Samantha Citro Alexander was about 11 years old when she first realized her health was linked to every bite of food she ate.
Growing up in an Italian-American family, food was part of her culture. Meals were home-cooked, nutritious but quite rich: heaping helpings of Grandma's lasagna, with a side of spinach and fruit for dessert.
But around the time her age hit double digits, she started to suffer from severe bloating and unpleasant digestive symptoms for hours after every meal.
"My stomach would feel like a bowling ball," she told Business Insider. "I can still feel it viscerally to this day."
After nearly a year of medical appointments and an elimination diet, Citro Alexander learned that dairy was one culprit in her symptoms.
"That is the first moment that I remember realizing that food could have a negative impact on my health," she said.
More than two decades later, Citro Alexander is CEO of FoodHealth Company, which uses a food scoring system to help consumers make healthier choices. It's a resource she said she could have used years ago as she struggled to manage digestive symptoms.
Now in her 30s, Citro Alexander said she's dialed in her nutrition for more energy, healthier skin and hair, and better digestion by focusing on simple, everyday foods for gut health.
Reducing inflammation, healing the gut
Citro Alexander spent her late teens and 20s battling digestive issues.
At the time, she relied on cheap convenience food and takeout. The "processed crap" didn't make her feel great, she said.
A growing body of research suggests that processed foods can cause of multitude of health harms, from increasing risk of cancer and heart disease to speeding cognitive decline.
Resolved to cook more at home, Citro Alexander started going to the farmers market to load up on new-to-her ingredients like dried beans and Swiss Chard.
She also found an unlikely inspiration at work. Through her former marketing and development role skincare industry, she routinely used plant-based ingredients like turmeric to reduce inflammation.
On a trip to Indonesia, she discovered how many herbs and spices could have digestive benefits, too, prepared in flavorful meals or warming teas.
It was a revelation to reframe healthy eating as adding more nutritious foods rather than focusing on what to cut out.
"Just avoiding badness doesn't really give your body what it needs. You need to fuel it with goodness," she said.
A typical day of eating for better gut health
Now, Citro Alexander said her daily routine includes a high-fiber, high-protein breakfast, along with tea, bone broth, farmers market veggies, and fresh herbs.
She starts the day with a homemade electrolyte drink: a tall glass of water with lemon, cayenne, and sea salt.
For breakfast, her go-to choice is a protein smoothie alongside whole-grain toast with avocado (which offers healthy fats in addition to fiber).
Throughout the day, Citro Alexander said she drinks several teas and herbal infusions. These infusions can be rich in polyphenols and other plant-based micronutrients, and are as simple to make as steeping fresh ginger in hot water.
For lunch, she often turns to salad or a grain bowl packed with more veggies, olive oil, herbs, beans, farro or quinoa, according to recipes she's shared on social media.
At dinnertime, Citro Alexander has a rotating menu of recipes. A favorite is soba noodles with bone broth, which is high in collagen protein for healthy joints, skin, and hair. She adds plenty of ginger, lemongrass, and chiles for a punch of flavor and even more nutrients.
True to her Italian roots, she also makes plenty of classic pasta dishes with sauce using extra-virgin olive oil, herbs, and veggies from the garden or farmers market.
Locally-grown produce can be more nutritious than what you'd buy at a big-box grocery store, since commercial fruits and veggies are often less fresh and grown for durability, not flavor or vitamin content.
How to start eating healthy
Citro Alexander said her best advice for people looking to eat healthier is to start cooking simple recipes.
"Pick one meal a day that you're going to make from whole foods, whichever ones you like," she said. "When you're cooking for yourself, you have a lot more control over what you put into your body."
Citro Alexander turned her own struggles into the FoodHealth score to help highlight better-for-you options.
"The intention is to help people prevent and manage chronic disease," Citro Alexander said. "The best way to do that is to eat a diet that is rich in fruit, vegetables, legumes, lean proteins, high fiber, and healthy fats."
