7 Gut Friendly Breakfast Options

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But did you know that breakfast is important not just for our energy levels but also for our microbiome?

Breakfast

Breakfast is a great opportunity to load up on probiotics, protein, and fiber and kickstart your day. A healthy, nutritious meal at the beginning of your day can improve your mood, mental alertness, and even your memory. Breakfast can also include a host of health benefits such as a great intake of macronutrients and micronutrients

The microbiome in our gut can benefit from a healthy balanced meal to start the day. Prebiotics, probiotics, protein, and dietary fibers can all be found in breakfast foods and they help sustain the gut microbiome in different ways. Prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria in your gut, strengthen our gut microbiota and can have a very large impact on your health. You can find prebiotics in many of your favorite foods such as oats, apples, bananas, barley, onions, and garlic. Probiotics are good bacteria or yeast that can live naturally in your body. Supporting your immune system and maintaining homeostasis in your gut, probiotics are very important to our health and can be found in yogurt, pickles, and other fermented foods. Proteins are essential to a healthy diet and contain important amino acids which our bodies can't make enough of by ourselves. Protein can come in many different forms, ranging from meat animal based protein to vegan, plant based protein. Proteins also positively correlate with microbial diversity, making it an important aspect of our gut health. Lastly, dietary fibers are parts of plants which resist our digestive system and are fermented and consumed by microbes that live in our large intestine. Beans, avocados, and dried fruits are all perfect additions to your meal to provide a great serving of dietary fiber. It is important to have a balanced diet and be eating all sorts of foods throughout the day.

It can be hard to think about creating a meal when preparing for the rest of the day. Breakfast often gets lost in the chaos of early morning prep for work or school. Skipping breakfast can have numerous negative effects, the most noticeable of which is decreased energy. Continuing to fast into the day can make you feel sluggish and lethargic. So really, skipping breakfast in order to save time ends up costing you time later in the day because you will be moving slower and won't have your normal energy levels. Not only will breakfast provide you with an energetic bounce in your step, but it will also help diversify your saliva microbiota. Our mouths have a microbiome of their own and it is important to maintain the good bacteria in there. Regularly eating breakfast is associated with a healthier, more diverse oral microbiome.

An amazing benefit from having a full breakfast is increased energy levels. Food fuels our body so we need to make sure we are providing our bodies with the correct type and adequate amounts of food. A good breakfast will have a high protein content and will contain less sugary foods which spike your blood sugar. This is ideal for energy balancing, making sure our bodies have the nutrients they need.

So we know that we should be eating breakfast and we also know a general idea of which foods to have, but what now?

Meal planning can be hard, especially when you're just waking up and getting ready for the day. To help you create a balanced meal, we have prepared 7 breakfast ideas that will be great for your gut and rest of your day:

• Yogurt
  You could make a delicious breakfast bowl filled with yogurt, oat granola, and bananas or berries. Rich in probiotics and protein, yogurt is an amazing choice to fuel your microbiome and body for the day.
• Banana smoothie
  Enjoy a refreshing drink of banana smoothie, which can include all sorts of berries, milk, peanut butter, or honey to taste. High in fiber, bananas will help slow digestion and are also prebiotic since they contain inulin, which feeds beneficial Faecalibacterium species.
  
  
• Avocado toast
  Rich in dietary fibers, avocado is a great spread for toast. Adding asparagus or beans on top can bring your breakfast to the next level of deliciousness while also providing great dietary fibers for your gut. Avocados are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help feed your beneficial Bacteroides species.
• Oatmeal
  You can enjoy quick instant oatmeal with bananas and berries for a high fiber, high prebiotic breakfast or prepare rolled oats the night before. Either way, it is delicious and nutritious!
• Flaxseed
  Not only can you add flaxseed into cold cereal, make hot cereal, but you can also add your flaxseed to smoothies to make a slightly nutty flavor. Flaxseed is a great way to add protein, prebiotics, and fiber to your dish. Flaxseed are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help nourish your beneficial Bacteroides species.
• Omelete
  Of course, we couldn't get through a list of breakfast foods without mentioning eggs. Omelettes have loads of protein and you could add prebiotic and dietary fiber rich fillings such as onion, leeks, and broccoli. Try to go for the higher omega-3 containing eggs, since that will help keep your beneficial Bacteroides species happy.
• Waffles
  Topped with fiber friendly berries, waffles are a great way to start your day. Adding an egg on top of your waffle can give you an added bonus of a protein rich breakfast. Just make sure that you're aiming for more whole grain waffles to help keep those resistant starches at the forefront of the meal.

As you can see, there are so many yummy ways to get the nutrients necessary to take care of your gut microbiome, you just need to eat breakfast! After all, your gut takes care of you, so you should take care of your gut.