Sweets often seem like bad news for our internal health. Many people think cookies harm their gut microbiota. Eating too much sugar can cause problems, disrupting the balance. Bad bacteria grow more easily that way. Experts tell us to limit refined sugar most of the time.
But eating a sweet treat can be okay sometimes. It does not need to ruin your gut health journey. Moderation is definitely the key for most things. What if a cookie could also benefit gut health? Get ready for your mind to be blown wider.
A doctor shared her favorite cookie recipe recently. Dr. Janese Laster is a gut specialist in Washington. This is the cookie she makes regularly at her home. She jokes that it helps her “stay regular,” you know.
Why does this recipe get a doctor’s praise? It’s a simple chocolate chip cookie that’s easy to make. The sugar amount is kept low here. Other ingredients are beneficial for your digestive system. Chickpeas and almond butter are truly magical.
These simple ingredients boost nutrition wonderfully. They provide lots of fiber and good protein. The cookies are also vegan, which is a nice bonus. There are so many reasons to love her creation.
Let’s see why these chickpea cookies are very healthy. The main star is definitely the chickpea. These little beans are rich in fiber, which is good for the guts. We hear a lot about fiber, and for very good reasons.
One cup of chickpeas contains 12.5 grams of fiber. Just think about that for a moment. That’s nearly half of your daily fiber needs met. Natalie Stronczek explained their beneficial effects.
She works with the USA Pulses group, talking about beans. Chickpeas have a creamy taste, making them good for baked goods. They are very supportive of your gut’s function. This support comes from the types of fiber they contain.
They contain both types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber acts as a prebiotic, feeding gut bacteria. These bacteria ferment it, later producing helpful compounds. This nourishes your gut lining very effectively.
Insoluble fiber is not fermented by the bacteria. It adds bulk, which helps things move more smoothly. This type of fiber just keeps things regular. An entire can of chickpeas can be used in one batch.
This means you get good fiber with every cookie. It’s a yummy way to boost fiber intake. You don’t feel like you’re eating boring health food. It’s just a tasty cookie with many good things.
But the good things here don’t stop yet. Fiber gets attention, but chickpeas offer more benefits. Many people don’t know all this. Eating fiber-rich foods is linked to heart health. It can even help you live longer sometimes.
Learning more about fiber shows its significant impact. It affects our overall health far beyond just digestion. It really supports your body in many ways. Beyond fiber, chickpeas also have much protein.
A cup of chickpeas offers a total of 14.5 grams of protein. Why is protein important for your gut health? Protein and gut health are actually closely linked. Eating enough protein helps digestion function well.
Digestive enzymes break down proteins for us. Amino acids help keep the gut lining strong. From providing fiber for microbes to supplying protein for digestion, chickpeas are vital. We want goodness and protein from our food.
These simple cookies deliver exactly that. Want a little more protein in your snack? The recipe includes a half cup of almond butter in total. Almond butter adds protein and healthy fatty acids.
This greatly increases the nutritional density. It’s another smart choice to boost the goodness. Chickpeas offer even more benefits besides fiber. They also contain a lot of antioxidants.
Antioxidants protect the gut lining by controlling inflammation there. Chronic inflammation can cause many digestive issues. Foods that help control this are indeed very valuable. Chickpeas also help balance blood sugar levels.
This benefits metabolism and also helps gut health. Pulses like chickpeas are full of key minerals. Potassium, magnesium, zinc, and more nutrients are present there. These help the nerves, muscles, and your immune system.
With all these benefits, let’s start baking. Making these cookies is very simple for anyone. Dr. Laster’s recipe provides easy-to-follow guidelines. It makes 16 cookies, enough for a nice snack supply.
You need just a few ingredients to make these. Get one can of drained chickpeas. Half a cup of smooth almond butter is needed. You also need half a cup of maple syrup as a sweetener. Add two teaspoons of vanilla extract to the mix.
Half a teaspoon of baking soda makes them rise. Half a teaspoon of baking powder helps them puff up. Half a teaspoon of salt makes the flavors stand out. Include half a cup of dark chocolate chips now.
Preheat your oven to 350ºF before you start baking. Work on the dough base while it warms up. Put the drained chickpeas in a food processor. Add the almond butter to it as well.
Process this until it becomes smooth and creamy. This usually takes about one minute to do. This step finally makes the cookie texture right. Next, add maple syrup and vanilla extract.
Blend until the wet ingredients mix well with the base. Then add the dry ingredients for rising. Put in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Blend again until everything is mixed evenly throughout.
Let the batter cool slightly before adding the chips. Sometimes blending adds a little warmth. If it’s warm, wait a few minutes until it reaches room temperature. Then gently stir in the dark chocolate chips.
Dark chocolate has antioxidants, which are good for gut health. Now scoop a tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Place them on a sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave room between them so they don’t touch.
Bake them in the oven for only 12 to 14 minutes. The edges will look slightly browned when finished. Let the cookies cool completely for 20 to 30 minutes. This allows them to set up properly before eating.
There are clever tips for achieving better baking results. Save the liquid from the chickpea can for later use. This liquid is called aquafaba, and it’s a good egg substitute. It works well for baking vegan items.
Whipped aquafaba looks soft like whipped cream. You can use it in many great recipes later. Try making gooey vegan brownies or a French toast casserole. It reduces waste and provides more kitchen options.
Another idea is to use the same ingredients for blondies. Ambitious Kitchen discovered that chickpea blondies are delicious. They also use chickpeas, almond butter, and a sweetener. These blondies are flourless and also very good for you.
They are vegan and gluten-free, just like the cookies. These blondies are loaded with protein and fiber. It shows how versatile and useful these ingredients are. Add flaky sea salt after the cookies are finished baking.
A little salt balances sweetness and softness. It also adds a nice crunch and a salty taste. Add the salt when the cookies are not too hot or are now cool. It will stick nicely and dissolve just a little.
These cookies show that healthy eating doesn’t have to feel like deprivation. It’s about making smart choices and using good ingredients. Adding fiber-rich chickpeas makes a big difference. Dr. Laster’s recipe makes indulgence very beneficial.
It’s exciting to see experts make healthy food accessible. Eating well, especially for your gut, can taste great. It doesn’t have to be boring or restrictive. You can find surprising treats along your journey.
Thinking about gut health brings up what we mostly eat. This is important, and the chickpea cookies demonstrate this. But understanding our gut requires seeing how food moves through it. This brings up a fascinating area: transit time.
How long does food travel through your system now? This question offers insight into your gut function. There is a unique way to check this speed. It is called the blue poop challenge.
Pumpkin is another food praised for its benefits to gut health. It is good for IBD due to its fiber content and easy digestion. Experts like Barbara Olendzki prefer canned pumpkin the most. She says it’s convenient and also very nutritious.
Olendzki highlights the use of anti-inflammatory spices in pumpkin pie. She warns against common problematic foods. Things like wheat, dairy, and sugar can cause flare-ups. Pumpkin can be easily incorporated into soups or smoothies.
But the blue poop challenge looks different here. It focuses on the gut’s mechanical function. It uses food dye to track the transit time. This gives a fascinating peek inside your body.
The challenge was developed by the ZOE researchers’ company. Dr. Sarah Berry worked with these scientists. They have published research on this in the Gut journal. It builds on studies linking food, health, and gut microbes.
The challenge checks transit time specifically. How long does it take between eating food and passing it out? Two muffins dyed blue helped researchers track this speed. The results provided insights into how gut microbes work.
Doing the blue poop challenge is surprisingly simple. You don’t need complicated gear or medical help. People just need to eat two blue-dyed muffins. They eat them for breakfast.
Write down the date and time they were eaten as well. After eating, continue eating your usual food. The next step requires you to look in the bathroom carefully. Watch for green-blue colors in your poop.
This color means the muffins have now passed through. Note the date and time when you see this happen. The difference between the times is your gut transit time result. Go to the ZOE website once you have the time.
Click on “get results” and enter your calculation. Also, answer questions about your height, weight, and eating habits. Based on ZOE’s research data, you will gain insights. This provides a basic look into your digestion speed.
It can hint at what your internal gut might be like. You might wonder, why track the blue poop color? Tracking your stool might seem strange at first glance. But it can provide valuable information about your gut health.
ZOE studied 863 people in their muffin test. They tracked the transit time after people ate the blue muffins. The average time was 28.7 hours. However, the times varied a lot among the people tested.
Some took only 12 hours, while others took many days. This big difference shows that digestive speed varies a lot. What researchers did next was a very key finding. They compared transit time with gut microbes.
Trillions of microbes, including bacteria and fungi, live inside us. These tiny organisms break down our food. They help us absorb nutrients that are important for our bodies. They produce vitamins and compounds needed for health.
Our overall health is closely linked to the health state of our gut microbes. It helps our immune system function better. It aids digestion and regulates blood sugar as well. It can also influence cholesterol levels and our body weight.
Since the ZOE study linked transit times with microbes, the results are helpful. Individuals gain insight into what their microbes look like based on the transit speed. This could improve their knowledge of their digestive health status. It might also boost their awareness of their general well-being.
The study found that shorter transit times were now associated with better overall health metrics. They were also linked to a healthier gut microbe composition. Additionally, they were associated with healthier food responses, such as blood sugar regulation.
Even less abdominal fat was linked to faster transit times. Therefore, taking the blue poop challenge could be helpful. It shows whether you might fit into these observed patterns. A longer transit time might indicate unhealthy bacteria levels.
或者，可能会出现不太理想的代谢反应。这些信息并不能诊断出疾病，也无法识别你肠道中具体有哪些类型的微生物。然而，这些信息可以让你了解消化系统的工作速度。
Researchers have created a challenge for the curious. It’s for people interested in their body’s processes. This challenge is not a diagnostic tool, nor is it for identifying illnesses or conditions.
It will not identify specific gut microbes. What it does offer is accessible information, providing a window into your digestion speed and efficiency.
The blue poop challenge is an example of crowdsourced science. Many people contribute data to the research, helping scientists gather information on a large scale, which would be difficult to obtain otherwise.
This method benefits everyone involved. It’s beneficial for both researchers and participants. ZOE has obtained a large amount of data from many people. A diverse group from across the population has contributed, which is traditionally hard to achieve.
Participants gain specific insights into their transit times and what these might mean for their gut health results, based on the study findings that are always being discovered. It’s truly a win-win situation for everyone who participates.
Secondly, crowdsourcing promotes efficiency. Data can be collected and analyzed much faster, often at a lower cost than traditional studies. This speeds up the scientific discovery process. Translating research into insights more quickly is beneficial.
Thirdly, crowdsourcing aids equal access to research, especially in areas where it’s hard to find participants or secure funding for large studies. It opens up possibilities for answering questions that were previously unanswered.
Finally, it may help build trust with the public. Involving people in the data collection process allows them to see how their data contributes to knowledge. Transparency builds trust within the scientific community and makes the public more engaged in research.
The challenge stands out as a fun example. It is certainly a memorable instance of crowdsourced science. It uses blue muffins as a marker to track time. ZOE found that faster transit times are linked to better health. It provides personal insights based on this finding.
Nurturing gut health involves many aspects. Different factors work together inside the body. Eating gut-friendly foods is certainly a key part. For example, fiber-rich foods like those in chickpea cookies.
How your body processes food is of great importance. Understanding this is also important. The blue poop test, though, offers accessible learning about this specific aspect of digestion.
Growing awareness highlights the importance of gut health today. It’s a crucial aspect of our overall health. It may impact immune system function, and perhaps even our mood and other bodily functions.
Sometimes, the amount of information can feel overwhelming. Knowing where to start can indeed be confusing. The journey to a healthier gut involves simple steps. These steps don’t have to feel like a burden.
Add fiber-rich foods like chickpea cookies to your diet. This is a positive and enjoyable step forward. Gaining insights from blue muffins (assuming they are part of a study or method) can also help raise awareness.
Paying attention to gut health doesn’t always have to be complicated. Try new, tasty recipes that include gut-friendly ingredients. Or take on a fun challenge like the blue poop test. Learn something about your digestion speed. These simple steps are valuable for promoting the growth of healthy gut microbes.
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Blue poop challenge: Blue muffin recipe, how it works, and more
