I find this is the easiest way to stick to a healthy eating regime that works for me and keeps my IBS symptoms at bay. Living like this also saves me wasting money on ‘convenience’ junk foods if I am out and about as I will either eat before I go out or when I come back, safe in the knowledge that I have some tasty nutritious foods ready for me at home.
You will find your own rhythm with this and make your own times during the week but for me, I tend to grab a couple of hours on a Sunday or a Monday morning and prep my foods for the week so that when things get super busy I can just grab and go.
Remember the 7 P’s!
Prior Preparation & Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance!
With that in mind when I make the time to batch cook I go through and empty the fridge to figure out what I am going to use up that week. So it really depends on what is leftover from the weekend and what needs to be used up in terms of sell by dates. I do buy similar foods each week but try to mis it up a bit so I don’t get bored of eating the same thing. After all, food is Glorious and something to look forward to when your IBS is under control.
Here are some examples of my batch cooking. It’s nothing fancy, just clean, simple foods that can be pre-preapred and save me time in the kitchen during the week when there aren’t enough hours in the day. Which there never are!
Week 1
Guacamole
I use this on oat cakes, rice cakes, with salads with breakfasts. I love gauacamole as it is great for the skin, hair and nails as well as it being the number one superfood for tackling IBS as it really helps the food slide down the digestive tract and helps to form perfect bowel movements.
Picked, washed and prep’d my home grown spinach…
I eat a lot of spinach. It is great for iron and calcium along with most of the vitamins and goes with everything from eggs to curry’s to salads to potatoes. You name it, I throw spinach in it for an extra nutrient boost. It helps keep my immune system strong and aids the digestion as well as well as providing essential fibre and energy.
Salmon fillets
These are great with salads or flaked with rice and greens for an easy bowl of goodness. Salmon has a reasonable amount of vitamin D as well as being full of wonderful omegas, again helping the digestion and encourages brain strength.
New potato salad
Dug up, washed, cooked and with vegan mayo and herbs this is a tasty addition for salads during the week. Potatoes are a great source of slow release carbs and provide lots of energy as well as staving off sugar cravings. Essential in the Gut Detox phase of our IBS Freedom course.
Fresh carrots and tomatoes
Again these are great used in salads, I grate the carrots and slice the tomatoes. Any leftovers can be used in a juice or smoothie. Carrots are high in vitamin A which is great for improving eyesight and gut, skin and hair health. I also like snacking on carrots dipped in guacamole. Or hummus. Yum!
Fresh beetroot
Washed, cooked and peeled, I love these in salads and any surplus can be used in a gorgeous bright coloured soup, juice or smoothie, full or iron and great for strengthening the blood and boosting your focus and brain power.
Spicy rice
I used basmati but tend to mix up my rice one week having black or red rice, or brown whole grain rice but this week I fancied a change. I added fresh herbs and spices to it to give it more flavour. Rice, like potatoes is a great source of energy and not the villain it has been made out to be in the press. I add this to salads or eat with the salmon in a mini stir fry.
Week 2
Celery Soup
Celery has a high potassium content great if you fancy a savoury salty soup. This soup is so easy to make using only 3 ingredients, a stock cube, celery and oat cream. It couldn’t be more simple. So tasty and really good for the gut.
Mineral water
Simple add some fresh cucumber slices to water and you have mineral water. Cucumber is high in natural minerals, a great way to stay hydrated and will feed your bowel with lovely cleansing water so that it functions more easily.
Fresh garden salad
Ready to grab and go and is the best thing in the world for constipation as the food is raw and contains all its own enzymes so your body can focus on extracting nutrients and passing this through the digestive system without using up too much energy
More herby potato salad and more guacamole
Week 3
I was having a ‘red’ week this week, we had an influx of tomatoes so I made up some tomato soup and my take on rattatouile with tinned and fresh tomatoes, courgette and red pepper. Adding herbs and spices really gave this a kick. Great added to the plain rice for an energy releasing meal
Fruit Salad
I made up a strawberry fruit salad with fresh orange juice and sliced strawberries. Strawberries are high in vitamin C and a real treat when you are feeling hormonal.
If you want to be healthy, you have to put the work in. Eating food that you have made provides you with lots of energy and 100% confidence that you know what is going in your body.
We have to shift away from convenience food to provide our bodies with everything we do need and nothing we don’t.
Change starts with you x