Eat Local, Feed Your Gut - June 2025 News from Gut Healthy
Published 8 months ago • 3 min read
June 2025
Why Summer Is the Perfect Time to Support Your Microbiome
June is Eat Local Month!
Summer is here, and with it comes an abundance of fresh, local produce, bursting with flavour and gut-loving benefits. If you’ve been thinking about shopping at your local farmers’ market or signing up for a Good Food Box or Farmhub Harvest Box, now is the time.
But eating local isn’t just about supporting your community or enjoying fresher food. It’s also one of the best things you can do for your gut health.
Why Local Matters for Your Microbiome
Your gut thrives on diversity, and one of the best ways to nourish a diverse microbiome is by eating a wide variety of fibre-rich, seasonal foods. Local farms often grow heirloom or less-commercial varieties that don’t make it into big grocery chains. These unique plants are rich in prebiotic fibers and polyphenols, nutrients that beneficial gut microbes love.
Locally grown produce isn’t just more flavourful, it’s often more nutritious too. In fact, it can be better to eat fresh, local produce that’s not certified organic than to choose organic food that’s been shipped long distances and has lost some of its vitality along the way. Better yet, consider growing some of your own fruits and vegetables.
Studies have shown that people who eat more seasonally and locally tend to have more robust, adaptable gut microbiota. For example:
Hunter-gatherer communities eating seasonal, local foods show greater microbiome diversity, which is linked to reduced inflammation and better metabolic health.
Diets rich in fibre from fresh fruits and vegetables help populate the gut with beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia.
Even contact with soil-based microbes (from gardening or handling just-picked produce) may support a healthier immune system and gut ecology.
Bonus: Eating Local Is Eco-Friendly & Soul Nourishing
Choosing local food also reduces the carbon footprint of your meals, supports regenerative farming, and builds relationships with the people growing your food. There’s something deeply nourishing and satisfying about knowing where your food comes from and how it was grown.
Try This:
Visit a farmers’ market this week and choose one veggie or fruit you’ve never tried before.
Add fresh herbs like dill, basil, or mint to your meal, these are microbial powerhouses.
Start a simple herb garden, even a few pots on your windowsill can introduce beneficial microbes to your home ecosystem.
Join a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program to receive a weekly box of seasonal produce. It’s a fun way to try new foods while supporting local farmers.
Ferment something at home. Make a simple sauerkraut, pickled radishes, or a jar of kefir using local ingredients, your gut will thank you!
Cook a “local-only” meal. Challenge yourself to create a dish using only ingredients grown or produced in your region.
Your gut is alive, dynamic, and deeply connected to the world around you. Eating locally isn’t just a fad, it’s a way to reconnect with nature, your community, and your body.
Happy summer eating!
Be well, Peggy
Small steps, lasting change
New! 3, 6 & 12-Session Packages Now Available
One of the most rewarding parts of my work is getting to support clients over time - witnessing those small shifts, seeing someone feel more connected to their body, and celebrating the wins, both big and small, along the way.
To make ongoing care more accessible and meaningful, I’ve introduced a new range of packages: 3, 6, and 12-session options. These are designed to give you steady, personalized support whether you’re just getting started or deepening the work we’ve begun.
Each package comes with a few little extras—things like my foundational nutrition guide, gut health workbook, and custom handouts tailored to your needs.
If you've been thinking about digging a bit deeper into your nutrition or gut health journey, this might be the perfect way to ease in with more structure and support.
(And if you’re already a client and curious about switching over to a package, just let me know, I’m happy to walk you through it.)
Ready to toss something fresh and fabulous into your summer meal rotation? This Quinoa Greek Salad is light, zesty, and totally satisfying—loaded with colourful veggies, protein-packed quinoa, and a creamy, herby dressing (no oil in sight!). It’s a gut-loving, picnic-perfect dish that keeps well for days. Want to keep it 100% plant-based? Don’t miss the quick and tasty tofu feta recipe included in the tips section!
One of the best things you can do for your gut health is to eat a wide variety of colourful, plant-based foods. This salad checks all the boxes and so does Fiber Fueled, the book I’m sharing below. Both celebrate the power of fibre to help you nourish, heal, and thrive.
I’ve read a lot of books on gut health, but few have stuck with me like Fiber Fueled. It’s smart, practical, and surprisingly easy to digest (pun intended!). If you’re navigating digestive issues or just want to feel better in your body, I think you’ll love this one too.
P.S. Inspired by the strawberries in the photo? 🍓🍓🍓
Try this strawberry-spinach salad - fresh, simple, and seriously delicious. Your taste buds will thank you!
January 2026 A simple daily habit for digestion & overall health January has a way of making us feel like we need to change everything all at once. New routines. New rules. Big promises to ourselves. But instead of aiming for a full reset this year, what if we focused on one small, nourishing change, something simple, supportive, and actually sustainable? One of my favourite places to start is with fermented foods. Fermented foods have been part of traditional diets across cultures for...
December 2025 December Isn’t Always Easy December is often painted as a season of joy, twinkling lights, full tables of food, cheerful music, and togetherness. But for many of us, it can be one of the heaviest months of the year. This time of year can stir up grief, loss, and longing. We may miss people who are no longer with us, feel the regret of relationships that have changed, or carry the weight of a difficult year coming to a close. Darker and shorter days, colder weather, and disrupted...
November 2025 Let’s Talk Poop: Decoding Your Bowel Habits A few weeks ago, I ate out at a restaurant and got “glutenized.” After the initial bout of bloating, cramps, and diarrhea subsided, my poop wasn’t normal for over a week. My transit time was off, my bathroom timing was off, and the appearance wasn’t right. What did this tell me? That my GI tract was definitely irritated and needed time to heal. Poop may not be the most glamorous topic, but it’s one of the most important windows into...
