reducing symptoms of menstrual symptoms.
gas and bloating.

17
Using Spices
How to spice up your food
A sprinkle of the right spices can awaken your taste buds and blast
your food with flavor. It might even transport you to a different
place and time. Traveling in India? Relaxing in Mexico? Exploring
in Morocco? Where would you like your food to take you? That’s the
power of spices.

FLAVORS & RECIPES

TURMERIC
Flavor profile of: India, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Nepal
Best on: vegetables, potatoes, chicken, scrambled eggs, stir-frys, curries, soups and teas
Awesome recipes: Turmeric Tea, Thai Yellow Curry with Prawns, Spiced Kale Scramble
CINNAMON
Flavor profile of: Mediterranean, South Africa, Middle East, Indonesia, Mexico and Caribbean
Best on: anything sweet or baked, fruits, vegetables, beef, pork, chicken, smoothies and teas
Awesome recipes: Cinnamon-Braised Beef, Banana Vanilla Bean N’oatmeal, Cinnamon Coconut
Pancakes
CORIANDER
Flavor profile of: Mediterranean, Middle East, Spain and Portugal.
Best on: lamb, pork, chicken, duck, fish, vegetables, chutneys, curries and sauces.
Awesome recipes: Squash Meatball Casserole, Pepita-Crusted Lamb Chops, Chicken Shawarma
CUMIN
Flavor profile of: Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Mexico and South America.
Best on: lamb, beef, chicken, potatoes, vegetables, curries, soups and stews.
Awesome recipes: Paleo Mexican Tacos, Cumin-Spiced Chicken, Cumin-Spiced Slow-Cook Pork

18
“Take care of your body.
It’s the only place you
have to live.”
– Jim Rohn
ABOUT LISA

Lisa Bryan is a writer, entrepreneur, real-food eater,

world traveler and motivator for vibrant living. She
believes that wellness is a journey and simplicity is not
boring. As the founder of downshiftology.com, she
helps women connect the dots between health, lifestyle
and happiness.

After experiencing extreme fatigue and other

seemingly innocuous symptoms, Lisa was ultimately
diagnosed with four autoimmune diseases in two
years. Yet these diagnoses didn’t come easy. Three
out of four of those diseases were her own findings
after doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as “not
classic” to textbook definitions.

Prior to founding downshiftology.com, Lisa was an

accomplished marketing executive for healthcare and
biotechnology companies, where she gained valuable
insight into genomics and cutting-edge science. With
this background and ability to connect the dots, Lisa
quickly identified the overlooked and gaping hole in
modern healthcare—simple prevention and a focus
on wellness. Stress, poor diet and lack of sleep were
triggering disease on a grand scale.

Lisa is now an impassioned advocate for those with

chronic or autoimmune diseases and believes the
best medicine encompasses health and lifestyle
transformations. She inspires countless women to
restart their lives, take action for positive change and
make each day count.

Connect With Me!

WEBSITE
www.downshiftology.com

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