My Gut Diary

Mushrooms, Ham & Kale Mini Quiche (Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

Check out my recipe for gluten & dairy free mini quiche, the benefits of using nutritional yeast as a seasoning, and product reviews.

Creamy Mushroom Soup (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)

I had lots of mushrooms, and the best way to use them up quickly before they go brown & slimy is to make a soup! 🙂 It’s getting a bit chilly here as the Fall weather comes, so a warm bowl of nourishing soup is perfect! One of the great things about cooking with mushrooms…

Mushrooms for Gut Health

I love mushrooms. They’re packed with umami flavour and health-boosting components. There’re so many varieties of mushrooms out there – other than the familiar cultivated varieties like button mushrooms and creminis (which are just baby portabellos!), wild mushrooms are also very much treasured, then comes the increasingly popular medicinal mushrooms like reishi and chaga, just…

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (Gluten & Dairy Free!)

I found this super easy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes recipe made right in the blender from Ambitious Kitchen. They’re gluten and dairy free, and also don’t contain any white flour or sugar. They’re fluffy, moist and subtly sweet on their own, or you can add maple syrup for extra sweetness! Perfect for a Sunday breakfast. Recipe…

Kombucha & Living Vinegar Cocktails?!

So I’ve been brewing kombucha for a few weeks now (at my 7th batch!). It’s super fun and actually not as complicated as I thought it would be. Since I started water kefir brewing first, I couldn’t help but to compare the two very similar and increasingly popular probiotic drinks. I thought the use of…

Why Are Sprouted Nuts, Grains, Seeds and Legumes Better For You?

The sprouting of nuts, grains, seeds and legumes has been an age-old practice in many cultures around the world for thousands of years. I wonder if our ancestors somehow knew about the health benefits of sprouting at the time, or it all happened simply by accident due to the shortage of food and preservation methods,…

Super Quick Curried Zucchini & Swiss Chard

Summer means an abundance of vibrant, nutritious vegetables – zucchinis, Swiss chards, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs… Isn’t it a wonderful time?! While I don’t have a veggie garden (#goals!), I get these beautiful farm fresh veggies from Little Bee Farmer’s Market delivered to my doorstep almost every week! It’s a great way to support local and…

The Best Gluten & Dairy Free Pizza! + Product Reviews

I’ve been curious to try gluten & dairy free pizzas at mainstream pizza chains just to get a sense of what they’re like so I can set an expectation before I make my own version to satisfy my occasional pizza craving. After all, they’re not real pizzas so it’s almost unfair to compare them to…

Pineapple for Gut Health

Growing up in a tropical climate, I love topical fruits, especially pineapples! They are incredibly delicious and packed with gut-friendly components: Fibre & Water The high fibre and water content in pineapples help “move things along” and thus preventing constipation. It’s also incredibly hydrating. Despite the fact that high fibre foods tend to help lower…

Yoga Twists for Digestion

One thing I am thankful for in this pandemic is that when working from home I found myself forming the habit of doing some easy yoga stretches in the morning, between tasks, after work, and before bedtime. Now that I’m no longer working from home, I still try to carry on with that habit. I’m…

DIY 2-Ingredient Coconut Yogurt

I found this amazing recipe from the Minimalist Baker (I love her blog!) on how to make a simple 2-ingredient Coconut Yogurt! It’s nice and simple, uses easy-to-find ingredients, and only takes less than 5 mins to put together. Then all you have to do is to let it sit on the counter for 24-48…

Should You Cook With Olive Oil?

It’s widely known that Extra Virgin Olive Oil has many health benefits: modulate gut microbiome, improve insulin sensitivity, and lower risks for cardiovascular disease, prevent neurodegenerative diseases, etc (check out this post for a summary). However, there’s been a heated debate on whether olive oil is suitable for use as a cooking oil. Opponents say…

Aloe Vera for Gut Health

Aloe Vera is such a magical plant! As a desert plant, it can thrive in the most harsh environment (it’s known as “plant of immortality” in Ancient Egypt), and produces a jelly-like substance that’s packed with minerals, vitamins, amino acids and enzymes that are beneficial to us. It’s widely used in folk medicine throughout the…

Simple Coconut Ice Cream (dairy, gluten, soy & egg free)

Here’s a simple coconut ice cream recipe that’s dairy, gluten, soy & egg free, and sweetened with pure maple syrup. So happy with how this ice cream turned out! It’s incredibly smooth, creamy, and decadent with just the right sweetness! I think canned coconut milk is my favorite ingredient of all! So versatile and can…

What Does Your Poop Tell You?

Alright, let’s talk about poops, a topic that we all want to avoid (other than gas?) because we feel embarrassed about our poops? But come on… we eat, we digest, we poop, and we repeat! It’s as simple as that. Actually, poops can tell us a lot about our health. How often should you poop?…

Marbled Matcha Chiffon Cake (+ Dairy & Gluten Free Baking Tips!)

With commercial gluten free flour blends, I’ve had the most success in making chiffon cakes since the airiness (and partly the structure) come from the meringue, and the original recipe requires very little flour compared to pound cakes/muffins/cookies. Actually, milk is not essential in chiffon cakes although some recipes do use it to enhance the…