How to know you’re guaranteed a good day? You kick it off with a delicious, fuss-free, and nutrient-rich breakfast (extra credit if caffeine is involved). Indeed, while you may think that you can get away with scarfing down a granola bar and sprinting out the door, if your stomach has anything to say about it—and it certainly will, throughout the entirety of your 10:30 a.m. meeting when you’re already famished—you’ve got some room for improvement. Making sure to properly nourish yourself and the friendly bacteria that make up your gut microbiome early on in the day is more than a nice-to-do… it’s a must-do.
Luckily, many good-for-your-gut ingredients are extremely conducive to quick, easy, and flavor-packed breakfasts. “Fiber, which is found in foods like oats, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and vegetables, can help prevent constipation and normalize bowel movements,” says Keri Gans, RDN. Fermented foods—such as Greek yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kombucha—are also key for keeping your microbiome in balance, as they offer live and active cultures known as probiotics. According to Gans, maintaining a health gut is a major part of boosting your immune system, energy levels, mood, and even your cognitive functioning. TL; DR: Eating a gut-friendly breakfast as frequently as possible is vital for your both physical and mental health in the short- and long-term.
That being said, having the time to serve up a multi-course microbiome-friendly meal before 10 a.m. is a major luxury, and it requires more energy (and brain space) than many of us have before we’ve got at least one latte in our system. The solution is simple: The following gut-friendly breakfast recipes, all approved by Gans, that check every box when it comes to flavor and nutritional benefits. Best part? They all require five minutes or less to prep. Get ’em while they’re hot.
5 easy, gut-friendly breakfast recipes that’ll start your day off right
1. Easy Blueberry Overnight Oats
The Greek yogurt and oats in this recipe pack a one-two punch when it comes to gut-boosting benefits: The yogurt is packed with probiotics to help balance your microbiome, and the oats in this recipe deliver a full 31 grams (!) of fiber. The blueberries, coconut, and almonds are excellent for your heart health, too, thanks to their antioxidants, fiber, and healthy fats. We love this recipe because you can make a big batch of it ahead of time, and just scoop out a single serving from the fridge on sleepy weekday mornings.
Get the recipe: Easy Blueberry Overnight Oats
2. Greek Yogurt Smoothie
Talk about smoothie swoon. Not only does this stunning strawberry-hued smoothie include, you guessed it, probiotic-rich Greek yogurt, but it also calls for fiber-filled oatmeal and protein-packed peanut or almond butter. The addition of berries and bananas ups the ante on the vitamins, minerals, and fiber you’ll be ingesting to start your day. And given that hydration is a super important part of a healthy gut, it’s never a bad idea to whirl in any additional electrolyte-rich fruits or beverages you’ve got lingering in your fridge or freezer—you can think of this as the ultimate waste-free (and endlessly forgiving) breakfast recipe. Extra spinach you need to use up? You bet. Coconut water? Even better.
Get the recipe: Greek Yogurt Smoothie
3. Savory yogurt bowls
Eye-opening intel: Given the tartness of ingredients like kefir and yogurt, you don’t always have to go in a sweet direction in order to take advantage of their probiotic benefits. Using savory ingredients also helps you avoid any added sugars that could lead to an energy crash later in the morning. We love these savory yogurt bowls, because adding salmon to your breakfast is an excellent way to get some extra protein and omega-3 fatty acids in the morning. You can also go the vegetarian route and top your favorite yogurt brand with gut-friendly chickpeas or roasted cauliflower. Whatever flavor profile you choose, don’t forget to shower your bowl with fresh (and anti-inflammatory) herbs.
Get the recipe: Savory yogurt bowls
4. Cottage cheese toast
Forget the avocado toast for a few minutes, fam. Instead, try making cottage cheese toast to take advantage of the protein and probiotics in creamy cottage cheese. (Okay, okay, adding avocado on top of this delicious dish would be a major power move.) Bonus points for whipping the cottage cheese, which adds a delightful twist to the texture of this easy, gut-boosting breakfast. Top your toast off with anything you want, from sliced almonds and strawberry jam to smoked salmon with cucumbers and everything bagel seasoning.
Get the recipe: Cottage cheese toast
5. Five-minute breakfast quinoa bowl
Bored of regular old oatmeal? Same. We love swapping it out for quinoa as a base for some of our favorite gut-friendly breakfast recipes, this one being a prime example. Quinoa’s deliciously nutty flavor and high fiber and protein content pairs perfectly with sweet or savory toppings, so you’ve got plenty of opportunity to customize. (FYI: This recipe can be made fully vegan with the use of non-dairy milk.) If you’re into meal prepping, you can cook up a big batch of quinoa ahead of time and customize the resulting bowls each day.
Get the recipe: Five-minute breakfast bowl
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