Understanding your gut can be confusing, particularly when it comes to what to eat and which ingredients can support and improve digestive health.
To help, Love Your Gut Week, which runs until September 24, has partnered with author and nutritionist Dr Joan Ransley, to share some new simple recipes that both you and your gut will love.
Each dish is based on gut-healthy combinations of foods to showcase how easy and delicious it can be to cook to support digestive health. With options ranging from breakfast to dinner, and everything in between, there is something for every occasion, which can be enjoyed any time of year.
• Breakfast smoothie bowl
This smoothie bowl makes a great nutritious breakfast to help kick start the day. Thanks to the oats, muesli, fruit, nuts and seeds, this dish contains dietary fibre which helps the passage of food through the gut and feeds healthy bacteria.
This recipe also provides plenty of plant points, as well as calcium, protein, vitamins and minerals, and a range of polyphenols – to help support the good bacteria in the gut .
Preparation time: five to 10 minutes. Serves four.
Ingredients
250g live, plain dairy yoghurt or plain vegan yoghurt
2 ripe, medium sized, peeled bananas
30g rolled oats
120g frozen mixed berries, defrosted
80g muesli (no-added-sugar )
20g mixed seeds, ie, sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, linseed
30g walnuts, chopped
150g fresh seasonal fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, blackberries, strawberries
Method
Place the yogurt, bananas, oats and defrosted berries into a blender and blitz until smooth. You may have to do this in batches.
Pour the smoothie mixture into the base of four bowls.
Scatter the seeds of your choice into a small pan and heat gently until they are just beginning to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Sprinkle the muesli between the four bowls, followed by the toasted seeds and walnuts.
Finish it off by arranging an assortment of fresh seasonal fruit around the top of the bowls.
Cooking tip: If the fruit is not completely defrosted it can still be added to the yogurt and puréed, which is a nice touch during hot weather.
• Smokey beans topped with feta cheese and coriander
Step aside beans on toast, this wholesome and warming smokey beans dish is packed full of different beans and tasty veggies to add depth and texture, helping to keep the gut happy.
The beans are a good source of fibre and a complex carbohydrate, meaning it is digested slowly by the gut. The combination of herbs and spices also increases the diversity of plants in the dish and adds additional micronutrients.
Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 25 minutes. Serves four.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 red peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 x 400g tins of mixed beans, drained
400g can chopped tomatoes
150g feta cheese, crumbled
Small bunch coriander, leaves and stalks chopped (or fresh parsley )
Method
Warm the olive oil in a large pan and add the onion, celery, red peppers, garlic, smoked paprika and cumin. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are soft but not coloured.
Add the beans and chopped tomatoes to the vegetables. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add it to the pan. Add half of the chopped coriander. Stir well and bring the pan to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the tomato sauce is rich and thick. Add a splash of water if the sauce for the beans gets too dry.
Divide the beans between four plates and scatter with crumbled feta cheese and chopped coriander. Serve with baked sweet potato wedges or wholemeal brown rice.
Cooking tip: Both the tender stalks and leaves of coriander can be chopped up and used in recipes. If you don’t like coriander, you can use fresh parsley instead.
