For 7 months I quietly battled a stomach situation {still undiagnosed} that caused me to be violently ill every, damn, day keeping this a secret to only my inner circle of friends and family. Need to give you some background, for you to understand my level of desperation, so bear with me.
It started with sensitivities to coffee – my life line – then spinach. Then literally every food I ate, I’d react in excruciating pain. Everyday resulted in me keeled over in tears, so nauseous I had knocked my appetite out. I was so weak I’d spend time working in bed. I sought the advice of multiple doctors, underwent 10+ tests – all were inconclusive. Then, I was told maybe I even needed surgery {not sure for what}? I was so frustrated and exhausted. I was sick and tired of being sick each day and having this impact my daily life so I decided I’d take a step back from the docs and start fresh in the New Year.
Talking Gut Health – How to Get the Flattest Stomach Ever
If you are like me, you follow one of the most respected and one of my favorite content creators – Lauryn Evarts of The Skinny Confidential who gushed over Ingrid De La Mare-Kenny – CEO and founder of The Method – and her inulin. I decided f*ck it, I’d give it a shot.
In 10 days, my stomach issues were poof, GONE!
Anddddd I noticed my belly was the flattest it had ever been ever in my life. Like no matter how much cheese I eat, it’s flat and most importantly pain-free. I started talking to Ingrid regularly. This was after I reached out thanking her for helping to put me back together. I asked her to come share some inulin secrets with you.
A little bit about Ingrid, she’s the quintessential bad ass entrepreneur patenting over 348 unique pilates movements that were so popular among her clients, she founded The Method. As a wellness expert, she extended her expertise and her gangster chic lifestyle by creating a line – Simply – of pure products which are the best BTW.
Okay now onto Ingrid!
P: For those who don’t know, WTF is inulin and why should we be taking it?
IDLMK: Inulin is what we call an FOS – it is what our good gut bacteria likes to feed on the most. Inulin is natural soluble dietary fiber and comes from roots of the chicory plant in most cases; however, our simply inulin comes from artichoke jerusalem root, which tends to be even more potent than chicory.
Inulin can be applied to develop tasty, healthy food products. You can bake with it and can act as a substitute for flour, while providing fiber enrichment. It can be used to replace sugar and fat while improving taste and mouthfeel. It’s recognized by the EFSA (the European Food Agency ) as an aid to those suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol. Also, it has been found beneficial and helpful for weight- loss because the soluble fiber makes you feel satiated. It aids in digestion so much that it keeps the body’s hormones in check. Inulin also keeps cortisol levels low and prevents insulin resistance and stubborn fat storage in the midsection area.
P: Alright, so basically using inulin gives you a flatter stomach, helps digestion and makes you feel fuller, longer. SOLD! Okay, now if you are a newbie to gut health, where should we start?
IDLMK: The first step is with eating in a non-calorie and fat deficit way.
P: You mean stopping the obsession of counting calories?
IDLMK: Yes. The more you deprive your body of the fatty acids (healthy fats) the more your gut gets inflamed. Unfortunately, today healthy eating has been linked to more low-fat, net carb counting ordeals, which long-term will create an imbalance to your gut microbiome.
P: Totally agree and you are reminding me of my college days – that was 100% me. So what should we do?
IDLMK: Focus on eating real food, meats, poultry, probiotic cheeses. Also, don’t be scared of eating eggs as in the whole damn thing. It’s been scientifically proven those who shun the yolk tend to have more hormonal inflammation than someone who consumes 6-8 whole eggs per week). Give your gut foods it can identify in their natural shapes and forms rather than protein powders, shakes and veggie patties with obscure ingredients.
P: Makes total sense on every level. Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty because I know inquiring minds want to know. If I take inulin, will we be skinny?
IDLMK: The answer is NO. If you don’t apply the fundamentals of eating your protein in the form of real food: legumes (lentils, chickpeas) , sweet potatoes, meat, fish, poultry, eggs. You need a good amount of fatty acids that come from foods the diet industry scares us of. Sesame is amazing, wild salmon, mackerel, olive oil (European and cold-pressed) and fiber: in all of its real food shape and forms: artichoke, string beans, berries and so much more. In combination with a real nutritious eating plan then YES inulin will make you skinny.
If you have inulin and keep your restrictive diet going chances are inulin will give you the flat tummy for a while, but ultimately your good gut bacteria (little bugs that make your whole endocrine system work for you or against you) will start protesting and you will still not reap all the benefits of inulin.
P: Basically don’t eat shitty and eat whole foods, add inulin and you’ll be golden. Alright, I’m always having fomo from your IG stories as you are always traveling. What’s your go-to when you don’t have your foods at home?
IDLMK: Food – real food – is everywhere and in every culture you can find the natural goodness. I eat local! If I’m in Morocco I will eat their local food because it will be the best quality and freshest they have to offer. I just got back and I lost weight there. I had a lot of cucumber and tomato salad with fresh Argan oil. Also, I had Swiss chard with cumin (btw spices like cumin are so great for gut health and the endocrine system).
Also, I had lots of beets with their spice mix of hot paprika, cumin and has el’hanout (which you know I cook with and sell with my Moroccan ecookbook). I had veal kefta with red onions and harissa (it revs up the metabolism). I also had jujube which are an ancient remedy for bowel syndrome. You can find out about the power of jujube in the Talmud.
Whenever you travel eat from the local culture ! We were sitting at the royal mansour (which is the hotel owned by Morocco’s king) so you can imagine how this is the place to eat all the goodness of the country, and we watched these 2 British couples order sushi and feast on a huge sushi layout. I was shaking my head NO! When in Rome do as the Romans.
P: That just feels wrong. I hate when I travel and see people asking for something Americanized when you are in a different country!
Okay, spill your favorite inulin recipe with us! PS I’ve made about 3-4 of them and the twins love them!
IDLMK: Right now I’m obsessed with our Chocolate Chip Cookie á la fleur de sel And our everything but the bagel BRIÔCHE has literally broken the internet with its popularity. It’s literally 1 sweet and 1 savory choice that’s so delicious it feels like you may gain 5 lbs, but actually due to the high fiber prebiotic content, and the tahini (which is pure sesame) you are consuming a gut healthy flat tummy food with hormone balancing benefits. Find more recipes here: simplyrecipes.themethodmc.com
You’ll want to follow Ingrid here: @ingriddelamarekenny for her daily tips and to follow her absolutely fabulous life.
Till next time
P
xo