When I asked you all what you wanted to see here on “hello wholefoods” one of the answers I received was recipes for pregnant mommas! While all the recipes I post here are nourishing for pregnant women, I figured I’d highlight some specific foods and nutrients that are sometimes lacking in a typical diet. Another thing that I mention in my post “taking care of yourself in the 4th trimester” is that getting into the routine of eating easy, nourishing meals and snacks BEFORE you have the baby is so important because it is so much harder to take care of yourself after the baby arrives. Today I am sharing a 10 minute summer pasta dish with a nutrient dense pesto!

Today I’m talking health of the gut microbiota, also referred to as the microbiome (the collective genome/community of bacteria and microbes living in our colon/large intestine). Believe it or not, we have some 1.5 quadrillion bacteria and probably ten times that in fungi and in contrast 50 trillion human cells. We are barely human! Not only are we dependent on these little critters, they also have a tremendous impact on our health! Dr. Justin Sonnenburg of Standford University and author of The Good Gut describes our gut microbiota as the control center for so much of our biology, immune function, metabolism, and even our brains are affected by chemical signals that microbes secrete in our blood stream which in turn affects mood, behavior and the progression of neurological diseases (anxiety, depression, autism, Alzheimer’s). There is research showing how certain bacteria or the lack thereof can predict which cancers you will get, whether or not you are obese and even if a baby will have colic. Scientists have only recently begun to grasp the enormity of the impact gut bacteria has on our overall health, but what they do know is mind blowing!