Good morning, Life Optimizers!

Welcome back to The Weekly HOPE, a little something from me to you every Wednesday.

Each week, I'll share one story, one lesson, and one way you can optimize your hormones, weight, health, or mindset.

Nothing complicated. Just the things I've learned over more than four decades of helping people live healthier lives.

This

Week's HOPE: Peak Health

What Does Your Gut Have to Do With It?

Over the years, I've had thousands of conversations about people's weight.

And here's something

I've noticed.

Most people pay more attention to what goes into their mouths than what happens to that food after they swallow it.

They count calories, carbohydrates, and protein. They watch the scale every morning. But they rarely think about the trillions of microorganisms living inside their digestive tract.

And those little creatures are doing a lot more than you might imagine.

Your gut is home to an entire community of bacteria and other microorganisms called your gut microbiome.

Think of it as a garden.

Some plants help the garden thrive. Others can become troublesome when the environment gets out of balance. And just like a garden, what you feed it influences what grows.

Your gut bacteria help break down certain fibers that your body cannot digest on its own. In the process, they produce substances called short-chain fatty acids, which help support the intestinal lining and participate in fat burning.

Researchers are also studying how the microbiome interacts with inflammation, appetite, and insulin sensitivity.

Does that mean fixing your gut automatically makes you lose weight?

No. I wish it were that simple.

But it does mean that what you eat influences more than your waistline. It also influences the environment inside your gut.

And that's one reason I want you eating God-made foods whenever possible.

Your One Thing to Do This Week

Know which vegetables are high in fiber

Here is a list of the top high-fiber vegetables. Your mission this week is to eat at least one artichoke and two of the others on this list.

Artichoke 1 medium, cooked 6.8 g

Brussels sprouts 1 cup, cooked 6.4 g

Broccoli 1 cup, cooked 5.1 g

Collard greens 1 cup, cooked 5.3 g

Spinach 1 cup, cooked 4.3 g

Kale 1 cup, cooked 4.7 g

Know which fruits are high in fiber

If you have been on the program for more than a month, start testing these fruits. Test two of these fruits after dinner this week.

Passion fruit ½ cup pulp and seeds 12.3 g

Raspberries 1 cup 8.0 g

Blackberries 1 cup 7.6 g

Avocado ½ fruit (100 g) 6.7 g

Pear, with skin 1 medium 5.5 g

Give those little creatures living in your gut something useful to work with.

Here's what I want you to remember:

We spend a lot of time trying to change what we see on the outside.

But some of the most important things happening to our health happen where we can't see them.

Take care of your gut. It's part of taking care of your future.

That's what Weigh Less · Age Less means to me.

WEIGH LESS · AGE LESS

Live Younger, Longer.

Your coach,

Doc Mac

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