5 Meal Ideas Your Gut Will Love

Does your gut deserve some TLC? Actively looking after your digestive health should be considered the ultimate act of self-care; it has so many positive outcomes for the rest of your health and wellbeing.

Naturally, avoiding processed foods and foods with low nutritional value will help massively when it comes to caring for your gut. But what are the foods that help heal our gut, support our digestion and help us stay healthy?

We’ve previously discussed how fermented foods, rich in probiotics, are particularly good for the microbiome. Foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and miso are healing and promote a rich culture of bacteria and flora in our digestive tract. As does live yoghurt and drinks like kefir and kombucha.

High-fibre food fuels the cells in our colon to keep the digestive tract moving. Eating fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grain foods, and including ‘good’ fats in your diet such as olive oil, go a long way in keeping your gut, and your body, healthy and happy.

Below, we’ve curated some recipes and meal ideas that will start you on your journey to taking care of your gut, so it can take care of you.

Breakfast

Stimulate the digestive system with a glass of warm water infused with lemon, ginger or apple cider vinegar.

Swap your coffee or tea for herbal tea or Golden Mylk, a warm drink made by infusing turmeric with ginger, cinnamon and raw honey in the milk of your choice. This traditional Ayurvedic drink can be traced back to ancient India and is consumed by many for its benefits, which include lowering inflammation in the body, improving digestion and boosting immunity.

You can find out more about Golden Mylk and see some recipe variations in this MindBodyGreen article.

To accompany your warm drink, fix yourself a bowl of Lizi’s Digestive Health Granola. All our cereals are high in fibre and this granola is enriched with added cultures, which means added benefits for your gut.

Lunch

Miso brown rice and chicken salad

This recipe from BBC Good Food combines fibre-rich brown rice and broccoli with lean protein and warming ginger and gut-friendly miso, creating a tasty and gut-healing meal.

Your shopping list:

• Brown basmati rice
• Chicken breasts
• Sprouting broccoli
• Spring onions
• Sesame seeds
• Miso paste
• Rice vinegar
• Mirin
• Grated ginger

See the recipe here for full details and method.

You could consider sipping a bone broth with your meal. Bone broths are made from simmering organic animal bones, celery, onion, garlic, parsley, ginger, apple cider vinegar and salt, left to simmer for 8-10 hours. The gelatine and collagen in the bones play a role in protecting and healing the mucosal lining of the gut and aids in digestion, as well as promoting the growth of healthy skin, hair and nails. Type ‘bone broth’ into your search engine or on Pinterest for a variety of recipes to try. There are also veggie packed plant-based alternatives, such as this recipe from Wallflower Kitchen.

Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

This delicious, warming soup is centred around red lentils, that improve your gut function and support the growth of healthy bacteria. Coconut milk provides a dose of healthy fat and ginger and spinach add extra digestion benefits, plus there is nothing to stop you adding extra green such as kale and peas.

Your shopping list:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Chilli flakes
• Lime juice
• Tin of chopped tomatoes
• Coconut milk
• Red lentils
• Vegetable stock
• Baby spinach

Get the method and measurements here.

Round off your lunch with a smoothie packed full of fibre and digestive enzymes. Whizz up fruits like pineapple and papaya with ginger, banana and lime with coconut milk or water to aid digestion and add a little pep to your day.

Dinner

Crispy sweet potatoes with chickpeas and tahini yoghurt

Another BBC Good Food recipe. Sweet potatoes are high in fibre and antioxidants, promoting the growth of good bacteria in our guts, while chickpeas are high in raffinose, a soluble fibre that is broken down slowly, controlling blood glucose and helping to reduce cholesterol.

Your shopping list:

• Sweet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Banana shallot
• Tin of chickpeas
• Baby leaf spinach
• Dill
• Lemon
• Greek yoghurt
• Tahini
• Pine nuts
• Pomegranate seeds

Find the full recipe here.

You can have these potatoes as a side to some lean fish or meat, or a plant-based alternative like falafel, and an accompanying vegetable dish such as a green bean salad.

Healing lemongrass and chickpea Thai green curry with toasted coconut brown rice

A vegetarian recipe from Ambitious Kitchen combines healing and high fibre ingredients to create a filling, nutritious and hearty meal that our guts will love. 

Your shopping list:

• Olive oil or coconut oil
• Garlic
• Onion
• Lemongrass
• Carrots
• Ginger
• Fresh basil
• Green curry paste
• Turmeric
• Coconut milk
• Vegetable stock
• Tin of chickpeas
• Soy sauce
• Lime
• Red pepper
• Frozen peas
• Brown rice

You can find the quantities and method here.

For extra gut-healing power you could serve some kimchi on the side of this curry, or add some lean protein such as prawns, fish or shredded chicken.

And there you have it, a few meal ideas full of fresh, high-fibre and vitamin-rich ingredients. Don’t forget to drink water throughout the day to aid digestion while sipping peppermint tea before or after meals can help alleviate any discomfort of bloating you may experience.

Do you have any other gut-healing recipes that you love? Please share with our community by tagging us in your social posts!