What are digestive enzymes and how do they help improve gut health? Well, first of all, let's explain digestion. Digestion is simply the process in which our bodies break down food into smaller components that can be absorbed. You can't actually absorb protein, fat, and carbohydrates. These compounds must be broken down into their most basic forms so the body can absorb and utilize them. What happens when the process of digestion is compromised?

This simple, nourishing slaw can be put together quickly and served either as a side dish or as a main dish with added proteins. Try adding leftover roasted chicken or cooked chickpeas to this slaw for a quick and energizing lunch!

Serve this easy beef taco salad for a hearty low-carb lunch or dinner! Ground turkey or chicken can be used in place of the ground beef. If dairy is allowed on your particular diet, add grated raw jack cheese if desired. This recipe makes two large servings or four smaller servings.

Serve this soup for a simple lunch or light dinner. Use all broccoli or all cauliflower, or a combination of the two. I highly recommend using an immersion blender to purée the soup at the end of cooking (instead of a blender). Clean-up is much easier, and, with the immersion blender, you have the ability to leave the soup a little chunky if you prefer it this way. 

Oven omelettes, or frittatas, are simple and quick to prepare, and they're perfect for breakfast or dinner! Serve with a basic salad for a nourishing meal.

This is one of my children's favorite Greek-inspired meals! Use whatever type of noodles you would like; both 12-ounce and 16-ounce packages work in this recipe. A 12-inch or 14-inch skillet is needed for this recipe in order to have enough room to toss all of the ingredients together. If you don't have a skillet that size, use a 6-quart pot. Serve this recipe with a Greek Garden Salad for a balanced meal! 

Using an electric pressure cooker saves so much time in the kitchen, and lets you easily create very tender meat. This Thai-style chicken soup is very easy to make, and it's great for busy nights when you don't have a lot of time to cook! Serve it with cooked white basmati rice or black rice (for those that need extra carbohydrates).

This simple steak and greens stir-fry is a powerhouse of nutrient density—rich in iron, B vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals to support energy, hormone balance, and blood sugar regulation. Tender slices of grass-fed steak are quickly seared and tossed with dark leafy greens like kale, bok choy, and cabbage, creating a deeply satisfying, savory meal that comes together in minutes. It’s especially supportive in the spring season, as greens help the liver gently detoxify and invigorate digestion. Enjoy this meal any time of day—yes, even breakfast—for a grounding yet energizing start.

This gluten-free banana bread recipe was developed for the low-oxalate diet. Replace the white rice flour with brown rice flour if you are not on this diet!

Serve this flavorful cucumber-kale salad as a side dish, or add any type of cooked protein (such as baked chicken breasts or baked salmon) and serve as a light main dish. Don't skip the fresh mint! It is the secret ingredient that ties all of the flavors together.

Thai panang curry is so easy to make at home, all you need is a high-quality panang curry paste—look for one at your local health food store. Any vegetables can be used in this recipe. Try chopped cauliflower, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, or green beans. Serve with Black Rice or White Basmati Rice. 

Panang curry is one of my favorite types of Thai curries. It is deeply flavored with spicy chili paste, hints of lime, and a nutty richness from the peanut butter. It is best to find a good quality panang curry paste for this recipe. Look for one at your local food co-op or health food store. Panang curry paste is typically made from Thai red chilies, shallots, lemongrass, garlic, coriander, galangal (Thai ginger), kaffir lime peel, cumin, and sea salt. If you would like more protein, feel free to add some cubed tofu, cooked chickpeas, or cubed halibut to the curry. If adding fish, add it when you add the broccoli and zucchini as it only takes a few minutes to cook.

Cucumber smoothies make such a refreshing beverage! This green smoothie is made without any dark leafy greens, but still packs in the nutrition with fresh cucumbers and mint. Leftover smoothie can be poured into popsicle molds and frozen for your kids! 

Serve this warming lamb and lentil stew with brown rice flour tortillas and a green salad or slaw on the side. The stew is delicious when garnished with dairy or non-dairy Greek yogurt and fresh mint leaves! 

This is a great recipe to make when you have an excess of ripe bananas needing to be used! These bars make a great after-school snack or lunchbox addition for your children. Make a batch on the weekend to have on hand for school lunches throughout the week.

Fresh herbs, peas, and greens are plants that are abundant during the months of spring. Serve this lively quinoa salad with poached salmon, hardboiled eggs, or baked chicken for a light springtime meal. This grain salad will last a few days in the fridge; simply bring to room temp before serving!

This nourishing springtime pasta dish comes together quickly and is delicious served with a light salad, such as this Frisée and Radish Salad. Pictured here is a gluten-free bowtie pasta, also known as farfalle pasta, by the Jovial pasta company. Feel free to use any type of pasta in this recipe. 

Serve this springtime egg and potato salad for a Mother's Day or Easter brunch! Include thinly sliced radishes or fresh parsley for added flavors.  

There are three different ways food can create inflammation in the body. The first is eating foods that are inflammatory, such as fried foods, highly processed and packaged foods, foods that contain rancid oils and fats, and highly processed meat products. The second way is by consistently eating too many sugars and carbohydrates for your body. High blood sugar can create a cascade of inflammatory events. The third way food can trigger inflammation in the body is by consuming foods your immune system has been primed to react to, which is called a food sensitivity. A food or food group that may be healthy and anti-inflammatory for one person could be the source of a lot of damaging inflammatory chemicals for another person.

Serve this simple antioxidant-rich salad for a light lunch or as a side dish for dinner. It pairs well with some baked chicken breasts or roasted salmon for an easy, nourishing meal. Learn more about the health benefits of black rice here!

Serve this easy and nourishing chicken dinner over cooked rice noodles, zucchini noodles, or cooked rice. It is delicious served with baby arugula and a Lemon-Garlic Salad Dressing.

Unripe (green) plantains make a great potato substitute! You can roast them with other vegetables or use them in stir-fries and hashes. To peel the plantains, take a paring knife and cut the ends off, then run the knife down one of the ridges on the plantain. Gently peel the plantain open. See the image on this blog post for cutting plantains if you are unfamiliar with this process. Serve hash with sliced avocado, broccoli sprouts, and baby arugula for a nutritious breakfast or dinner!

Make a batch of these oil-free dry roasted cashews to have on hand for a healthy snack! Keep them in a jar on your counter, or bring them with you to work or school. Add a few pinches of cayenne pepper if you like extra spice!

These low-carb Thai curried meatballs can be made with ground chicken, turkey, or beef! Serve them over Cabbage Noodles or Riced Cauliflower for a simple, nourishing meal.

Cabbage noodles, like zucchini noodles, make a great low-carb noodle replacement! Serve with your favorite stew or sauce for an easy plant-rich meal!

Green chili braised beef can be served with your favorite tortillas, sliced avocados or guacamole, diced white onion, and chopped cilantro for taco night. It can also be served over rice or stuffed into baked sweet potatoes. Make the full batch of this recipe even if you are only serving two or three people, as it freezes very well! Be sure to use a high-quality beef roast!

Serve this simple anti-inflammatory salad with any main dish. You can also add seared salmon, seared chicken breasts, or cooked chickpeas and make a complete meal!

This is a great recipe to meal prep on the weekends. Cook the chicken, make a batch of hummus, and buy some arugula and broccoli sprouts. Keep all of the prepared recipe components in separate containers in your fridge, then take everything out to assemble the wraps for lunches throughout the week. Use your favorite tortillas or place everything over a bed of arugula for a very simple lunch!

Serve this flavorful Mediterranean-inspired tofu stir-fry over white rice or with these Rosemary Flatbreads. If you are following a low-carb or keto diet, serve the stir-fry over Cabbage Noodles or over Steamed Kale. It is best to use super firm tofu if you can find it! 

The smoky flavors of chipotle chili powder and smoked paprika give the sauce in this recipe a rich spiciness. Use the vegetables I have listed below or use different ingredients. Carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli would work well too! Add in cooked beans or meat if you would like.

Meal prep a batch of these ginger-maple chicken thighs to have a high-quality protein for lunches throughout the week. For dinner, serve chicken with roasted squash, steamed green beans, and a simple dinner salad for a balanced, nourishing meal.  

These gluten-free and yeast-free flatbreads make a wonderful side dish for hearty bean stews or chicken soup! Once cooked, the flatbreads can be frozen in between pieces of parchment paper.

This easy and nutrient-dense chili recipe is made in an Instant Pot! An electric pressure cooker will cut down cooking time and create very tender meat. Serve chili with chopped cilantro, fresh chili peppers, and sliced avocado for a nourishing weeknight meal.

These grain-free almond flour cookies are delicious served as an after-dinner treat with a mug of herbal tea, or as an after-school snack for your children. One of my favorite types of tea is holy basil (tulsi); it is calming and supportive to the nervous system, immune system, and digestive system.

Serve this warming vegetable-bean soup on a rainy evening along with a pot of white rice or brown rice and extra cilantro for garnishing. I highly recommend using a homemade vegetable stock or chicken stock in place of the water, as either of these will deepen the flavors.

Arugula and radicchio are bitter vegetables that stimulate every aspect of the digestive process. The lemon, fresh basil, and goat cheese complement the bitter greens perfectly to make them more palatable in larger amounts. Serve salad with Herb Roasted Halibut or Lemony Braised Chicken and Fennel. 

Borscht is a classic eastern European soup made with beets, beef, and cabbage. It is deeply nourishing and very flavorful. I like to add plenty of fresh dill before serving to liven the flavors even more! Using a high-quality beef bone broth is essential for this recipe! Try my homemade Nourishing Beef Bone Broth recipe or Kettle and Fire's Beef Bone Broth.