This muesli is packed with all the beneficial ingredients needed to feed the gut bacteria, making for a happy digestive system.
- B Breakfast
- VG Vegetarian
- S Sweet
- CA Calcium-rich
- GUT Gut-healthy
- Prep time 5 mins
- Serves 2-4
- Difficulty easy
Method
- Grate the apple. Mix with rolled oats, nuts, seeds and cinnamon.
- Add yoghurt and mix to combine.
- Cover and place in fridge overnight.
- In the morning, if a moister consistency is desired, add extra yoghurt, milk, soy milk or apple juice, although the grated apples help to keep the muesli moist.
- Serve with a selection of fruit.
Tip: This muesli will keep in fridge for 2-3 days. The ingredients absorb the liquid so extra yoghurt (or other liquid) will need to be added on later days.
Nutritional information
By Jean Hailes naturopath and herbalist Sandra Villella
It's often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies show that skipping breakfast affects how much energy we expend. Without it, we're more likely to move less and burn fewer calories.
This dish contains whole foods that nourish and restore the gut microbiota.
The human gut microbiota contains over 1000 different species. They help us to maximise the absorption of nutrients and energy, have a role in our immunity, and new research shows that they can influence behaviours such as anxiety and depression.
It is well established that our diet influences the fermentation of these bacteria in the gut as well as the total bacteria in the intestine.
Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced in the gut by the fermentation of the carbohydrates (mostly various fibres) that cannot be digested in the gut. These SCFAs provide energy to the friendly bacteria. So having a diet high in these mostly high-fibre foods increases the number of bacteria as well increasing the size and bulk of our stools.
Raw rolled oats are a great source of resistant starch, which nourish good bacteria. Oats also help with appetite control and make us feel full for longer.
Red apples, berries, plums and linseeds are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants called polyphenols. Pepitas and sunflower seeds are rich in the prebiotic galactooligosaccharides, and almonds are a prebiotic-like food. Yoghurt containing live cultures of good gut bacteria may help by temporarily colonising the gut.
