Exploring the wonders of gut health

Ravenswood Year 7 students and staff had the opportunity to meet with Sharon Selby, Australia’s leading allergy health coach and the creative mind behind ‘Deliciously Allergy Free’, a business aiming to help families suffering from allergies to still enjoy healthy, delicious meals. ‘I love meeting kids, teenagers and parents who want to know more about how food can massively improve health and wellbeing’, says Sharon. ‘I wish years ago my school would teach such things to me. I would definitely have done things a bit differently.’

Sharon Selby’s mission is simple: She believes we have the power to take charge of our health and that it all starts right in our kitchens. In fact, did you know that 80% of our immune system is produced inside the gut?

Combining her expertise with her passion for nutrition, Sharon embarked Year 7 students and staff on a journey into the fascinating world of gut health, immunity, mood, and overall wellbeing through her workshop, ‘Impact of Gut Health on Mood, Immunity, and Wellbeing’.

The three-step gut gardening’ system Selby unveiled was an eye-opener to students and staff alike. To make it easier for all to understand the complex subject that is the microbiome, she invited her audience to picture their gut as a garden: just as we tend to plants, we need to take care of our gut microbiome in three simple steps.

Step 1 – Weeding, as in removing the ‘bad stuff’ such as pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, and parasites.
Step 2 – Seeding our gut with the ‘good stuff’, such as beneficial bacteria or probiotics.
Step 3 – Feeding friendly microbes with the proper nutrients to help them flourish.

Sharon also delved into the fascinating gut-brain connection, explaining how the state of our digestive system is intrinsically linked to our holistic wellbeing, embodying the wisdom of Hippocrates’ proverb, ‘let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’.

To illustrate Sharon’s workshop, the Mabel’s Café staff served up some of her famous gut-friendly, allergy-free recipes, including salted caramel bliss balls and gooey chocolate brownies, which were a hit amongst the students and staff attending the session.

Sharon Selby’s visit reminded us that our health is in our hands, and it all starts with what we put on our plates. With her expert guidance and easy-to-implement tips, we hope that students and staff feel inspired to take one more step toward better health, one bite at a time.

If you too would like to take a step towards better gut health and feel inspired in the kitchen, you can download Sharon Selby’s ‘Yummy Snacks’ mini recipe book, specially developed for the Ravenswood community, here.