Hormone Balancing Detox Bowl

There may not be 19 ingredients in this recipe like Susur Lee's 19 Ingredient Singaporean Slaw Salad, but this Japanese and Korean inspired salad is on Susur's heels with its 18 ingredients and powerful hormone balancing benefits.

Now don't let the 18 ingredients scare you, you probably have many of them already, and this is all about batch cooking (double or triple it up and have lunch or dinner for days!) Major time saver.

This bowl is macro balanced (healthy carbs, proteins, fats, check!) and is rich in beneficial bacteria, fibre, and nutrients, all essential for great detoxing!

Hormone Balancing Bowl Benefits

What's really unique about this bowl is the incredible amounts of antioxidants, omega 3's, hormone balancing and stress busting nutrients, as well as detox support that comes from the algae and seaweed. Don't stick out your tongue just yet, the flavours blend beautifully together, you'll see!

With dulse flakes, kelp noodles and roasted seaweed, you'll be giving your body some serious love and who doesn't need more of that?!

Here's a little breakdown of the exchange of energy you'll be absorbing from these gorgeous seaweeds:

• They are rich in calcium, iron, vitamin K and also sodium, so soak the kelp noodles in water before using and discard the excess water. This will help to reduce the sodium intake. Seaweed is high in sodium as it grows in our sweet, sweet oceans, and absorbs the beautiful natural sea salts (which is also rich in the calming mineral magnesium!)
• High in fibre. One serving will boast about 1g of it. Not a bad start! Don't worry, there's plenty of other beneficial fibres in this bowl to make up for your daily requirement of roughly 40g. Fun Fact: Our ancestors used to eat roughly 150g of fibre PER DAY! Food for thought, wouldn't you say?
• Seaweeds provide a lot of iodine (kelp moreso than nori or dulse). Iodine is necessary to support healthy thyroid function, and our north american diets are usually lacking in this mineral. Our thyroids have some serious say in how our body's metabolism works as well as heart function, digestion, brain development and bone maintenance - important stuff!)
• One more fun fact for the road; there is evidence that seaweed has ways to protect itself from toxins. If you are what you eat, I'm all for eating seaweed! #EternallyFendingOffToxinsGirl

There are over a dozen more detox, immune and energy supporting foods in this bowl, so imma steal the spotlight from seaweed for a minute and shine some light on the other gorgeous foods
you'll be eating in this dish...

Brown Rice: Rich in fibre, balances blood sugar levels, high in minerals manganese and selenium (selenium is a powerful antioxidant!). Brown rice for a whole grain win!

Organic Eggs: Boast a lot of goodness! High in protein which helps to balance blood sugar, supports liver detoxification and immune function. Its also high in immune supporting cholesterol (yes, cholesterol is a good thing! of the right kind and right amounts, and this is one of them!)

They are rich in vitamin A, and selenium (immune supporting and powerful antioxidants) aaaaand ta-da! Rich in B Complex vitamins that aid in liver detoxification, hormone production, hormone detoxification, production of energy and supports brain function.

Oh, one more thing, eggs are high in choline, a precursor to acetylcholine, a powerful neurotransmitter that supports nerve, brain and cognitive health (been struggling with
concentration and energy? This one's for you)

Hemp Seeds: Hemp seeds are kind of the new yoga. They're good for almost everything and bad for almost no one. They also allow you to connect with your spiritual self (ok, I may be
making that one up, but you never know - it could happen?)

Hemp seeds are one of the only fibres tolerated well in the digestive system in those with SIBO and IBS. They're rich in protein and high in healthy fats. They aid in detoxification as they bind to toxins and pull  them out of the body in a timely fashion! They support blood sugar regulation and healthy brain function.

Don't have any in your cupboard as of yet? Grab a bag of organic seeds today! You won't regret it :)

Black Sesame Seeds: These are so good for your heart health! By reducing bad cholesterols, improving blood pressure, supporting fat loss, and are a great source of fibre, iron and magnesium, you want these little powerhouses in your next salad. Oh, and did I mention that the crunch is really fun to have in every bite? They are!

Kimchi: Although cabbage can be hard to digest, it is also a powerful liver detox aid. Add the beneficial bacteria, ginger and garlic and this recipe is a hit for supporting a healthy gut and
immune system. Also, it adds a seriously delicious layer to the flavour profile of this dish!

Avocado: Ok, this food is so popular and so healthy that Apple finally created an emoticon for it! Nature's Butter is high in healthy fats, fibre and is rich in vitamin C (antioxidant), folate (supports DNA synthesis and repair), and vitamin B5 (aids in managing anxiety) and B6 (helps convert food into energy).

Avocado. Spread that stuff on everything, right?

IBS-ers and SIBO sufferers, please keep in mind: This is a detox salad that is part of our detox portion of the 12-week Gut Restore Program we offer to restore balance in the gut, naturally. There is a small part of the program where we indicate to follow a Low FODMAP and/or SCD diet and this salad can be modified to accommodate those guidelines. Please see the Low FODMAP version below.

Some people may also suffer from seemingly head scratching side effects by consuming fermented foods (kimchi, sauerkraut etc). This is often due to a few main reasons.

1. You may be suffering from dysbiosis (too much bacteria, not enough of the right kind, etc), and introducing more bacteria into the gut can cause gas, bloating, and distention in
   the gut.
2. Your gut may not be able to clear the histamines, leading to a histamine reaction. This is common in those with poor gut function and is an indication there is work to do in your digestive system. Cabbage (found in kimchi and sauerkraut) is difficult to digest due to its content of difficult to digest sugars. You can increase your body's ability to break it down by using
   bitters before eating it, chewing your food to a pulp and being present with your food (no texting, driving, answering emails while eating).

Ok! Let's get to the good stuff, shall we?

Hormone Balancing Detox Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of brown rice
• 1 handful of kelp noodles
• 2 soft boiled eggs
• 1 pkg of roasted seaweed, chopped into thin slices
• 1 handful of hemp seeds
• 1 small palmful of black sesame seeds
  1 tbsp of kimchi (remove if on Low FODMAP diet or having difficulty with fermented foods right now) 
• 1/2 avocado (remove if on Low FODMAP diet. Replace with chopped pecans or macadamia for replacement of healthy fats and flavour) 
• 1 radish, grated
• 1 small heirloom (or regular) carrot, grated
• 1/5th cucumber, grated
• 2 green onion sprigs, thinly sliced (use just the dark green tips or fresh chives if on Low FODMAP diet) 

Directions:

You really can't mess up this salad. The hardest part is the mis en place. You can make this a more enjoyable process by putting on your favourite tunes, take your time and find the art and beauty in handling your food.

I personally like to layer this bowl and make it really pretty before mixing and messing it all up. Plus that offers a great Insta shot to show off to all of your buds!

1. In a large bowl, layer the brown rice in the bottom of the bowl. Place the kelp noodles in one corner, the halved organic eggs in another. Lay the sliced nori in one area and add the grated
   vegetables, each in their own spot (oops, is my OCD showing? Sorry)
2. Keep placing each ingredient in its own spot then sprinkle the entire dish with sesame seeds and pour the dressing over as well.
3. You can pre make this salad days in advance and pack for healthy lunches and dinners to go! Just bring the dressing separately to avoid soggy seaweed.

The Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove, grated (use garlic oil in lieu of fresh garlic if on Low FODMAP diet)
• 1 tbsp gluten-free tamari
• 3 tbsp of rice vinegar (I like vinegar!)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (buy the good stuff, lovies!)
• 1/2 tsp of toasted sesame oil
• Pinch of dulse flakes (for additional nutrients and salt flavour. If no dulse avail, use kosher sea salt)
• Pinch of fresh black pepper

Directions:

Pour into a glass jar, place the lid on and shake it up! Pour over entire salad when ready to eat.

From my kitchen to yours, happy detoxing, hormone producing, energy boasting and vitality harnessing!

Be sure to reach out to us at info@theibsacademy if you think you may be suffering from IBS or SIBO to learn more about how we help people get on the other side of this illness, naturally!

In health,

Cassandra Hope, RHN
Founder of The IBS Academy