Top 10 Breakfast Options For A Healthy Gut: Top Harvard Doctor Reveals
Best breakfast options for a healthy gut
1. Overnight oats with chia and berries
This wholesome breakfast option is rich in essential nutrients that feed the beneficial gut bacteria. Oats are high in soluble fibre, promoting healthy digestion, while chia seeds provide omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Berries contain antioxidants that support gut health.
2. Plain yogurt with pomegranate
Plain yogurt is an excellent source of probiotics that help maintain the gut microbiome. Pomegranate adds natural sweetness and is high in antioxidants, further supporting digestive health.
3. Chia pudding with almond milk
Chia pudding is high in fibre and can help regulate bowel movements. Almond milk is dairy-free and gentle on the digestive system, making it a great base for a gut-friendly meal.
4. Lentil dosa with coconut chutney
Dosa batter is fermented, making it a great choice for gut health. Lentils are packed with fibre and protein, while coconut chutney adds healthy fats that can help reduce inflammation in the gut.
5. Sprouted moong salad
Sprouted moong dal is rich in plant-based protein and fibre. It also contains enzymes and has increased nutrient availability, making it easy to digest.
6. Avocado on sourdough
Avocados contain healthy fats and fibre, both of which are beneficial for gut health. Sourdough bread is fermented, which aids digestion and improves overall gut function.
7. Banana with peanut butter on whole grain bread
This well-rounded breakfast option contains fibre, protein, healthy fats and even prebiotics.
8. Berry and kafir smoothie
Combining berries and kefir helps provide a powerhouse of nutrients that support digestion.
9. Tofu scramble with spinach
Tofu is a plant-based protein source that is easy to digest. Spinach adds a variety of nutrients to this breakfast meal.
10. Warm oats with flax, walnuts and cinnamon
This healthy breakfast option is not just soothing to the digestive system but also contains fibre, healthy fats, anti-inflammatory properties and many other gut-enhancing nutrients.
Starting your day right with a healthy, wholesome breakfast helps boost gut health and promotes overall well-being.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Ayurvedic doctor shares what a proper healthy day looks like and what should NOT be done
Let's be honest, life's hectic these days. Most of us barely stop to breathe, let alone think about our daily routines. But funny enough, it's often the small, steady habits that keep us sane. Ayurveda! The old Indian system of health has a few ideas about how to live better. And no, it's not just about herbs and oils. A lot of it is about timing up your daily life with the body's own natural rhythm. They've got a word for it: Dinacharya . It basically means 'daily routine'. Nothing too wild. Just doing things at the right time. Sounds obvious, but it's easy to forget. Starting with the mornings. There's this window, from like 3 AM to 7:30 AM, that's supposed to be ideal for getting up and going. Apparently the first half is ruled by something called Vata, which makes it easier to wake up with a clear head. Once the sun's up, Kapha kicks in, and that's when things feel heavier. So, getting out of bed earlier kind of gives you a head start. What do you do after waking? Well, scrape your tongue, swish a bit of oil around your mouth (oil pulling, they call it), and drink some copper-vessel water if you have one lying around. Sounds odd, but these old tricks are supposed to help get your digestion moving. A bit of stretching or yoga? That's next. Nothing fancy. Maybe 10–15 minutes tops. Throw in some deep breathing or sit quietly. Keeps the stress down and helps your body do its thing. Hormones stay balanced. People feel better. Image : Canva Breakfast? Keep it simple. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Remember Him? Take A Deep Breath Before You See Him Now The Noodle Box Undo Soaked almonds or dates are good. Even some roasted mung bean flour mixed with buttermilk (or lassi) is filling but not heavy. You want fuel, not a food coma. Midday is when your digestion's at its strongest. Around 12 to 1 PM. So, that's when to eat your biggest meal. If you're gonna have something rich or protein-heavy, this is the time. Your body can actually handle it now. By late afternoon, around 3 or 4 PM, you'll probably want a light snack. Nothing big. A piece of fruit or two. Just enough to stop you from crashing. Evenings around 5 to 7 PM is the good time to move. Whether that's a jog, the gym, or just a walk, this is when your muscles are ready to go. After that, slow things down. From 7 PM onwards, you should start switching off. Not saying you need to sit in silence, but maybe ditch the emails. Listen to music. Talk to someone. Do some candle gazing (Trataka), if that's your thing. Light dinner too. Vegetarian's best. Don't eat too late, it messes with your sleep and digestion. Now, this part matters: 10 PM to 2 AM is when your body does the heavy lifting, repairing, restoring, regenerating. If you're still awake scrolling Instagram, you're messing with that process. Try to be asleep by 10. Keep the room dark. Skip the screens. Let your brain and body rest properly. In the end, it's not about being perfect. Ayurveda just gives you a bit of a roadmap. Not a rulebook. Even if you follow a few of these suggestions, wake up earlier, eat when your digestion's strong, sleep on time, you'll likely feel better. (By Dr Somit Kumar, M.D (Ayu), PhD, Chief Scientific Officer & Director of Research, AVP Research Foundation)
The Print
6 hours ago
- The Print
AIIMS researchers call for warning labels on alcohol like tobacco
The opinion piece by oncologists Dr Abhishek Shankar, Dr Vaibhav Sahni and Dr Deepak Saini from the Department of Radiation Oncology, Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, Delhi stated that adolescence forms a crucial period for the initiation and intensification of substance use behaviour, including alcohol. In an opinion piece titled 'Expanding behavioural interventions through cancer warning labels in India: from cigarette packs to alcohol bottles' published in Frontiers in Public Health on July 24, the doctors have highlighted that alcohol, like tobacco, is a proven carcinogen, yet awareness remains low. New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Researchers at AIIMS have called for strong, evidence-based warning labels on alcohol products to prevent avoidable cancers, building on India's success with tobacco warnings. Behavioural interventions instituted by means of alcohol warning labels may prove to be effective in affecting positive changes in the consumption habits of individuals belonging to this age group, particularly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), where it is all the more important for certain sections of society to be educated and sensitised towards the consequences of substance use, the researchers said. They stated that cancer cases in India have seen a steep rise, with data from the 2012 to 2022 period suggesting a 36 per cent increase in incidence (1.01 million-1.38 million). GLOBOCAN 2022 data saw about 1.41 million new cancer cases in India with a five-year prevalence at around 3.25 million and a total cancer mortality at 916,827. Alcohol attributable a fraction for cancer and age-standardised rate per 100,000 in India are 4.7 per cent and 4.8 per cent, respectively, according to the GLOBOCAN 2020 data. Data from 2016 suggested that 6.6 per cent of Disease Adjusted Life Years in India were attributable to alcohol consumption which followed that of tobacco at 10.9 per cent, the researchers said. The researchers also mentioned about the advisory brought out by the US surgeon general in January 2025 regarding the consumption of alcohol and the risk of cancer, which stated that alcohol consumption demonstrably elevates the risk for developing at a minimum, seven types of cancer (colon/rectum, liver, breast, esophagus, larynx, pharynx and oral cavity). The advisory also mentioned the mechanistic links between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing cancer along with the fact that this effect is observable regardless of gender. Even before the release of this advisory, alcohol-attributable cancers have been recognised to contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, the researchers said. Cancer warning labels on alcohol containers have been observed to be of benefit in reducing alcohol consumption and lowering the perception of consumption, they said. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in 2016-17 noted an increase by 16 per cent for health warnings on cigarette packs, with pictorial health warnings demonstrating a 50 per cent elevated impact on the intention to quit smoking cigarettes. Warnings can be differentiated based on the type of messaging involved into loss-framed and gain-framed which have an emphasis on associated risks/harms and the benefits of quitting, respectively, the researchers explained. There is evidence in literature to suggest that gain-framed messaging possesses an advantage over loss-framed warnings but the research on such aspects has mainly focused on loss-framed warnings in the case of cigarette smoking. It is also suggested that a combination of messaging can help inform behaviour change in a more effective manner which is based off the concept of the role individual beliefs play in determining outcomes, they said. India being an LMIC, this trend indicates the effect of cancer warning labels in modifying the behaviour of a significant number of people consuming such products, the researchers highlighted. 'The LMICs may look into expanding the positive experience gained from tobacco warning labels to those pertaining to alcohol containers, which clearly state a cancer risk from consumption. It may also be useful for these cancer labels to state that there is no lower threshold for alcohol-related cancer risk along with the types of cancers demonstrably attributable to alcohol consumption so far,' the doctors said. They pointed out that a crucial but often ignored aspect while considering warning labels is the multiplicative interaction of smoking and alcohol consumption in determining cancer risk. A National Cancer Institute (NCI) Workshop in December 2020 emphasised the importance of addressing the combined usage of tobacco and alcohol. Co-use of tobacco and alcohol has been found to be associated with a multiplicative effect in cancer risk, particularly for pharyngeal and oral sites. The importance of reciprocative warning labels on tobacco and alcohol product packaging is further underscored by the fact that alcohol usage has been observed to go up with an increase in cigarette smoking, with the former being associated with lower rates of quitting and higher relapse rates in smokers. It may also be worth considering to have helpful or constructive labelling on containers which guide the user to seek medical advice or undergo screening for cancer instead of being terminalistic in its messaging by suggesting graphic or fatal outcomes upon consumption, the researchers said. 'Since cancer as a disease may present as a result of the combined effect of alcohol and tobacco consumption, it makes sense to place such cancer warning labels and not address these risk factors in isolation,' they said. PTI PLB MNK MNK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Critical vulnerability exposed sensitive data of voluntary organ donors
A critical vulnerability in the Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO) website of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, that exposed sensitive data of voluntary organ donors across India along with their identity, health profile and contact details was detected and resolved, thanks to an independent security researcher who flagged the flaw. ORBO is the nodal facility for cadaver organ and tissue donation-related activities of the AIIMS. It maintains a brain death donor registry, coordinates the process of organ and tissue donation and transplantation and disseminates information to hospitals. In mid May 2025, the researcher, Aniket Tomar, came across the vulnerability and alerted the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Breach of data privacy In an email informing about the critical data exposure, he said the vulnerability disclosed personally identifiable and medical information of registered organ and tissue donors without any authentication mechanism for accessing it, posing a grave threat to data privacy, compliance, and national health infrastructure security. The data leak provided unrestricted access to the complete list of organ and tissue donors registered with the AIIMS. The information included full name, residential address, date of birth, blood group, mobile number and emergency contact details of the donor putting hundreds of individuals at significant risks of identity theft, phishing attacks, and social engineering exploitation. 'Such a data breach from a reputed medical institution not only undermines public trust in digital health systems but also violates data protection principles under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. The severity is amplified by the fact that the breach affects a sensitive demographic—organ donors—who expect the highest standards of confidentiality and data stewardship,' Mr. Tomar said in his alert to the CERT. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) fields should be sanitised or redacted in any publicly accessible reports, he said and called for a thorough audit of similar web applications across other government healthcare portals to prevent systemic exposure. The AIIMS should notify affected individuals in accordance with ethical standards. 'More than a technical lapse' 'I was able to view several lakh donor entries... The data was not limited to Delhi, the entries appeared to include donors from various regions across India, indicating a nationwide scope. The exposure of this data is a serious breach of privacy, undermining the trust of individuals who voluntarily shared their most sensitive personal information with a national health platform,' Mr. Tomar told The Hindu. More than just a technical lapse, the incident raises deep ethical concerns and threatens to erode public confidence in organ donation systems and the broader healthcare infrastructure, he said. On June 18, 2025, the CERT wrote to Mr. Tomar appreciating him for detecting the critical vulnerability. The vulnerability was successfully mitigated and the exposed data was no longer publicly accessible, the researcher said.
