I Spent A Week Eating At A Yellowstone-Style Ranch

After a week at Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming, the writer said farm-to-table meals helped improve their gut health.

By Ali Musa
Wellness Desk – Health & Nutrition Monitoring.

If you’ve been daydreaming about outdoor adventure and luxury ranch living, you’re certainly not alone. Taylor Sheridan’s The Madison, Marshals and upcoming Dutton Ranch series have inspired us all to wanderlust. We long to live out our wildest Yellowstone-esque fantasies—waking up on a stunning secluded ranch nestled in the mountains and enjoying sunny afternoons fly fishing, horseback riding, and digging into hearty Western meals.

The good news? Fans can make that dream come true. Pack your cowboy boots and hats and join me on another one of my favorite road trips Brush Creek Ranchlocated in the true tranquility of Saratoga, Wyoming. Burrata and mozzarella making, flowing rivers of wine, llama picnic hikes, goat yoga, barrel stealing, hot springs and much more await.

With just one week spent at the ranch, I quickly learned the power of consuming farm-to-table meals—purchased directly from the ranch—and the impact this healthy way of eating has on my overall well-being. Brush Creek was not only an incredible escape for my mental health—it was also a total reset for my gut health.

Life at The Ranch

One of my absolute favorite trips ever experienced has been to the Ranch—and the Yellowstone-obsessed in me longs to escape to the natural beauty of the American West again. Every morning it felt like pure bliss to wake up on 30,000 acres of private Wyoming wilderness, surrounded by rolling hills, towering mountain peaks and lush forests.

After getting ready and stepping out of my cozy quarters—Brush Creek follows the “cowboy policy,” meaning there are no locks on the room doors—I headed upstairs for breakfast.

If you know anything about me, I’ve always been a big foodie. I love trying new cuisines, checking out trendy restaurants and experimenting with fun recipes at home. That said, my stomach is sensitive to so much food. (I blame preservatives and those pesky “healthy/natural” ingredients that are anything but.) When I was at the ranch, however, everything I ate was farm-to-table—taken straight from the nature I spent my days exploring!

Breakfasts were incredibly healthy but really indulgent. The menu featured a variety of nutritious, protein-packed offerings to kick-start the day, including house-pressed juices and fresh fruit smoothies. (One of my favorite orders was the Ginger Sunrise with fresh carrot, orange, golden beets, ginger and turmeric.) When it came to main courses, the Warm Grain Bowl was a usual suspect on my breakfast spread, made with quinoa, lentils, sumac, garden tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and fried Akaus bra Ha Akaus, made with waghiis finger, Ha Akaus, potatoes, carrots, herb pistou and fried egg. After all, it was necessary to fill up to experience a day full of activities!

Lunch and dinners embodied the same philosophy—deliciously innovative meals prepared with only the freshest ingredients from the Ranch’s sustainable seed-to-table farm and natural landscape. The culinary team features fruits and vegetables picked straight from the vine in the Ranch’s 20,000 square foot greenhouse, and uses ranch-raised American Wagyu beef in many dishes (something I was eager to indulge in as often as possible while there).

Brush Creek’s Farm is behind every one of the all-inclusive dining experiences available to guests—whether they’re enjoying marbled, ranch-raised 100% American Wagyu cheeses or Medicine Bow Creamery cheeses made by the property’s own goat herd and aged in Brush Creek Distillery barrels.

My Gut Health Improved After Farm-to-Table Meals

During my stay, I was pleasantly surprised to see noticeable improvements in my gut health. My bloating decreased and I felt less sluggish overall, something I don’t usually experience in my daily routine at home. The only other time I felt my gut health drastically improved was when I was studying abroad in Florence, Italy and shopping for fresh groceries every few days.

My time at the Ranch served as a great wake-up call and confirmed the age-old saying, “You are what you eat.” While being a conscious label reader at the grocery store—and making nutritious choices when eating out—can feel like a full-time job, it’s important to my overall well-being. This trip inspired me to start growing vegetables at home, shop at the local farmer’s market in season, and nix ultra-processed foods. (I’m looking at you, cinnamon buns in the bakery aisle!) I’ve become even more mindful of food labels and try to prepare most of my weekly meals at home, whenever possible. It’s a solid piece of Ranch life I took home with me—and now live by every day.

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