This healthy 7-day meal plan is full of nutritious and nourishing recipes to support gut health. Let me help you make your gut happy, after all, gut health is whole health!! Including a downloadable pdf with a grocery list, full nutritional analysis, recipes, and prep schedule.
This healthy 7-day meal plan is full of nutritious and nourishing recipes to support gut health. Let me help you make your gut happy, after all, gut health is whole health!! Including a downloadable PDF with a grocery list, full nutritional analysis, recipes, and prep schedule.
A healthy 7-day meal plan focusing on recipes with wholesome ingredients that support a healthy gut microbiome and healthy digestion. I call this the Happy Gut Meal Plan!
Disclaimer: I have a very inclusive philosophy around food and truly believe that most foods fit into a healthy lifestyle. In sharing these meal plans I hope to support and encourage you to add more nutrient-dense foods into your life in a way that is accessible and easy.
If reading meal plans or dietary theory is triggering for you please skip this post.
This does not substitute for medical advice and I do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek diagnosis, treatment, and advice from qualified providers based on your condition. If you are interested in personalized nutrition based on your unique constitution feel free to read more about my private functional nutrition practice here.
Okay, let's get to the meal plan!
HOW TO USE THIS MEAL PLAN:
Scroll down to find all of the recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, snacks. This is a seven-day gut-healthy diet meal plan, including one week of delicious, wholesome, health-supportive foods and meal prep tips.
The comprehensive PDF version of this meal plan includes:
- Detailed meal schedule
- Full nutritional analysis
- Complete Grocery list
- Meal Prep Schedule
- All complete recipes
- Downloadable as an easy-to-read and PDF that you can print out and take directly to the grocery store, or open on your phone for easy instructions
WHY GUT HEALTH MATTERS
To truly understand the health benefits of this Happy Gut Meal Plan, we have to first understand the importance of gut health. In my private nutrition practice, gut health is where I begin with all clients.
Impaired digestive health can manifest in a host of conditions including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Celiac disease, IBS, SIBO, Increased intestinal permeability (or leaky gut), and general gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in good gut bacteria and pathogenic gut bacteria). The health of our gut also impacts a wide range of systems and conditions including the immune system, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, skin conditions, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other chronic diseases.
Over 80% of the immune system resides in our gut! Immune function is greatly impacted by the balance of healthy bacteria in our microbiome. The gut produces 75% of our neurotransmitters, gut health plays an important role in mental health. Essentially, if you want to feel better, body, mind, and soul, you need a healthy microbiome. The good news is that eating a variety of foods can put you on track to good gut health.
Improved digestive function is a lot more involved than a one-week meal plan, it involves proper nutrition, plenty of water, sometimes supplementation, and lifestyle interventions over the course of several months to a year!
In this gut health meal plan, we are going to focus on the many healing gut-friendly foods that are part of a healthy balanced diet and will not only improve gut health but also support whole body health.
What Foods are Good for the Gut?
A primary goal to improve gut health is to achieve a balanced microbiome with an abundance of healthy gut bacteria and a decrease (or elimination of) bad bacteria. If you are struggling with digestive issues, food allergies, brain fog, small or large intestine dysfunction, immune dysregulation, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea then a change in what you are eating may make a difference.
Most Western diets are low in plant-based foods, low in high-fiber foods, high in red meat, and high in sugar. Pair that with a lifestyle filled to the brim with chronic stress and no wonder we are seeing an increase in health conditions related to the gut. The best way to improve this is to start including the following types of foods in your diet that will have a positive impact on your gut microbiota
Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods
- Eat fermented foods, like kimchi and sauerkraut – Probiotic foods that are rich in wild-strain beneficial bacteria
- Fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir
- Eat prebiotic foods, or foods rich in prebiotic fiber – like beans and legumes. Pro tip- green tea has prebiotic-like properties too! Add a cup of green tea to your diet every day. Prebiotics are a type of fiber that helps to feed the beneficial bacteria in our GI system, this is a good thing.
Anti-inflammatory Foods Herbs and Spices
Increase the fresh herbs and dried spices in your diet which will provide a host of anti-inflammatory properties. A great way to do this is by drinking more herbal tea!
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Basil
- Mint
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Oregano
Healthy Fats
Increasing good quality healthy fat in your diet improves short-chain fatty acid production which has a profound effect on overall gut health.
- Avocado
- Olive Oil
- Grass-Fed Butter or Ghee – grass-fed butter contains butyric acid which provides your colonic cells with energy!
- Salmon (for omega 3 fatty acids)
Collagen and Gelatin
Collagen/ gelatin is an important nutrient that impacts the health of the gut lining (you can read more about that here). I incorporate collagen daily in my coffee! More sources of collagen/gelatin
Resistant Starches
Resistant starch helps to feed beneficial bacteria in the gut (those are your good bugs!) and increases the production of short-chain fatty acids like butyrate.
- Cooked and cooled potatoes
- Cooked and cooled rice
- Green bananas
- Legumes
Fiber-Rich Foods
- Fresh fruit
- Whole grains (for many this means gluten-free grains, but assessing if a gluten-free diet is right for you is best done with a health professional)
- Nuts and seeds like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds
- Vegetables, a fully plant-based diet is not necessary and in many cases may be contraindicated, but increasing fiber-rich foods is an important factor in a supportive microbiome diet
Increase the Diversity of your Diet
- Eat a varied diet, do you buy the same veggies every week? Are broccoli and string beans always in your grocery cart? Mix it up! A diverse diet = a diverse microbiome and improved health throughout the entire digestive tract.
Who is the Happy Gut Meal Plan for?
Anyone could benefit from the Happy Gut Meal Plan, but specifically for anyone looking to improve overall digestive health.
NOTE: not all gut-supportive foods will be supportive for people with certain digestive disorders like IBS, SIBO, FRUCTOSE MALABSORPTION, ETC. Please work with your health practitioner to find what foods will be most supportive for your condition.
7-DAY Gut Health MEAL PLAN RECIPES:
If you'd like a complete pdf download of this meal plan including, a detailed schedule, full nutritional analysis, grocery list, and pdf of all the delicious recipes download it by clicking the button below.
Gut Supportive Breakfast Recipes
Smoothies!
When I am giving my digestive system a bit of a respite I love having a nutrient-dense smoothie for breakfast. The downloadable meal plan contains the complete recipes for a Gut Healing Green Smoothie and my favorite Strawberry Collagen Smoothie. You can also try this avocado matcha smoothie and this beet pray love smoothie bowl.
Kimchi + Kale Scramble
Adding fermented veggies to eggs may sound a bit strange but trust me, one bite of this kimchi scramble and you will be hooked! Saute kale leaves in olive oil until tender, add chopped kimchi, and cook until just heated through, move to the side of the pan and cook scrambled eggs, toss all together. Top with salt and pepper as needed.
Eggs + Avocado + Kraut Bowl
Same idea friends, get in those fermented veggies wherever you can! In this “recipe” that isn't really a recipe, make 2 eggs however you like best (fried or jammy is my favorite) enjoy with nitrate-free bacon, a sliced avocado, and a generous spoonful of sauerkraut.
Legumes for resistant starch, a host of anti-inflammatory spices, and loaded with good for you nutrients.
Microbiome-Friendly Lunch and Dinner Recipes
There are a few additional gut-supportive recipes found in the downloadable meal plan.
Spicy Cauliflower Burrito Bowl
All the plants, all the flavor! Make a double batch for easy meal prep lunches all week long.
Warm Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad
This is another meal prep mastery recipe. I use pre-cooked lentils (I love Trader Joe's lentils) and roasted sweet potato. Toss with chopped baby spinach and toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Easy and delicious!
Sauerkraut Crusted Salmon
You already purchased (or made your own!) sauerkraut – so let's put it to good use! Mix a few spoonfuls of sauerkraut with whole grain mustard and spread on top of a salmon filet. Sear in a hot pan (sauerkraut side down) for 3-4 minutes, gently flip over and finish cooking until heated through. The combo of the mustard and briney sauerkraut with fatty salmon is so delicious! Serve with a big green salad.
Instant Pot Apricot Ginger Chicken with Bok Choy
Ginger, turmeric, and apricot are the stars of this recipe. An easy instant pot recipe with gut-supportive ingredients your whole family will love. You will seriously want to drink the sauce!
Digestive Health Friendly Snack Recipes + Gut Healing Latte
When I am working with private clients on gut supportive strategies the most important intervention is listening to your bodies hunger cues. Some of my clients thrive by including several supportive snacks throughout the day, others find that spacing out meals 4-5 hours is the best strategy. This is highly individualized, so I added a few options in this meal plan.
Strawberry Banana Bread Muffins
A grain-free muffin recipe using fiber-rich coconut flour. This makes 12+ muffins and is the perfect sweet treat.
The BEST guacamole with veggies
No seriously, the best guacamole. I love having a little guacamole with veggies as a snack. Getting in good quality fat is essential for gut healing, avocado is our best friend here. Loaded with fiber in addition to fat, I've found that clients that regularly include avocado in their diet have far better gut-healing results.
Sipping on bone broth is one of my top gut-supportive strategies. You can follow this recipe for easy instant pot bone broth or buy it premade from Broth Masters, Bonafide Provisions, or Brodo.
Yup, avocado is coming in hot again. This time as a sweet treat. This recipe couldn't be easier and is so incredibly satisfying.
Coconut Matcha Latte
Green tea, matcha, serves as a prebiotic-like food helping to feed the good bacteria we need in our gut. I recommend drinking one matcha or green tea daily when you are on a gut-healing journey.
Watermelon Lemonade Gut Gummies
What's better than a gummy treat that is also gut supportive??? Nothing is better! This simple homemade recipe harnesses the gut-healing magic of gelatin with fresh juice (watermelon or otherwise). Store in the fridge for a fun jiggly treat.
DOWNLOAD THE RECIPES, GROCERY LIST, MEAL SCHEDULE, PREP SCHEDULE, AND NUTRITION ANALYSIS AS A PDF
To make life super duper easy I put this all together in a comprehensive pdf with recipes, grocery list, meal schedule, and nutrition analysis. The cost of the download is $8.
I hope you love this meal plan!
Do you have a specific meal plan you'd like to see in this series? Paleo? Vegan? Low-Fodmap? Shoot me an email: abra@abraskitchen.com or comment below!
