Hot girls have stomach issues – or so social media would have it – but that doesn’t make uncomfortable digestion, or the sometimes serious problems associated with it, feel any better. If you’re making more of an effort to support your gut, your diet is the place to start. But what if the key to a healthy gut isn’t just what you eat, but when you eat it? The most important meal for gut health, it turns out, is breakfast.
“A new morning is a blank slate for your gut,” is how sports dietitian Dr Roxana Ehsani puts it. “What you feed yourself first thing directly affects gut health, which is linked to nearly every other system in the body, including your skin, heart, brain, and immune health.” Real Nutrition founder and registered dietitian Amy Shapiro adds: “It’s also simply an easy, low-effort opportunity to consistently feed your microbiome the fibre and diversity it needs to thrive.”
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Ingredients to look for
Shapiro suggests looking for three things in a breakfast that will benefit your gut: fibre, fermented foods and diverse plant sources. She explains that fibre feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut, acting as a prebiotic that helps them to thrive, while fermented foods introduce live probiotics directly into your gut microbiome. Eating a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains and seeds feeds a wider range of bacteria for a healthier, more resilient microbiome.
Ehsani says omega-3s are also key, as they can help to reduce inflammation in the gut and protect the GI tract’s mucus barrier. “Breakfast is often the most carb- or sugar-heavy meal of the day for most people, so it’s actually a great opportunity to correct course early and set your gut up well before the rest of the day happens,” Shapiro adds. And don’t forget about water and staying hydrated. “Drinking enough water at breakfast can help your gut keep things moving and prevent constipation,” Ehsani notes.
As for foods to avoid, try to bypass anything rich in saturated fat and sugar. Ehsani says these foods are linked to increased inflammation, reduced gut-microbiome diversity and overall harm to gut health.
Best breakfasts for gut health
If you’re looking for some ideas, both experts agree that these are the best breakfasts for gut health:
An easy, filling option, Greek yoghurt provides you (and your gut) with the probiotics you need, Ehsani says. When you pair it with fruits, you’ll also get the added benefit of other vital nutrients. She points to berries, which are packed with fibre and antioxidants. Shapiro adds that bananas (especially slightly underripe ones) contain resistant starch, a type of fibre that ferments in the colon and supports good gut bacteria. As for nuts, Shapiro says they provide fibre, healthy fats, and polyphenols. Ehsani recommends something like walnuts, which are rich in omega-3s and fibre.
When made with whole foods and little to no added sugars, a smoothie is another way to get many vital nutrients to support gut health. Ehsani recommends mixing kefir, which contains more live and active cultures than a cup of yoghurt and makes for a great smoothie base, with fruits like pineapple and mango, then adding flaxseeds. The fruits will give you fibre and antioxidants while the flaxseeds will give you added fibre and omega-3s.
Oats are a great source of whole grains and fibre. Mixing your oats with Greek yoghurt, fresh fruit, and walnuts gives you probiotics, fresh fruit and antioxidants to support your gut. Shapiro suggests apples, which contain pectin – a fibre that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Shapiro says that chia seeds are rich in fibre and omega-3s, which have anti-inflammatory properties that help support your gut lining. Ehsani likes to mix chia with kefir in place of milk for probiotics. Top it all off with some fruit, like a sliced pear, for added fibre and antioxidants.
Studies show that whole wheat bread is rich in fibre and keeps you full longer, making it a great bread option for your gut. Ehsani recommends topping a whole grain bagel with smoked salmon for omega-3 fats and avocado for healthy fats and fibre.
It’s impossible to mention breakfast without mentioning avocado toast. Ehsani says pairing sourdough bread, which contains probiotics, with avocado and mashed beans will give you the healthy fats and fibre you need. Another option she likes is sprouted grain bread topped with almond butter, hemp seeds and sliced banana. The sprouted grain bread and almond butter are packed with fibre, and almond butter adds healthy fats, too. Hemp seeds bring the omega-3s. You can also consider adding blueberries for more fibre and antioxidants, she says.
Shapiro also likes cottage cheese, which she says has both protein and probiotic benefits (depending on the brand).
While eggs aren’t a fibre source, they are a protein and can help stabilise blood sugar and slow digestion to support a calmer gut environment. Shapiro likes pairing them with a spoonful of kimchi or sauerkraut, which are fermented, rich in live probiotics, and make for a tasty savoury breakfast.
If you’re thinking about trying to curb your coffee habit (coffee is known to irritate the stomach, especially if you drink it before you’ve eaten anything), consider switching your daily iced latte for green tea. Green tea contains polyphenols, which studies show may support gut bacteria.
Feel free to get creative
As long as you’re incorporating the ingredients that are known to help the gut, you really can’t go wrong with your breakfast options. “A balanced meal is key,” says Ehsani. “You want to choose something that contains complex carbs, fibre coming from fruits and veggies, healthy fats and protein.” Shapiro adds: “Consistency matters more than any single ‘perfect’ breakfast. The gut microbiome responds to patterns over time, not one meal.”