Gut-Beneficial Breakfast Ideas To Kickstart Your Day Right!

Our gut, apart from our heart and brain, is a vital component of our body. It ensures that our body is well-balanced and functioning properly. The food we eat is broken down by our gut into vital nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that fuel our bodies.

Whether it is to regulate our mental and physical health, clear toxins out of our system, produce energy or balance our hormones, our gut is responsible for every function in our body. In fact, they are responsible for:

• 70 to 70 per cent of our immune system

• 95 per cent of serotonin production, affecting our body functions, such as sexual desire, blood clotting, bone health, wound healing, nausea, digestion, sleep, and mood

Hence, what we put into our body affects our gut and the rest of our body significantly.

A well-balanced diet with all the nutritional needs met is how you can allow your gut system to function optimally, enabling you to feel and look better from the inside out. In fact, if you are someone who often skips breakfast, this article is going to change your perspective significantly.

Breakfast is, in fact, the most important meal and a critical habit for optimal gut health. When we have breakfast, we are literally breaking a fast. This is because when we sleep, our gut system slows down, taking a break until our next meal. This is why it is vital to break that fast, starting your day with a healthy and filling breakfast to kickstart your gut system.

If you are someone who skips breakfast due to the lack of time, here are five gut-beneficial breakfasts that are not only satisfying but also do not take long to prepare.

1. Berry-based smoothies

Smoothies are one of the easiest things to prepare, especially if time is of the essence. They can be prepared easily yet are satisfying, filling, and nutritious. Our favourites are berry-based.

Not only are berries tasty and visually pleasing, but they have lots of significant health benefits. For one, they are rich in anthocyanidins, which can help us stay mentally sharp for the rest of the day. They are also ideal if you want to manage or prevent diabetes. Studies have also shown that individuals who consume berries have a 23% lesser chance of developing Parkinson’s disease than individuals who do not.

Berries are also great for the prevention of heart disease and inflammation. For those looking to lose or maintain a healthy weight, berries are the perfect food. They are also ideal for helping to lower blood pressure.

If you are looking to start a cancer-preventive diet, berries should be part of it due to high levels of flavonoids and anthocyanins, which can help protect you from possible gastrointestinal, liver, lung, prostate, and pancreas cancer symptoms. Lastly, they are rich in prebiotics, which are essential fuel for our gut microbiome.

All you need for a delicious berry-based smoothie is blending a cup of a combination of your favourite berries, a handful of ice, a cup of milk of your choice, one cup of kefir, and one whole banana. You get a smoothie that is rich in probiotics (kefir), prebiotics (berries), and lots of energy to help you kickstart your day.

2. Overnight oats

If you really do not have time to prepare breakfast in the morning, then overnight oats might be what you need. The best part? The ability to prepare them the night before and the customisability.

Overnight oats are the perfect nutritional breakfast to get all your essential nutrition, and you can create them according to your palette. You can use a variety of fruits and ingredients, such as:

• Maple syrup for additional sweetness. It contains insulin, which is a natural source of complex carbohydrate

• Greek yoghurt, which is loaded with probiotics

• Almond milk, which is high in fibre

• Berries, which are rich in prebiotics and antioxidants

• Apples, which are great for digestion

However, at the base of your overnight oats is the oat itself. We recommend plain wholegrain oats. Not only do they complement the rest of the ingredients well, but they are also high in protein and can help you maintain stable blood sugar and energy levels for prolonged periods.

3. Banana pancakes

Banana is not only a fruit known for its taste and health benefits, but it is also the perfect replacement for refined sugar if you are craving pancakes and other baked products. They are rich in essential nutrients that are critical for our heart and digestive health, such as manganese, copper, magnesium, vitamins C and B6, potassium, antioxidants, and fibres.

Speaking about fibres, bananas contain two key types: resistant starch and soluble fibre pectin. Resistant starches are not digested by our body. Rather, they become fuel for our gut microbiome, aiding in improved GI function. Soluble fibre pectin forms a gel that enables better movement of digested foods, softening our stools and preventing constipation.

When combined with pancakes, they make the perfect breakfast combination that keeps you full while regulating your gut.

4. Avocado toast

The earlier three breakfast ideas are steered towards individuals with a sweet tooth. Now, if you are more of a savoury breakfast kind of person, then avocado toast might be your preferred option. Not only are avocados easy and quick to make, but they are packed with gut-beneficial nutrients and vitamins.

They are high in fibre and monounsaturated fatty acids, which are commonly associated with increased satiety, weight loss, and reduction in blood lipid concentration. They also contain high levels of manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium, folate, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, vitamins K, E, and C, fibre, carbs, and protein, all of which indicate that avocado is a well-balanced food.

5. Smoked salmon

You can eat it alone, add it on top of your avocado toast, or with your favourite eggs and fruits. All in all, smoked salmon is a gut-beneficial food due to its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and nutrients.

Conclusion

Whether you are busy or not, having a nutritious and well-balanced breakfast is vital to kickstart your day correctly. Apart from ensuring a well-balanced diet, it is vital to conduct regular gastroenterology checkups and colonoscopy tests.

This is where GUTCARE comes in. With an extensive range of treatments for many gut conditions, such as IBS symptoms, fatty liver symptoms, and colon cancer, you can be assured that our doctors can help you find the right solution for your gut needs.

Click here to make an appointment with us today!