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Like a lot of women I have suffered from a host of gut problems in my life – everything from leaky gut to candida. It’s caused a whole host of health issues such as eczema, bloating and acne, SIBO, just to name a few. I tried every pill and potion you can think of, with varying levels of success. After years of experimenting, I have finally found the three best things that keep my gut super healthy and that continue to boost my immune system every day.
Our gut is responsible for about 85% of our immune system, and it’s home to more than 100 trillion bacteria (yep, trillion).
When things are functioning well, it’s easy to forget about how important your gut is. But when things start to go wrong, you sure as hell know it. Gut issues have been linked to everything from autoimmune disease to depression to allergies. On a less extreme level, they can result in gas, bloating, fatigue, lethargy, yucky skin, weight issues and generally feeling… ‘blah’.
So you can see that it’s pretty important to make sure your gut is doing its job and that you are keeping it strong and robust!
Here are the 3 things I swear by to heal my gut, make my skin sing and get my glow on each day…
1. Bone Broth
Bone broth is essentially homemade stock, and it helps restore a healthy mucosal lining in the gut. It’s jam-packed with gelatine and collagen and is also high in proline (a super-important amino acid). You can drink it before your meals to warm your digestive system, use it as stock or even sauté your veggies in it.
What you need:
- Bones from your local butcher (organic and grass fed is best). These can be beef, lamb, chicken, whatever you like. I like to make a big batch, using around 2 -3 kgs of bones.
- Filtered water: 4 litres for every 1kg of beef bones, or 3.5 litres for every 1.5kg of chicken bones.
- For every 1kg of bones, add 100g each of chopped veggies e.g. carrots, onions, leeks, celery, parsley stalks.
- 2Tbs of apple cider vinegar (this helps extract the juicy minerals from the bones).
- ¼ teaspoon of Celtic sea salt for every 1 litre of water
What you do:
- Add everything into a large pot or a slow cooker, and pop the lid on.
- Simmer for up to 6 hours. If you’re using beef bones, you can simmer for up to 10 hours. I leave my slow cooker on overnight so it’s ready in the morning.
- Pour through a strainer into glass bottles or a large glass bowl.
- When the broth has cooled, the fat will solidify into a layer on top. You can easily scoop this off.
- Freeze the broth in batches or in ice cube trays for easy access.
- Drink 1-3 cups per day… the more the better!
Your gut is incredibly important for good health. It’s where we absorb nutrients.
2. Cultured Vegetables
These guys are the ultimate superfood, and contain much higher levels of good bacteria than any probiotic supplements you buy (not to mention it’s a heck-load cheaper!). Cultured (or fermented) veggies are ideal for optimising your gut flora, and for detoxing heavy metals and other toxins from the body. You can use them to heal any gut issues or for ‘gut maintenance’, which will lessen your chances of developing any issues in the first place.
Want to try this at home? Check out Dr Mercola’s super-useful article on how to make cultured veg at home, plus his cultured veg equipment checklist.
If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy them from the shops. Just make sure you read the ingredients – they can be laden with sugar and vinegar, which you don’t want. Look for raw, organic options with all natural ingredients (I love the Peace, Love & Vegetables range of fermented goodies). They are delish!
3. Meditation
Surprised to see meditation on this list?! It’s actually my go-to weapon. Meditation decreases stress and stress causes leaky gut, so it makes sense to try and live as angst-free as possible. Do yourself a favor, remove common everyday stresses and start meditating.
Need some extra help? Try my beautiful guided meditations. The best part about meditation is you can do it anywhere and it’s free. No excuses!
Now it’s over to you, my darling. Have you got any other ways you like to heal your gut? Share with our beautiful tribe in the comments below. Remember, your input may save someone’s health, so riff away!
Thank you, as always, for being so freaking amazing and generous in the comments. You fill my heart and make my day.
My skin has FINALLY started to clear after 14 months straight of acne! I’ve been working so hard at trying to heal my gut. Once I removed the food that was causing me trouble, added bone broth in and started taking herbs from my Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor, my skin is almost completely cleared! I just have scaring to fade now! Yaay!!
Monica that sounds amazing!! Sorry to ask but what foods were you sensitive/ causal to the acne? I seem to be going thru a similar period but cant pinpoint what is causing it!!! (I’m getting married in a few mths & we’re planning to move countries so it could potentially be general life busy-ness ha)
Melissa love love love this article – thank you so much!
Hi Ann Marie! At the moment I am eating to the AIP diet (auto-immune protocol diet) which has been amazing! I highly recommend it! I have a fair few triggers! Gluten, dairy, soy and sugar are my main ones. But also I found out on AIP: grains in general, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, cacao and possibly nightshades (tomatoes and capsicum). Oh, and cauliflower! haha So quite a few which is why it took me so long to finally clear it! TCM and bone broth are incredible though!!
This made me smile!
I’m currently experiencing acne around my jaw line and it’s just awful I can only imagine how great you must be feeling!
Hi Melissa, thankyou so much for sharing this information! When you are fermenting your veggies, do you use kefir grains to ferment them or something else? Also how long did it take you before you saw results from these 3 practices? Thankyou 🙂
Hi Elle,
I use the Body Ecology starter which you can find here >>> http://bodyecology.com/weight-loss-vegetable-culture-starter.html or I buy organic fermented veggies.
I actually can’t remember how long it was before I saw results. I had years of bad eating to undo so I just took my time with it.
xx
Thanks Melissa for replying! I will definitely look into the Peace Love & Vegetable range you wrote about. 🙂
Hi Melissa,
Your post is so timely; I was researching good gut health on the net only yesterday & have come to the conclusion that it is the source of my trouble too. I am wondering what you think about powdered acidophilos that you can add to smoothies & juices, etc (the kind you don’t have to store in the fridge)….do you think this is also a good way of adding back good bacteria & helping to balance the gut? I will definitely try your bone broth!
Many thanks 🙂
Hi Tennille,
Powdered probiotics are great however nothing beats the real wholefood source which you get from cultured veg.
Give these 3 things a try for a few weeks and see you how feel.
Good luck.
xx
I love these 3 things as well– Body Ecology Diet is amazing. It really helps to align me with my own intuitive eating so that when I choose to eat something off the diet, I can feel that my body no longer wants it. I’ve seen huge leaps & bounds in my skin & how it reacts to certain foods– but I will say that coffee enemas & colonics have made a world of difference. Donna actually answered my question regarding hormones/acne & said that cleaning the colon is #1 for this. Melissa, you rock <3
Hi Melissa,
I’ve just started with Love, Peace and Vegetables.. Their range is divine and so easy to intake at anytime of the day. Next, I’ll attempt to make my own!!
Thank you for the tips, I totally agree with meditation, there are so many benefits for all areas of life and the body. Have the most wonderful day.
Kylie
I agree Kylie, how yummy are they!?
Thank you for your beautiful wishes. You too my darling.
xx
So beautifully and serendipitously timed! I’m actually just about to start an elimination diet and this is the PERFECT addition to my plan. I eat a well balanced, healthy diet but I have been plagued by gut issues my whole life since being diagnosed w Inflammatory Bowel. I am so excited to get my health in check and commit to radiant vitality and sexiness! 😉 Thanks Mel x
Hey Emily,
Whilst you are taking stuff out add in more of the good stuff like cultured veg, bone broth, green veggies etc so you don’t feel limited.
Good luck and sending you loads of good gut healing.
xx
Hi Melissa,
Thanks so much for this info. I am in the process of fixing my leaky gut and also my 3 year old son. I make bone broth and kombucha and try to have those daily. I also am trying to do meditation daily if my day goes as planned and the kids have their afternoon sleep! Thanks for sharing your experience I think I will start to have more bone broth through the day and see how that goes. I was just wondering if you saw a naturopath to help you through your gut issues? Or if there was anything else you did?
Thank you!
Hey Beck,
I sure did! I saw the amazing Anthia Koullouros from Ovvio Organics, you can check out her site here >>> http://www.ovvioorganics.com.au/
If you are in Sydney I would highly recommend seeing her.
All the best and keep me posted.
xx
Such a great post Melissa, definitely agree with all of them 🙂 My other saviours have been kefir and good colonic hydrotherapy. In four months I have overcome candida, intestinal parasites, restored my gut integrity so digestion and absorption has improved and am on my way to having beautiful skin after having eczema for 26 years since I was a baby 🙂 I’ve learnt that you have to trust the process and give your body time to heal x
Exactly Tessa! It takes time and a whole lotta love.
Well done on all the awesome work.
xx
Hi Melissa, how much and how often do you eat the cultured vegetables? Thanks!
Hi Leah,
I don’t have a set rule. I sometimes have a tablespoon with lunch and dinner and something I have it as an afternoon snack. Do what feels right for you and your body my love.
xx
Thank you for this information Melissa. Do you know of any reputable companies that make bone broth and deliver to Brisbane? Xx
Hi Nic,
Good question. I don’t but most organic butchers usually stock bone broth. Check them out.
xx
Hi Melissa
I have been looking into making bone broth and your recipe looks so easy I can’t wait to try it my only issue is I don’t have anything bigger than a 3 litre slow cooker and don’t have a lot of money to go out and buy anything new so I was wondering if you know how effective this would be if I tried to make a small batch that is suited to my small slow cooker? Also how big is your slow cooker to be able to make such big batches for future reference if I can invest in a bigger one?
Thanks your definitely helping change lives!!
Hey Rachel,
Of course you can use a smaller slow cooker, just half all the ingredients honey. It will work just as well.
Mine is 5.5 litres. But what ever you have is perfect you will just have to make regular batches.
Let me know how you go.
xx
I have had lots of health issues lately including leaky gut and adrenal fatigue.
I have tried meditation and cant seem to get into it.. any tips on nutrition for the above conditions ??
I’m juicing for breakfast, trying to eat gluten free, unsure if paleo or plant based diet is best to start ?
TIA Beautiful Mel xxx
Hey Suzi,
I am about to launch a new program which talks all about nutrition so make sure you keep an eye out for it. In the mean time stay away from sugar and gluten and add in loads of greens and bone broth.
Let me know how you go.
xx
Hi Mel, I found one!! Check out “Broth of Life”…they’re on facebook! Xxx
Great post Melissa, I totally agree with your 3 essentials. I have a history of chronic IBS, and have recently been less than consistent in my approach with a girls weekend away and a 30th birthday party the catalyst for a relapse. It took me 3 months on a strict elimination diet to finally be well. I never let meditation go but the others I have not been regular with. Time to get back in the kitchen.
Hi Melissa,
I just wanted to say how great this list is & thanks for sharing it! So many people don’t realise how important gut health is. I have shared this gorgeous post with my audience 🙂
Thanks again, Masha xx
Thanks so much beautiful!
x
Hi Melissa
Can we hear a small sample of your meditation series before committing to buying? Thanks
Hi Mel,
If you sign up to my newsletter honey you get a free meditation. They are the same feel as that.
I hope you enjoy them.
xx
Hi,
I’ve recently jumped on the bone-broth bandwagon and I’m loving it. I’m just wondering if there’s a reason you say “up to 10 hours” for beef bones as I was told it should be a minimum of 12 hours with a max of 24?
Is it just a matter of personal preference or is there a basis for making the decision?
Thanks!!
Hi Fiona,
So glad you are loving bone broth.
You’re right is it just a matter for personal preference. Sometimes we do longer and sometimes not. Do what works for you.
xx
Hello Melissa,
Great post!!
However I’m vegetatian and so can’t do the bone broth….:0(
If there something else I can do to heal my gut… I have acne and candida…
Thank you
Sarah
Xx
Ps- love your new website!!
Hey Sarah,
So glad you like my new home 😉
I would try the meditation and cultured veg first for a few weeks and see how you feel. You can also go see an awesome naturopath, she might have some suggestions for you.
Let me know how you go.
xx
Hi Melissa,
Love your posts and can’t wait to try the bone broth. I too have had gut issues, IBS. My stomach is very sensitive and a naturopath I began seeing in January has been my lifesaver. I was sick of feeling bloated, tired and the weight gain. Since seeing my naturopath, supplements and eliminating gluten and other foods I tested sensitive to I have felt much better. Hope others out there will give it ago as gut problems suck!!
Thanks again for all your beautiful posts xxx
[…] nutrients from my food. I’ve also upped my kombucha intake. Recipe link for Mels broth here http://melissaambrosini.bitnamiapp.com/health/want-to-feel-slim-and-sexy-the-3-things-you-must-do 4. Know that the people you love to death love you just the way you are. And that it’s ok to […]
Hi Melissa,
Really great article. It makes sense to be using whole foods instead of pills and supplements if you can. I made my first batch of bone broth this weekend. When it cooled in the fridge it went like jelly is this what its supposed to be like??
Thanks for the great ideas! Lovin your work!
Yes honey it is supposed to be like that. You can scoop off the top layer of fat and then warm up a cup a few times a day.
Enjoy.
xx
Thanks for this awesome post Melissa! I used these three things last year to heal my gut along with kombucha (and continue to do so) and now my skin and energy is so (so so so) much better.
I definitely noticed that my symptoms got worse before they got better though, which was also a sign of fungus and parasite infections so I urge anyone who starts to add these beautiful things to their day to keep going past that yucky stage, there’s light on the other side, and it’s so lovely!
Totally agree honey. Same thing happened to me.
Thank you for sharing.
xx
Hi Mel, Do you remember me. Going way back to when you first started leaving comments on f.b. I mentioned I had numerous gut issues. Wheat intolerance, borderline lactose and fructose malaborption. also half a thyroid and yes leaky gut. Well I have since had a hysterectomy and gee life changes after that. Hormones up and down, weight gain, bloatedness fatigue etc etc. After reading everyone else’s comments. It seems us women are really all wired the same way to the way we all react to similar foods in our gut. Emotional eating, stress it all comes back to our digestive system, how and what we are eating. In 2010 after surgery. I managed to get of sugar and just ate really healthy food for about 2 years, was doing charity runs, enjoying life, was feeling the happiest ever. Then one Christmas a relative said here have this chrissy desert it wont hurt after all these years of sugar. That was the catalyst to a rollercoaster for many years after and a injury that stopped me running. Though Mel after reading this email today you have made me realize how my intuition about certain foods that I believe are good for healing that I should eagerly get organized and start eating more off. I am not feeling great at the moment, I am eating dark chocolate a lot more probably than I should it just gives my endorphins a boost. Though I don’t think my digestive system likes the sugar. So I am looking for some strength to get me back on track and avoid the dark chocolate for a while and eat lots of green veggies and broth and the fermented veggies that Peace Love and Vegetables sell. I have tried there sauerkraut carrot and the seaweed blend, though probably didn’t eat it long enough to see results as well as cut out other foods. I am needing to go for scans on cervical spine shoulder because of degeneration. So I am hoping I don’t have osteoporosis. If it is only just borderline I hope that I can slow it down from getting worse. Or stop it totally. Because I don’t think I absorb calcium very well. I am hoping someone can tell me what combination of foods that I should eat to reap all the necessary minerals to avoid my problem getting worse. As far as I know you need magnesium, vitamin d, boron, Vitamin K, manganese. Is there anything else. If I can get my gut working better can I absorb calcium better by eating a combination of certain foods. PLEASE HELP. Which is better for the gut L-glutamine, apple cider vinegar which for me probably wont work because of the apple/ fructose issue. probiotic S.B. Aloe vera juice. I want to be healthy again so I can enjoy my family to young to be withering away. 🙂
Hi Celia,
Thank you so much for sharing all that. I know that lack of Vitamin D stop’s your absorption of calcium. Are you getting enough Vitamin D?
Also have you seen a good naturopath? I think that would be the next step for you.
And what are you doing for stress? Gut issues can be caused by stress … are you stressed at the moment? If so maybe try some meditation honey.
Let me know how you go?
xx
Thanks for your reply Mel. I’ll let you know how I go.:-)
After you have cooked the Broth and let it cool. How long should it sit for to let the fat settle on top.?? Is it alright to let it sit overnight in the fridge.?? I actually didn’t pour through a strainer yet. I have just waited for the fat to settle on top and then scrape it off and then strain it and put in glass containers to freeze. I assume that would be alright.
That’s perfect honey.
xx
Hi Mel and gals, I’m not sure if anyone else has done there broth this way. Though after letting the Broth sit to cool . Because of work and cooking it into the late hours at night I didn’t get to drain it. Just put it straight in the fridge to cool and get fat to settle on top. Yes a bit different with all the vegetables still in the mix while the fat had settled on top. Though just an hour or so ago I just scrapped of all the fat, added some boiled water to the mixture and drained it all through a strainer. Got to juggle cooking with working at night, gets tricky. You could still see lots of fat sitting in the liquid, after straining it through a colander. So tomorrow after letting it sit again in a glass bowl, so that will be 2 days. Is that to long before you freeze it. Or is that ok. Tomorrow freeze some and drink some.?? I’m pretty sure there will be fat sitting on top again. So rather than drink it with all the fat in it. I think the more you strain it and let it sit the more fat you will get out of the liquid. Has anyone ever cooked there broth and drained it and had totally clear broth with no fat globules. If so please tell me how you did it.?? Mel is it supposed to smell appetizing? 🙂 because mine doesn’t. Am I doing something wrong Mel ??:-)
No honey mine doesn’t smell that amazing. Sometimes it does though 😉
Hi Mel beautiful person that you are. You are such a great example of glowing health. 🙂 I thought I sent an email through earlier but something went wrong with sending, I think. Just asking after scraping the fat of the top. How do you get the clear drinkable broth that you are after because mine just looks like lots of dirty jellyfish sitting in a glass bowl. Where am I going wrong. ?? 🙂 I would really love to have some clear broth. 🙂
It wont be completely clear honey. Mine looks like dirty pond water 😉 But I dilute it sometimes with hot water from the kettle.
Does this help?
Hi gorgeous Mel, thanks for your reply, Yes there is plenty of fat again sitting on top. So I scraped that off and underneath looked like dirty jelly. It looks revolting.:-) Is it supposed to look like that. How do you get the clear broth.?? Surely your not supposed to eat that jelly looking stuff.??:-) Have I missed doing something to the process of making Broth. ???
No no honey it does look a little suss but don’t worry it’s fine and SUPER good for you. You can keep straining it to get rid of any bits. Or you can fill up half a mug of the broth and add half a cup of hot water from the kettle. To make it more clear.
No you don’t eat the top layer. You can bin that 😉
xx
Hi Mel,
What do you use to strain your bones veggies etc. Do you use a colander or a sieve or muslin. 🙂
Either a colander or sieve.
Hi Mel, ok I will take your word for it.:-) Tomorrow morning I will get my glass bowl out of the fridge and see what has settled on top for the 3rd time:-) and scrape that off and then put some of the jelly like broth in a cup with boiling water and see what it tastes like. 🙂 I can always make a new pot of broth . Next time I will be straining everything straight after cooking. My mother suggested that I should cook the beef bones first on there own. Then strain them. Then my mum suggested I should the put the veggies in the liquid that I have strained from the meat and cook them, but I am not sure for how long, I should cook the veggies in the leftover beef liquid for.?? So Mel is it best if you put the veggies in with the beef bones so they both cook together mixing minerals and enzymes !!
Yes honey put it all in together at the same time. No need to cook the bones before hand.
Hi Mel,
Thanks for reading all my emails, sorry for bothering you with all of this. I have been battling a lot with my focus and concentration. Sorry for being a pain. Menopause can be a pain in the neck.
xx 🙂 Have a great day.
Hi Mel,
I have to go out briefly, but my kids looked at it and said you aren’t going to eat that are you. Could I take a photo of what I have to show you because I am wondering how much of it will I have to throw out before I can eat the remaining. This is the Beef broth I have cooked. I will probably give chicken broth a go next time. Maybe not as many bones next time. This time I had 3 kgs worth split them up into different pots after first initially cooking them in the slow cooker. Then added vegetable to both pots cooked them both 7 hrs initially one day then started to cook them again another day for about 4 hrs so 11 hrs all up. So the last few emails explain my process. 🙂
Hi Mel,
Yeah put some broth in a cup with boiling water and yes it looked like dirty water, didn’t taste flash but it energized me for work tonight. I also sprinkled some seaweed on top to add some more nutrition to it. Also had a spoonful of Peace and Love sea vegetables. So that was my lunch and it kept me going amazingly until dinner at 9.00p.m. So I have frozen a few containers of the Beef Broth and will be having some more for lunch over the next few days.
Thanks so much Mel, for being so patient with all my queries. You are the best. xo. 🙂 Chat again soon. I will be attempting to make Chicken broth next !! Practice makes perfect. 🙂
How did you start your healthy journey? What did you do in terms of self-love, nutrition, believing in yourself, letting go of habits which no longer served you and what do you think made you who you are today and was has changed the most throughout your journey? xx
Hi
I was wondering what slow cooker you use or if you had any recommendations? I have spent hours trying to find a non toxic or stainless steel one.
Thank you
Hi darling,
I have a Breville slow cooker. Wish is great.
Enjoy!
[…] Never throw food out Without a doubt one of my absolute pet hates is food wastage, which means I will go to often extreme lengths to avoid having to throw food out. By planning your meals and learning how to use produce wisely, you can make the most of your food and avoid wasting money on food that ends up in the bin. Some ways I avoid food wastage includes: -Freezing old fruit and veg. If you have some sad looking bananas, some mushy avocados or berries, some wilted spinach or soft zucchinis, simply put them in zip-lock bags and chuck them in the freezer. They are great in smoothies and saves you having to use them straight away. -Use ALL of the food. When using celery, eat the leaves and all. They are just as nutritious and delicious as the regular thick green part. Leave the skin on veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchinis, carrots, beetroot) when you cook them. Not only does this reduce the amount of scraps, but the skin often contains important nutrients and lots of fibre. Similarly, eat most fruit skin and all! -Plan ahead. Before you go shopping, look at what you have left in the cupboard and plan meals based on those ingredients. Create a meal plan for the next few days that includes eating leftover dinner for lunch the next day. If you do cook too much of a certain meal, simply freeze into meal-sized portions and then you have meals ready-to-go, which are super handy when you get home from a long day at uni only to realise you haven’t got anything to eat. -Make your own soup/stock/bone broth. It is a great way to use up veggies and meat bones and is incredibly beneficial for your health. Whenever I roast a chicken, once I have eaten all the meat I throw the carcass into a big pot and then add chopped onion, carrots, celery, sea salt, pepper and some herbs of choice. Then I simmer it for a few hours until all the goodness from the chicken bones is in the stock. Next, I drain the bones and veggies out and pour the stock into glass jars, which I then freeze/refrigerate accordingly. The carcass then goes out, but I often put the cooked veggies back into the pot (with a little stock) and add some pumpkin and turn it into soup! If you want to try bone broth (miraculous for health), try this Bone Broth recipe. […]
Hi, just wondering how big a serve of the fermented veggies you would have? I’ve just purchased a few jars of “peace love vegetables” and unsure if I should have a cup, a teaspoon with each meal? Or….
Thank you xx
I would start small… 1 heaping teaspoon with meals for a week then slowing work your way up to 1 tablespoons per meal. Start slow always 😉
Did you incorporate cultured vegetables into your diet straight away? Or did you slowly add in?
I slowly added them in one small teaspoon at a time and only when my practitioner advised me to. It’s very important you get professional support otherwise you are just guessing and you could be doing more harm than good. I work with Kirsty from Kultuered Wellness as she is the best I have come across. Check her out 😉
xx
Another amazing and knowledgeable post! I’ve recently got into making my own kombucha to help my gut and now I’ve been looking more and more into bone broth. I will definitely be trying your bone broth recipe asap! Thank you Melissa xx
Hi Melissa,
I haven’t yet tried fermented veggies but I am committing to making some this weekend (after I go to my local organic markets) which I am super excited about! 🙂 I have checked out the link from Dr Mercola’s website and have googled some recipes, but I was wondering as there’s so much information out there, do you use a starter culture? And if so, which one do you use/where do you buy yours from in Australia?
Many thanks & loads of love!
Maddy x
Hey honey, Yes I use the Kultured Wellness starters. Check them out! xx
What do you think of other bone broth options? Powdered or pre maid in the carton? Any recommendations ?
Some are great but you must read the ingredients list because some a full of junk and you don’t want to be drinking that. xx