Here’s a simple-as, delicious Gut Healing dessert that I make every week. You can eat this as a dessert or replace your morning oats/porridge with this.
Top it with yogurt, some berries and soaked nuts/seeds and you have a complete meal!
Recipe & Instructions
- Chop up some Organic/Spray-free apples (remove the seeds but keep the skin)
- Warm up pan or pressure cooker
- Melt butter
- Add apples, cinnamon, some sea salt and filtered water
- (optional) 1 tsp turmeric & pinch of black pepper (for aiding turmeric absorption)
- Bring to a boil and then simmer until apples are ‘mushy’ and no longer hold shape
- or use a pressure cooker to save time and utility bills
- (optional) add 1 tbsp of raw honey after cooking when still warm
Notes:
- I usually use the whole bag of apples so there are about 7 here. Red ones are best. If apples don’t agree with you for some reason, pears are a less allergenic alternative
- Adjust the ratios of ingredients according to how much apples you have. Or follow the infographic below. More water will make the consistency more ‘liquidy’.
- Cooking times:
- it took me >1hour using the traditional stovetop way to get the apples well cooked. So I’ve switched to the pressure cooker which finishes it in 10 mins!
- I’ve modified the original recipe to add turmeric and some pepper (for turmeric absorption). Because why not? I’ll leave the ‘benefits of turmeric’ post for another day.
Why Stewed apples?
Gut Healing & protection: The polyphenolic compounds in apples can protect our gastrointestinal (GI) tissues from inflammatory damage by regulating the genes responsible for producing inflammation [1, 2].
Anti-inflammatory: The flavonoids in apples can also reduce markers of inflammation like C-Reactive Protein [3].
Immune modulating, reduce allergies : Apples can also regulate the immune system and reduce hypersensitivity by suppressing histamine release from mast cells and regulating T cells after allergen exposure in the gut [4] as well as reduce allergies [5].
Prebiotics: The soluble fibre from apples is also fermented by bacteria in our GI tract to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which can reduce hyperpermeability of intestinal lining (“leaky gut”), improve GI immunity, reduce inflammation and feed other beneficial bacteria [6, 7].
Improve dysbiosis: multiple studies have shown that apple consumption can alter gut bacterial populations favourably [8]. It can even help with weight loss by improving Bacteroidetes growth which is abundant in normal weight humans [9]
There you have it. If you decide to give this a go, do share your experience in the comments below!
Blessings,
Jahn
References
- Influence of apple polyphenols on inflammatory gene expression – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Role of Apple Phytochemicals, Phloretin and Phloridzin, in Modulating Processes Related to Intestinal Inflammation – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Serum C-reactive protein concentrations are inversely associated with dietary flavonoid intake in U.S. adults – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Clinical effects of apple polyphenols on persistent allergic rhinitis: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel arm study – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to allergy: disease-related modification of consumption? – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Enhanced translocation of bacteria across metabolically stressed epithelia is reduced by butyrate – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Mechanistic insight into the gut microbiome and its interaction with host immunity and inflammation – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Effect of apple intake on fecal microbiota and metabolites in humans – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Is this a Perfect Functional Meal for Mucosal Tolerance? | Clinical Education
- Stewed Healing Apples and Immune Cofactors | FX Medicine
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JT 