Much of our health – good or bad – starts in the gut. Research is revealing a surprising source for the recent influx of allergies, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory conditions and even neurodegenerative diseases that plague our population. It turns out that your gastrointestinal system and, by extension, the nearly immeasurable number of bacteria contained within it are in the business of far more than just ensuring your latest meal is properly digested. In fact, they can make us sick, or they can help keep us healthy.

And that’s the good news. Whether you’re looking to prevent illness or you suspect you have an imbalance or perhaps suffer from an inflammatory or autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis), lupus, Hashimoto’s or a neurodegenerative disease, there are things you can do to take control of your health and fix your gut starting right now. These gut-healing meal plans feature foods rich in probiotics and prebiotics.