The worst breakfasts for your gut health and what to eat instead

 In a world of complicated and fast-changing health advice, the mantra “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is simple and, more importantly, backed by experts. “The consensus is that it’s probably a good idea to try and have a nutritious breakfast,” confirms Dr Sammie Gill, a registered dietitian. “It sets you up for the day ahead, helps regulate energy levels, wards off hunger pangs and helps with focus, alertness and productivity.”

While there’s no single “right way” to fuel your body in the morning, there are plenty of ways that we can get it wrong – from sugar-laden cereals to grab-and-go bottled smoothies and cereal bars. Dr Gill has shared the worst breakfast options and the healthy swaps you can make to set yourself up for the day.

The grab and go breakfast bar

Breakfast bars are convenient, tasty and often give the impression that they’re healthy through claims on the packaging like “100 per cent natural”, “plant-based” and “light”, while emphasising ingredients including oats, nuts and fruit.

“But, more often than not, they don’t live up to the claims,” warns Dr Gill, who is also a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. “Many brands contain lots of added ingredients to enhance the taste and texture.”

These include emulsifiers, flavourings and sugar, which may be labelled as golden or brown rice syrup or date or coconut sugar on the packaging. “Using other names for sugar disguises the fact they contain added sugars,” she notes.

Researchers are worried that these artificial ingredients can cause problems with our gut. Emulsifiers, in particular, have been linked to disruption in the gut, while animal studies have highlighted that they may play a role in the development of bowel cancer.

Swap for: Homemade oat bars

If a grab-and-go breakfast suits your morning, Dr Gill says the healthiest option is to make your own breakfast bars ahead of time. They can be made by combining just three ingredients: oats, banana and peanut butter.

If you stick with shop-bought, she recommends The Gut Stuff, Nakd and Bio & Me bars. “These brands are higher in fibre, lower in sugar and contain the fewest amount of ingredients.”

The big bowl of cereal

“Breakfast cereals can be confusing to navigate,” says Dr Gill. It’s how a quarter of people in the UK start the day but their ingredients list and the amount of sugar they contain vary drastically – meaning what you pour into your bowl can have implications for your health.

Sugar-coated cornflakes are, of course, high in sugar and low in fibre (often containing the equivalent of three sugar cubes and only 0.5g of fibre per 30g portion), which is a disaster for our gut, she says.

Research suggests that too much eliminates beneficial bacteria from our microbiome, while fibre is essential for the gut as it feeds the bacteria living in it.

However, some low-sugar cereal options also offer barely any fibre (such as plain puffed rice) while some sugary options, such as sugar-coated shredded wheat offer a decent fibre hit.

Swap for: Porridge

“I would always recommend choosing a plain, high-fibre option then adding your own toppings,” Dr Gill says. Porridge, or if you’re in a rush plain wheat biscuits and shredded wheat, are all safe bets.

You can then add honey or fruit to sweeten these more bland options but, importantly, can control how much, she says. “You can add extra toppings such as seeds and nuts for extra fibre, protein and healthy unsaturated fats. One of my personal favourites is porridge with mashed up banana and peanut butter.”

The classic bacon sandwich

“A bacon sandwich is high in salt and low in fibre,” Dr Gill notes.

If eaten too often, bacon can be toxic for our gut health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified processed meat, which includes bacon, as carcinogenic – meaning there is strong evidence that it increases risk of cancer, most notably bowel cancer.

“The WHO found that eating 50g of processed meats a day increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer by 18 per cent over a lifetime,” she notes.

Swap for: A wholegrain version with tomatoes

“Let’s be realistic – the advice is to limit, not totally avoid bacon, unless you want to,” Dr Gill says. “Just be mindful of the amount you’re having and how often.”

If you enjoy a bacon sandwich, have it now and again instead of regularly, she says. There are also simple ways to improve the nutritional value of a classic bacon sandwich, as well as making it more gut-friendly, such as by using wholegrain or seedy bread instead of white, and adding some fresh tomatoes.

“You could even swap out the bacon for veggie sausages, chicken sausages, or smoked tofu,” she adds.