The Importance of Breakfast for Gut Health
Breakfast plays a crucial role in maintaining our overall health, as it provides us with the necessary energy to stay active throughout the day and helps regulate our blood sugar levels. However, what you choose to eat in the morning can also have a significant impact on your gut health. The microbes present in our digestive tract not only perform various essential functions within our bodies but also play a vital role in maintaining a healthy gut.
Enhancing Gut Health with Morning Foods
There are several foods that, when consumed in the morning, can improve our internal health and contribute to a healthy gut. Let’s examine some of these options:
- Walnuts: Adding walnuts to your breakfast can significantly enhance its quality and promote a healthy gut. A study found that individuals who consumed 42 grams of walnuts daily for three weeks experienced a decrease in secondary bile acid levels. These bile acids are associated with colon cancer, inflammation, and gastrointestinal diseases. Additionally, the study also revealed an increase in beneficial gut bacteria among regular walnut consumers.
- Prunes: If you wish to start your day energetically with regular bowel movements, incorporating prunes into your morning routine is a great choice. Prunes contain a combination of prebiotic fiber, antioxidants, and sorbitol, which is metabolized slowly by the body. Prebiotic fiber nourishes beneficial probiotic bacteria in the gut, reducing the risk of colon cancer.
- Peaches: Peaches, being a natural source of sugar, can make a satisfying morning meal. They taste particularly delicious when paired with yogurt and have a positive effect on relieving constipation. Peaches are rich in insoluble fiber, which increases stool volume, softens it, and promotes intestinal movement, preventing constipation.
- Beans: Beans are primarily composed of soluble fiber, which aids in slow digestion. They also contain ample amounts of insoluble fiber, known to prevent colon cancer by binding to carcinogens and facilitating their speedy elimination.
- Lemon Water: Starting your day with a glass of lemon water can be a healthy habit for facilitating the digestive process. The combination of water and acid in lemon helps break down food, enabling better nutrient absorption and softening the stool to eliminate waste and toxins from the bowels. Lemons also contain powerful polyphenols that protect body tissues from oxidative stress, inflammation, and related pathologies.
- Oatmeal: Oatmeal not only aids in lowering LDL cholesterol but also helps control blood sugar levels. In particular, oats are an excellent source of beta-glucan, a soluble fermentable fiber that stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium. These bacteria contribute to a robust immune system.
By incorporating these foods into your breakfast routine, you can take proactive steps towards improving your gut health and overall well-being.
※ Chosun Weekly online article.
What you eat for breakfast is important. It helps keep you active throughout the day and helps keep your blood sugar at a steady level. In particular, the microbes around the digestive tract fulfill many different roles in our bodies, and they also play an important role in gut health, which is essential for overall health. They range from aiding digestion and promoting mineral absorption to communicating with the immune system and triggering mood swings. Introducing foods that can improve internal health when eaten in the morning on a hot summer day.
1) walnuts
Sprinkle over cereal or oatmeal, mix into yogurt, or add to smoothies. Walnuts are great for improving the quality of breakfast and maintaining a healthy gut. One study linked eating walnuts to positive changes in the gut microbiome. Specifically, those who ate 42 grams of walnuts daily for three weeks had lower levels of secondary bile acids, which may play a role in colon cancer, inflammation, and gastrointestinal disease. The same study also found that regular consumption of walnuts led to an increase in ‘good’ gut bacteria.
2) prunes
If you want to start your day energetically with regular bowel movements, eat prunes in the morning. You can eat the fruit as it is, or you can eat it with cereal or oatmeal. Prunes are known for their combination of prebiotic fiber, antioxidants, and sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that your body metabolizes slowly. Prebiotic fiber positively affects the bacteria in the gut by providing nutrients to beneficial probiotic bacteria and reducing the risk of colon cancer.
3) Peach
As a natural source of sugar, peaches can be a satisfying meal. It is particularly tasty to eat with yoghurt, and has an excellent effect on relieving constipation. This is because it is rich in insoluble fibre. Insoluble dietary fiber, which is mainly contained in grains, legumes and vegetables, increases and softens the volume of the stool, and promotes intestinal movement by multiplying beneficial intestinal bacteria to prevent constipation.
4) beans
Beans are mainly soluble fiber and are digested slowly. Beans are also rich in insoluble fiber, which is known to have the effect of preventing colon cancer by sticking to carcinogens and helping them pass through the large intestine and be excreted quickly.
5) lemon water
Starting your breakfast with a glass of lemon water can be a good habit for a healthy digestive process. The combination of water and acid in lemon helps the body absorb nutrients by breaking down food, while softening the stool to remove waste and toxins from the bowels, giving a fresh start to the day for you Lemons also contain powerful polyphenols that protect body tissues from oxidative stress and related pathologies such as cancer, coronary heart disease, and inflammation. It also protects the microbiome from aging.
6) Oatmeal
Oatmeal has health benefits such as lowering LDL cholesterol and controlling blood sugar. In particular, oats are one of the highest sources of beta glucan, a soluble fermentable fiber. This fiber is known to promote the growth of healthy bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, which can help stimulate the immune system.
※ Chosun Weekly online article.
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