Overnight oats, unlike oatmeal, aren’t cooked. You just put rolled oats (which are pre-cooked) in a jar with the liquid of your choice overnight. Usually, people soak the rolled oats in water or milk (learn which plant-based milk is the best for weight loss!). In the morning, you can enjoy a nice bowl of overnight oats which are great for optimal gut health.
This delicious morning meal is rich in resistant starch, which is a type of prebiotic fiber that the body won’t digest. Because of this, it passes straight through your digestive system until it reaches your gut where the gut bacteria ferment the fiber. This helps create a healthier gut microbiome. Even though overnight oats are beneficial on their own, are there certain ingredients you can add to help your gut perform optimally
To learn more about the best way to prepare your overnight oats to improve your gut health, we spoke with Lisa Richards, a registered nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet, Jenny Fontana, a nutritional therapist, and Trista Best, a dietitian for Balance One Supplements. They believe adding bananas, ginger, and chia seeds to your overnight oats can greatly improve gut health because these ingredients are full of fiber, healthy fats, and good bacteria that your gut needs to function. Find out more below!
Bananas
This popular fruit isn't only delicious; it's also packed with health benefits that are essential for optimal gut health. "We all associate bananas with potassium which is very important, but bananas are amazing for our gut health because of their fantastic prebiotic benefits," Fontana says. She notes that many people don't understand the importance of good bacteria. "You need to feed your probiotic bacteria, so they will flourish and you will have a happy gut," she explains.
Fontana emphasizes that bananas are "loaded with the prebiotic fiber that the good bacteria thrive on" and notes that they "are also great at helping to reduce bloating." They also contain high amounts of vitamin B6, which is essential to our immune systems. This makes bananas a fantastic choice for anyone looking to improve their immune system and gut health. You can also add bananas to your smoothie for an energizing pick-me-up!
Ginger
Another great way to boost your overnight oats is by adding ginger. This spice offers a whole range of health benefits and is an especially good ingredient for anyone who wants to improve their immunity and gut health. Similar to bananas, the gut-healthy benefits of ginger stems from the fact that it feeds the good bacteria in your gut. "Ginger helps to bring balance to the gut and thereby reducing bloating, nausea, and gas," Best explains. Overall, ginger makes for a wonderful, supercharged oats ingredient that is equal parts tasty as it is metabolism-boosting. Yum!
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are "a nutrient-dense, complete protein, and whole grain that can be easily integrated into most dietary patterns," according to Richards. These seeds contain gut-healthy fiber, and are what she says are "an especially helpful grain for those who follow a plant-based diet, as they provide all essential amino acids in one food." Richards adds that they contain "healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids, a highly anti-inflammatory fat, which makes them ideal for heart health as well."
Known to be a "superfood," Richards emphasizes that these fat-blasting seeds are "versatile and pack a lot of nutrition into a small package." Adding them to your overnight oats is a great place to start! The protein content in both chia seeds and oats, Richards concludes, will help keep you full for longer, which can prevent "overeating throughout the day."
