The 10th Annual Guts & Glory Digestive & Wellness Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 23 on the Perkins Plaza event lawn at Penn State Berks’ campus, 1801 Broadcasting Road Reading, PA 19610. This healthy movement expo was originally created in 2013 and hosted by nonprofit My Gut Instinct, Inc. with title sponsor Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center.

Founder Aparna Mele, M.D., a board-certified gastroenterologist with Digestive Disease Associates since 2007, says, “I take care of all kinds of patients with varying degrees of health. I spend every day educating them on the critical importance of diet and nutrition on digestive health and the ability to prevent disease just by what one does and does not put into one’s mouth. However, studies have shown that patients recall and retain about 50 percent of what a healthcare provider tells them, and I have found that lecturing patients is only so effective. I wanted to find a creative and memorable way to educate our community on the wealth of resources available to them in their own backyard to help encourage them to make positive, healthy behavioral and lifestyle changes.” Dr. Mele found the answer to this in creating My Gut Instinct, which serves as a collective way to celebrate the beauty of wellness and inspire people to eat and live better.
Guts and Glory Digestive and Wellness Expo is a free community-wide celebration of health for all ages that showcases a farmers market, educational booths, fresh locally sourced food, fitness zones, yoga, massage, wellness experts, a photo booth, food trucks, live performances from singers and dancers throughout the event, and more. Over 100 vendors in attendance span all dimensions of health and well-being to engage the attendees with interactive demonstrations.

All attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes and exercise gear so they can partake in the many fitness demos. Guests are also welcome to bring their own yoga mat and water bottle. Special commemorative 10th anniversary t-shirts will also be for sale for $18, so please be sure to have cash on hand!

The event is held rain or shine, and the first 500 visitors will receive a swag bag. All attendees are encouraged to consider bringing a donation to the event registration table. The Animal Rescue League of Berks County is in desperate need of the following items at their overcrowded kennel: Peanut butter, cheese spray, enrichment toys and toys for cats, canned food and any other small bags of treats.
Attendees are also encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes and exercise gear so they can partake in the many fitness demos. Guests are welcome to bring their own yoga mat and water bottle, as well as a reusable bag so they can collect any free educational material they find interesting or items they may purchase from the many vendors in attendance. Special commemorative 10th anniversary t-shirts will also be for sale for $18, so please be sure to have cash on hand!

This year, My Gut Instinct is excited to have a 20’ MEGA Colon exhibit, which provides visitors with an interactive, educational experience of stepping through a large-scale model of the human colon that highlights common disease conditions. We celebrate the spirit of health and wellness at our event and encourage our visitors to find inspiration at Guts and Glory to take an active role in their own well-being all year long.

Since its inception, Guts and Glory has expanded into a universal and all-encompassing panorama of not just individual physical health, but also societal and community health (the relationships with one another despite differences, and the relationships with first responders); animal health (the relationship with pets and wildlife); spiritual health (the relationship with faith and belief systems); environmental health (the relationship with the external world and the planet); mental health (maintaining a strong mindset and taking care of emotional well-being); nutritional health (creating a positive relationship with food and making clean dietary choices whenever possible); and cultural health (embracing a diverse community, immersing in unique customs and practices of other cultures and learning and embracing cultural differences).
“It’s a people expo and an experience expo that allows all of us to come together and celebrate life and health,” says Dr. Mele, who considers the 10-year anniversary to be a special milestone. She shares, “I am incredibly touched by the love and support of my community to support my endeavor and join me in this grassroots health revolution I started. I had no idea it would become a decade-long annual event that grows bigger and bigger every year! I am forever surrounded by a massive hive of loyal supporters, followers, team members, volunteers and community friends who are solely responsible for Guts & Glory’s longevity and success. The joy of seeing people turn their lives around after learning a thing or two at our humble expo just makes my heart smile.”