Dairy-Free Breakfast Ideas for Gut-Sensitive Days

Author's Bio: Jessie Gutsue, MA, RDN, IFNCP

Hey, welcome back.

This is Jessie Gutsue. I'm a functional medicine dietitian with Oswald Digestive Clinic.

I'm so excited to talk to you today about alternative breakfast options that don't include dairy.

Sometimes we wake up with these tummy troubles, maybe we have gas or bloating, and I've got some options for you that can help settle your tummy. If you're interested in more gut health cooking tips, then check out the link below for our Five Tips for Quicker Gut Healthy Cooking.

All right, without further ado, let's get into our dairy-free breakfast alternatives for those slightly upset tummy days.

[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]

So What Is a Gut-Sensitive Day?

Well, they can be caused from a lot of things, but people might say that it feels like they have a little bit of digestive issues, whether it's gas or bloating or constipation or just sort of off. And those days, I know we've all experienced them at one point or another. So food and what you choose for breakfast can really make a difference.

So first, let's talk about some of the reasons that we can get these tummy troubles and maybe how to prevent them in the first place. So definitely late night meals can cause you to wake up not feeling your best. So certainly making sure that portions are proper and that you have adequate time between the time that you've eaten supper or your last meal or snack and the time that you've go to bed.

So whether it be two, three or four hours, but somewhere in there is ideal. And then of course, making sure that our portions of whatever food that is that we're eating are smaller in nature. We want to have our bigger meals in the morning and then taper 'em off as the day goes because we really don't want to prioritize digestion when we're supposed to be repairing during sleep. And then finally, sometimes we're just off. It might just be stress in our day or a lot going on and just a regular schedule that's just too much and that's pretty common for a lot of folks.

So trying to keep all of these things in mind to prevent the tummy troubles to begin with is a really important thing. But let's get into one of the meals that we're going to make today for breakfast, and then we'll talk about some of the other alternatives that I have for you.

Cacao Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl

So our recipe today is a cocoa peanut butter smoothie bowl, and I am such a fan of smoothies, smoothie bowls for a number of reasons.

Number one, they are quick. They let you get things going and maybe take it to the office or wherever you work and eat it once you get there without having to spend a lot of time in front of the stove or whatever it is when you're trying to get everybody else ready to get out the house.

Number two, you can really pack in a lot of nutrition in a smoothie or a smoothie bowl. You should add in a fruit and or a veggie, a couple of each, whatever you can tolerate.

And the third reason that it can be really helpful on days where your tummy is a little off is because the blender or your food processor already does a lot of that work for you. So what I mean by this is those blades help to really break up some of the food that ultimately your stomach and your small intestine will work to break down later.

So this is helpful for those that do have digestive issues. It's also something that's recommended sometimes to pair with a low FODMAP diet because these foods that we generally, if you are sensitive, can't digest these ingredients, they should be digested and absorbed pretty easily. And what I'm referring to are FODMAPs. So these carbohydrates that instead of being absorbed like they should, are fermented and that's what causes all these issues.

What these blades do is it helps break up and it already sort of initiates the digestive process for you, which can be really helpful. Then finally, just sort of a fun thing when they're cold, when something's cold and creamy, it can just be a little bit more enjoyable than chewing on something if that's not what your stomach is asking for that day. So all these ingredients are generally pretty low fodmap, but then of course remembering portion control, which is always the number one thing when it comes to FODMAPs.

Alright, so we're going to start with a firm green banana that's been frozen. So we're going to use a firm green banana because those green bananas are higher in starches and lower in sugar. As the banana tends to brown, the starched reduces and the sugars go up. So we have our banana in here, and then I have a combination of a teaspoon of chia seeds and a couple tablespoons of hemp seeds. So the recipe calls for a teaspoon of chia seeds and then a milk alternative. And one of my favorite things when a smoothie calls for a milk alternative, I prefer to use a couple tablespoons up to a quarter crop of a nut or a seed and then water instead because oftentimes those non-dairy milks that we find at the store not only are expensive and they contain things like gums and binders to keep it all cohesive, but they also don't have a ton of nutrition.

Why Use Whole Seeds Instead of Non-Dairy Milk?

So what happens when you make a milk alternative is you use the milk and you use the nuts or seeds or whatever the primary component is, and after it's blended, that pulp is pushed through a mesh strainer and then you are left with just a little bit of water and nuts rather than getting the nutrition of the nuts or the seeds. So my preference, and I think it's cheaper and easier, is to use the nutter seed along with water instead of a milk alternative.

Now, you can choose to use a non-dairy milk alternative. You can even choose to use a little bit of a dairy milk. Of course, we're talking about non-dairy breakfast alternatives today, so I am not going to talk about that, but if you are trying to reintroduce yourself to lactose, then it is actually wise to introduce small portions of dairy so that you regularly experience the protein, the sugars, and get your body reacclimated.

Ultimately, the goal of a low FODMAP diet is to be able to expand to a full diet at some point. It's not meant to be a lifestyle, but just to be something that helps to heal while you are in the space that you're in. So we're going to throw in our nuts and seeds next. And when I say nuts, we're also using a tablespoon of natural peanut butter, and I like the smoker's brand. It's easy to find. It's just peanuts and salt and I think the flavor is really good.

So we're going to use a tablespoon of peanut butter here. And all these ingredients so far are lower in FODMAPs, but then just remembering as you go over portion size, they do tend to go to medium or even high FODMAP food. So keep that in mind. And then we have just a teaspoon of cocoa powder and a teaspoon of maple syrup. Maple syrup is a sweetener, and so it will have some of those carbohydrates. It's composed of sucrose, glucose, and fructose, but the fructose portion, which is generally one of the sugars that can cause issues, is a little bit lower than say compared to honey or agave.

So in small amounts, maple syrup is an okay option for a sweetener when it comes to a low FODMAP sweetener. So like I said before, in order to make that melt alternative, I am using the seeds and some water. So we'll put in about a half a cup of water and then we'll blend. It might add a little bit of ice to make it a little bit creamier and then see how the texture goes.

So that's it. This is the smoothie bowl. Now if you want to make it thicker, then you can add more ice and some more seeds or reduce the amount of liquid. If you want to make it thinner, of course, add a little bit more liquid and you can also top it with some nuts and seeds or drizzle some peanut butter on it. So however you'd like to enjoy your smoothies.

Other Dairy-Free Gut-Friendly Breakfast Ideas

So let's get into some of the other dairy-free breakfast ideas that will help to ease an upset stomach in the mornings.

Chia Seed Pudding

Another one of my favorite breakfasts are chia seed puddings. I love chia seed pudding because they're very versatile. I would suggest you make your chia seed pudding the night before because it does take five to 15 minutes to set and get that nice consistency. But then you can add in your berries, or what I love is a hundred percent canned pumpkin, which is another low fo map item.

You can make it however you want and you just add chia seeds and either water or a non-dairy alternative and let it sit in those chia seeds. They are hydrophilic, and so they pull in that water and they create a really nice creamy pudding like texture. So I do say make that the night before, though it'll help save some time.

Savory Oats

Another option that I love are savory oats. I'm such a fan of savory oats. We often think of sweetened oats here in the states, but anywhere else, they will eat more savory oats. So make your oatmeal, and I would suggest even making it with water. I don't think you need the sweetness. Sometimes that comes along with some of those non-dairy alternatives. So make your oats just with water, maybe a little bit of salt, and then cook a couple of eggs over medium. So you'll throw an egg on a fry pan, you'll cook it once.

You flip it, you throw in a couple of greens and put the lid on your pan, turn off the heat and allow the greens to wilt. And then you add those items, tap 'em to your oatmeal, shred some hard cheese, just a little bit of hard Parmesan goes a long way in terms of flavor. And because it's a harder cheese, it's generally more easily tolerated and then drizzle it with a little bit of olive oil. It is so good salt and pepper.

Eggs and Sourdough Toast

Another item that I really like, and this is a more traditional option, are eggs and sourdough and maybe a side of greens or something like that to add a little bit of fiber. So the thing here to remember is that if you are celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitive, then I don't recommend sourdough. It is not gluten-free. It is lower in gluten though if it's traditionally made.

So the goal here is to find a sourdough that has been fermented for at least 12 hours. Generally, you really have to pay attention to the breads that you find in the stores though. You want to look for a bread where the ingredients are listed that don't include, so say like a yeast or a baking soda, baking powder, even some acids, because that will indicate that it's not true sourdough. The benefit of sourdough is that when you have this yeast in your sourdough starter that those bugs help to literally break down some of the gluten and sort of predigests it before you get it. So that's the really big benefit to sourdough flavor is great too, and it's a little bit more traditional, so it makes you feel like you're not losing out on what everybody else is enjoying.

Lactose-Free Yogurts

And then finally, another great option are lactose-free yogurts. There's some really great brands out there that will give you the probiotics that you might really need on these days, but will also give you some protein as well. So you want to make sure that you're getting a decent amount of protein, maybe five or 10 grams. Definitely non-dairy yogurts are lower in protein than their dairy counterparts, but you want to get at least five or 10 grams. And then making sure your sugar is low. So I opt for a plain yogurt and then dressing it up yourself. So you can also add in a cocoa peanut butter vibe and get your yogurt and add in the cocoa and some peanut butter and make a more sweeter, more decadent type of yogurt.

So there are a lot of options out there for days where you are looking for a non-dairy alternative. You just have to get a little bit creative and think outside of some of the things that we are typically exposed to or think of as a traditional breakfast option.

Final Reminders on Portion Control

So again, just keeping in mind, portion control is a really big deal when it comes to tummy troubles and making sure that your carbohydrates aren't too high. When looking for maybe lower FODMAP or non-dairy options, the portions can always get you, so if you eat too much of anything, you'll have tummy troubles. So making sure portions are really kept in appropriate amounts. Even foods with some lactose can be tolerated when they're consumed in smaller amounts. In fact, manash even suggests that if you're trying to reintroduce lactose into your diet, that you do so in sort of a smaller, more frequent basis. So you're taking in a quarter cup or a half a cup of dairy milk in order to sort of reintroduce lactose and get the enzymes that help break down lactose, get those enzymes reacquainted with the sugar so that they can do their job in the future.

I hope you enjoyed these ideas as non-dairy alternatives, and you go and make one. And please let us know what your favorite option is, or if you have something that's completely different, share it in the comments below.

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