Now,he has some additional recommendations on what to eat, and these two may surprise you: oat (milk) and beer.

Okay, so Bland takes his oats in the warm bowlful topped with cinnamon or berries. But there's nothing wrong with the frothy espresso-topped kind, either.

"Oats have a lot of beta-glucan, which is a really important modulator of your microbiome," he says. That's right, eating or drinking your oats may help keep your gut healthy. Oats are also rich in vitamin E, phytic acid, and certain antioxidants that may help to reduce inflammation in the body.

Quarantine or not, having a beer now and then can take the edge off. But it may have more benefits than just a buzz. And when it comes to beer, the hoppier, the better.

"Beer has hops in it,"Bland says. "Hops are not only a bittering agent, but they are a bioactive member of the phytochemical families that stimulate insulin sensitivity and cause lipid metabolism."

Hops has been revered for its ability to help you sleep. You can get hops extract on its own if you don't want the buzz (or calories) of beer. Consuming hops has also been linked to reducing the risks ofmetabolic syndrome.

But don't just grab any old beer. Go for something that's extra hoppy, says Bland.

"Go for an IPA, because you have more of those isoflavones and humulones from the hops." And don't overdo it. "Just as with wine or with tequila, it has to do with magnitude," he says.

No surprise that the father of functional medicine recommends balance.

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The Father of Functional Medicine Says Drink Oat Milk and Beer - The Beet