Taking care of your gut health should be a job that starts as soon as you wake up — and it can be as easy as choosing the right breakfast foods.
Making your first meal one that’s packed with fiber-full carbs, lean protein and healthy fats can help you avoid acid reflux, bloating, constipation and other tummy troubles. It can also help keep you full all the way to lunchtime, experts tell TODAY.com.
But skipping breakfast, generally, is a no-no.
“Our big take-home message is not skipping breakfast,” Dr. Stephanie L. Gold, a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Hospital and an instructor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells TODAY.com.
“It’s really important to kind of get some food into the gut. It’s good for energy and keeps you full during the day,” she says.
First up: Water
Gold and Dr. Adrienna Jirik, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic, both start their days with a full glass of water.
“Drink a full eight ounces of water before you eat,” Jirik tells TODAY.com. “Water should be an appetizer before every meal, but a hydration boost first thing in the morning is a must after overnight hours,” she adds.
“I always try to hydrate because I don’t know how busy my day is going to be,” Gold says. Not only does water keep you hydrated, but it also helps keep digestion on track and prevents bloating and constipation.
What GI doctors eat for breakfast:
There is a bit of a formula to creating satisfying, gut-healthy meals.
“It’s important that we look for a balanced protein, and then I look for a fiber-rich carbohydrate or starch and then some type of lean fat,” Gold says.
“I know that (a meal like that will) carry me through the day,” she adds. “Our days tend to be very busy, and I don’t want to be hungry in an hour.”
Jirik agrees: “I advise my patients to have two to three go-to mini-breakfast plans to kickstart their day that are rich in fiber, protein and a healthy carbohydrate,” she says.
High-fiber cereal
Gold, who describes herself as a…
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