Recipes for Gut Health | Strengthening Your Microbiome
Your gut microbiome is a significant contributor to your overall health, including your skin health. A healthy gut microbiome has enough good bacteria to counteract the bad bacteria and maintains symbiosis within the body. Click on these links for more information on the gut microbiome, and the skin microbiome.
Eating For your gut microbiome
Want to learn more about gut health, the right foods to eat at the right time, and how they can impact everything from your energy, mood, sleep, and skin? Click the image to listen to this podcast series on Audible from Dr. Joanna McMillan.
Being mindful of the foods you eat is an easy way to ensure your gut microbiome is as healthy as it can be, leading to improved skin health. Beneficial gut bacteria require a consistent supply of nutrients, so it is important to consume a variety of unprocessed foods. For gut health specifically, fiber and prebiotics are crucial.
Eating the rainbow, or consuming a variety of colored fruits and vegetables, is a great way to ensure all around gut health. We’ve listed some examples of individual foods to help your gut microbiome thrive in our blog post on gut health and below, you’ll find a list of a few delicious and healthy gut-friendly recipes to try. Let’s get cooking!
Gut-Friendly Recipe Ideas
Click below to jump to the full recipes:
Breakfast
Granola & Greek Yogurt Parfait
Due to its high probiotic content, yogurt can help strengthen digestion and overall gut health. Just be sure to opt for a low sugar option like Siggi’s or Fage Greek yogurt.
The addition of this homemade paleo granola makes this a protein packed breakfast sure to energize you for the day.
Baked Apples With Oatmeal and Yogurt
Oats are a great source of prebiotic fiber. Prebiotics are essentially probiotic boosters, so this healthy and yummy breakfast will nourish and restore a healthy balance of good gut bacteria.
Lunch/Dinner
Miso, made from fermented soya beans, is a great source of probiotics and contains a range of good bacteria and enzymes.
Salmon is packed with essential fatty acids, helps reduce inflammation, and can diversify healthy gut bacteria.
Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus
Asparagus is great for digestion, and it is a prebiotic food. This means it feeds the healthy bacteria in your gut, leading to a more balanced gut microbiome.
This one pot recipe contains a variety of vegetables that promote gut health.
Extra virgin olive oil can also benefit gut microbiota due to high levels of polyphenols, which are considered prebiotics. They feed the healthy bacteria in your gut and can help with gut inflammation.
A healthy gut microbiome can go a long way to feeling your best inside, and out. Eating for optimal gut health is also much easier than you may think! These recipes are just a few of our favorites, and there are many more out there that are both delicious and fun to make.
Full Recipes
Paleo Granola & Greek Yogurt Parfait
Recipe from Food Network
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened toasted coconut chips or pieces (not shredded)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup cacao nibs
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scatter hazelnuts, walnuts and sunflower seeds on the baking sheet. Toss nut and seed mixture with coconut oil, maple syrup and cinnamon. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned, watching closely as not to burn.
Remove the mixture from oven and mix in coconut chips, raisins and cacao nibs.
Serve with your favorite low sugar greek yogurt for a delicious, probiotic packed breakfast.
Store cooled granola in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to one month.
Baked Apples With Oatmeal and Yogurt
Recipe from Food Network
Ingredients:
6 Gala or Fuji apples
1 lemon, cut in half
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
6 Tbsp brown sugar
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ pinch each salt and pepper
1 cup apple cider
1 cup whole milk, heated
2 tsp orange zest
1 ½ cups quick-cooking steel-cut oatmeal, prepared according to package directions, warm
Low-fat Greek yogurt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Cut off the top third of each apple and hollow into a “bowl” using a small knife. Rub lemon over the “bowl” and put apples into a 9-inch square baking dish. Dice the carved parts of the apple and set aside.
Melt butter in a small saucepan, and then whisk in 4 Tbsps of the brown sugar, the cinnamon and pepper and cook until smooth. Brush the inside of the apples with the butter mixture. Pour the apple cider into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the apples are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Transfer the apples to a platter. Carefully strain the cooking liquid into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cook until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
While the apples are baking, stir the hot milk, remaining sugar, reserved chopped apples and orange zest into the warm oatmeal and cook for a few minutes. Divide the oatmeal among the baked apples. Top each apple with a dollop of yogurt and drizzle the reduced cider over the top.
Miso Salmon
Recipe & photo from Olive Magazine
Ingredients:
100g brown basmati rice
2 skinless salmon fillets
2 pak choi, quartered lengthwise
Handful of sugar snap peas
Handful of baby corn
2 thinly sliced spring onions
Sauce:
1 Tbsp white miso
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
Thumb-sized piece finely grated ginger
1 clove garlic, finely grated
Directions:
Cook rice in lightly salted boiling water following pack instructions, then drain well.
For the sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients with 100ml of water.
Heat the grill to high and heat a non-stick oven-proof frying pan over a medium-high heat, lightly oil and season the salmon fillets then cook on one side for 2 minutes until crisp. Turn, remove from the heat and pour over the miso sauce. Put under the grill for 2-3 minutes or until the salmon is crisp and the sauce reduced and bubbling.
Meanwhile, cook the pak choi, sugar snaps and baby corn in a large pan of boiling water until just tender, then drain well.
Divide the rice and veg between two plates then add the salmon, spooning over any sauce. Sprinkle with spring onions to serve.
Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus
Recipe from Eating Well
Ingredients:
8 ounces whole-wheat penne
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 (7 ounce) container refrigerated basil pesto
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Directions:
Cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions. Add asparagus to the pot during the final 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
Return the pasta mixture to the pot; stir in chicken, pesto, salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved cooking water, 1 Tbsp at a time, to reach desired consistency. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish; sprinkle with Parmesan and garnish with basil, if desired. Serve immediately.
Greek Tomato and Bean Stew
Recipe from Love Your Gut
Ingredients:
1 onion, sliced
2 Tbsp virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato purée
2 x 400g tins butter beans drained and rinsed
300g green beans, ends trimmed
juice and zest of half a lemon
150g crumbled feta
30g pine nuts
Directions:
Place the onion in a large, wide pan and drizzle with a little olive oil. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, spices and herbs, reserving a little of the parsley to finish the dish.
Turn up the heat and add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée allowing the stew to come up to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the butter beans, green beans, lemon zest and lemon juice, and cook for a further 10 minutes. Cover the pan at this stage if you can otherwise stir to ensure the green beans cook through.
Serve the tomato and bean stew in bowls with crumbled feta cheese, pine nuts and a sprinkling of parsley.