How Polyphenol-Rich Foods Improve Gut Health, Lower Inflammation, and Support Metabolism

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How Polyphenol-Rich Foods Improve Gut Health, Lower Inflammation, and Support Metabolism

Polyphenols are natural plant compounds that play a key role in lowering inflammation, improving metabolic health, and even supporting fat loss: they act like fertilizer for your gut microbiome!

Your gut (which includes your microbiome) is at the ROOT of your health. Your gut is where you take all the good stuff you eat and drink and transform it into the many building blocks your body needs to make energy, think clearly, sleep well, maintain a healthy weight, build muscle, fight infections, and clear out toxins that need clearing out daily so you can thrive. 


By feeding your beneficial gut bacteria, polyphenols set into motion the production of compounds that reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.
Let’s take a closer look.

Polyphenols & the microbiome

Your gut bacteria thrive on diversity. All whole foods provide unique nutrients for your gut, which is why it’s great to both eat foods that are in season as well as making sure to regularly include nutritional powerhouses (like polyphenol-rich foods) into your dietary habits. Here are some key benefits of polyphenols:

A healthier microbiome is linked to better digestion, improved mood, stronger immunity, more balanced inflammation, and easier weight regulation. It’s worth noting that chronic low-grade inflammation can make fat loss harder by interfering with insulin signaling and hormone balance: Polyphenol-rich foods are helpful since they help your body restore proper function and balance at these foundational levels.

Top polyphenol-rich foods to include daily

Here are some of my favorite, easy polyphenol options:

Berries
Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
✔ High in anthocyanins
✔ Support gut health and blood sugar balance

Cocoa (my favorite!)
Raw cacao or high-percentage dark chocolate (70%+)
✔ Supports beneficial gut bacteria
✔ May reduce cravings and inflammation

Tea
Green, black, oolong, white, hibiscus, peppermint, rooibos, chamomile, ginger, lemon balm
✔ Rich in catechins and flavonoids
✔ Supports metabolism and gut diversity

Bonus polyphenol sources:
Olive oil, herbs, spices, coffee, colorful vegetables, and red cabbage.

How to include polyphenols in your daily life:

Getting results is all about consistency. Here are some easy ways to be consistent with including polyphenols into your daily life:

  • Add a handful of berries to breakfast or other meals (this is also great for boosting fiber & vitamin C!)
  • Try my cocoa tonic or hot chocolate recipes
  • Enjoy tea daily instead of another coffee (some of my favorite high polyphenol teas to have throughout the day are lemon balm, rooibos chai, ginger and peppermint…and then chamomile before bed)
  • Aim for color and variety with fruits & veggies throughout the week
  • Cook with olive oil and use it as a base for salad dressings

Ease your way into enjoying more polyphenols. It’s not a race–consistency over time is what you want.

If you’d like help using foods like these strategically for gut health, hormone balance, and sustainable fat loss, I’d love to support you.

As a functional nutritionist, I don’t just help you to eat healthier: I help you create a healthier lifestyle.  

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!

Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Wishing you unstoppable health,

~Rebecca

P.S. If you know someone who is ready to feel great & create health habits that stick, I would love to connect with them!

Please share my scheduling link with them so that they can schedule a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session with me.

The Pantry Refresh

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One of the pillars of creating and maintaining healthy habits is making sure that your environment is aligned with your goals. For example, if your goal is to eat an apple a day but you don’t have any apples at home, your environment is not helping you achieve your goal.

A powerful way to support your energy, gut health, and balance inflammation is through your diet and lifestyle habits and so today I want to share 5 recommendations for your pantry that will have a powerful cumulative impact on your health.

Now, as a functional nutritionist, I don’t just help people to eat healthier: I help them create healthier lifestyles. The only way to create a healthier lifestyle long-term is through aligning your mindset with your actions. Simply going through the motions of a healthier lifestyle doesn’t stick. It needs to be meaningfully connected.

Keep this question in mind as we go through the pantry refresh: why is my health a top priority for me? Arbitrarily making changes to your pantry isn’t where the magic happens. It’s definitely a great step towards aligning your environment to support your health…but you will get so much more out of any healthy action if you are presencing WHY the result of that action matters to you.

5 Pantry Swaps That Matter

Instead of this…Try this!Why it’s a win:
Refined Vegetable Oils (Corn/Soy)Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil or GheeBetter healthy fats; higher smoke point for cooking.
Table SaltCeltic or Himalayan SaltContains essential trace minerals your body needs.
Refined White SugarRaw Honey, Stevia, Monk FruitProvides more glucose stability which supports energy & inflammation balance.
Processed SnacksNuts, seeds, olives, roasted chickpeas, Lupini beans, jerky, nori, and small amounts of Siete or Simply Mills crackers/snacksHealthy fats, fiber, more nutrients, healthier ingredients.
White PastaChickpea, Lentil, or Konjac PastaBoosts your fiber and protein intake for better satiety.

When your environment is set up for success, your habits follow more naturally. Small improvements add up significantly over time! Don’t take your health for granted: without it, nothing else matters. Keeping this in mind as you make lifestyle changes will go a long way in making them stick.

If you’re ready to feel great and create health habits that stick, I would love to connect with you!

I have a few spots left for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session this month. Schedule with me here.  

Wishing you unstoppable health,~Rebecca

Scarcity is Out, Abundance is In

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Every January, we get bombarded with the same message: “You are not enough. You need to eat less, do more, and restrict everything you love.”

As a functional nutritionist, I want to offer you a different perspective. True health is never built on a foundation of deprivation. When we go on restrictive “crash diets,” our bodies often respond by spiking cortisol (our stress hormone) and slowing down our metabolism to “protect” us. (spoiler alert: this ends up creating more health hurtles, not less).

This year, I invite you to try The Abundant Plate Method. Instead of focusing on what to remove, focus on what to add. When you fill your plate with fresh, nutrient-dense foods, there is naturally less room for the things that don’t serve you—without the mental stress of what you “can’t have.”

3 Things to ADD to your day this week:

  1. More Color: Try to get three different colors of plants on your dinner plate (i.e. leafy greens with carrot and beets; cabbage slaw with green & red cabbage and some sweet potato on the side).
  2. More Protein: Have a palm-sized serving of protein at each meal.
  3. More Ease: Take three deep breaths before your first bite to signal to your nervous system that it’s time to digest. Chewing until each bite feels well broken down also does wonders for your digestion & feeling full more quickly.

Healthy living shouldn’t feel like a punishment. It’s the greatest gift that you can give yourself!

If you’re ready to feel great, create health habits that stick, and ditch the scarcity mindset, I would love to connect with you!

I’m opening up 10 spots for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. Schedule with me here.  

To your abundance,

Rebecca