I’m a nutritionist. These are my five favourite recipes to protect my gut health

If you’re among the 90 per cent of Britons who don’t eat enough fibre or the 75 per cent of the population who buy the same foods each week, your belly bacteria could probably do with a boost.

Fibre is key to gut health because it slows down digestion, giving our gut bacteria time to break down our food properly. It also acts like an intestinal chimney sweep, keeping everything moving to prevent constipation.

Eating a variety of foods, particularly plant foods, is another feature of a gut-friendly diet. A diverse range of nutrients is required to feed the various bacteria in the gut, leading to a richer and more robust microbiome.

Probiotics and prebiotics are the other pieces of the gut health puzzle. Probiotic foods, such as Greek yogurt and kimchi, contain live bacteria that increase the bacteria diversity in the gut. Prebiotics are a type of carbohydrate, found in foods like onions, garlic, and leeks, that are a food source for our gut bacteria.

But before you reach for a quick-fix supplement, know that you might be wasting your money. Everyone’s microbiome is unique, and a generalised gut health product, such as a probiotic, is a scattergun approach that is unlikely to address your individual gut health issues. The best way to improve gut function is through diet, so here are five of my favourite gut-friendly recipes to try at home, so you can start supporting your gut health naturally.

Taste-wise, this salad is all about the dressing, but it looks really beautiful too. You can, for speed, grate the veggies in the food processor, but it’s really not much more bother to use a hand-held vegetable peeler to create delicate ribbons – and it looks prettier too. You can prepare the veggies a few hours in advance and keep them in a bowl of cold water in the fridge, then drain, dry and dress them just before serving.

If you want to make this a more substantial meal, serve it with pan-fried fish or prawns. It goes particularly well with seared tuna (100g = 108 calories).

Ingredients

• 1 large carrot, peeled and shaved into ribbons

• 1 courgette, shaved into ribbons

• ½ cucumber, shaved into ribbons

• 1 red pepper, finely sliced

For the dressing

• 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp tahini

• 1 tbsp peanut butter or other nut butter

• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

• 2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated

To garnish

• 20g salted peanuts, chopped

• A small handful of coriander leaves (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the vegetables and place in a pretty bowl. Put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together well to combine. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat.

2. Top with the chopped peanuts and coriander leaves and serve.

Overnight oats is the easiest way to get a head start on your 30-plant-foods a week challenge. This particular recipe contains 10 so you’re already 33 per cent of the way there, and it’s a veritable microbiome banquet; the yogurt provides probiotics and there are prebiotics and fibre from the apples, seeds and nuts. This recipe will make enough for three breakfasts.

Ingredients

• 100g rolled oats

• 1 tbsp each chia, flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds

• 1 tbsp flaked almonds

• 5 walnut halves, chopped

• 5 dried apricots, chopped

• 1 small apple, grated with skin on

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 150ml live yogurt (or kefir), or a little more if needed

• 200ml semi-skimmed milk

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in an airtight container and mix thoroughly.

2. Put the lid on and pop in the fridge overnight.

3. In the morning give it a good mix, place a serving (a third) in a bowl and add a little more kefir to loosen if it needs it.

4. As an option, top with chopped fruit for even more plant-food goodness.

This very simple recipe calls for kimchi which you can buy in the supermarket (choose the raw versions in the chiller cabinet) or use your own. The kimchi is added after cooking the eggs rather than added to the pan, to preserve all the lovely probiotics.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 spring onion, finely sliced

• 2 tbsp kimchi

Method

1. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl.

2. Heat the sesame oil gently in a large frying pan.

3. Add the eggs and swirl to cover the pan base.

4. Add the spring onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip over and finish on the other side for a minute or so.

5. Dollop the kimchi on top and eat immediately.

Prebiotics are a form of carbohydrate that the good bacteria in your gut love to feast on. This soup contains some of the best prebiotic foods out there, so your microbiota are in for a treat. I like to stir in a spoon of live Greek yogurt or kefir before eating for even more gut goodness.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and quartered

• 1 leek, trimmed and chopped into 4 pieces

• 1 tbsp light olive oil

• 125g asparagus, woody ends removed

• 1 courgette, ends removed and chopped into four

• 800ml vegetable stock

• 1 x 250g pouch of pre-cooked mixed grains

• Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Finely chop the onion and leek, using a food processor.

2. Place a large saucepan on a medium heat, add the oil, then tip in the onion and leek and sauté gently while you chop the asparagus and courgette in the food processor then add them to the pan.

3. Stir all the vegetables together and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.

4. Now add the stock and the grains, stir well and season generously with salt and pepper.

5. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Finally, add the lemon juice, stir well and taste. Add more salt and pepper if required before serving.

I’ve played fast and loose with authenticity here in the interests of speed, but the main flavour elements are all there. This is about as simple a weekday meal as you’ll get that still hits home nutritionally and provides a very welcome 10g fibre per serving. For even more fabulous fibre, pair with a toasted wholegrain pita.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• 1 onion, finely diced

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

• 2-3cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• 100g red lentils

• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 500ml vegetable stock

• A handful of chopped coriander leaves (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

2. Add the onion and gently sauté for 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin and cayenne pepper and mix well, before adding the lentils, then cook for a few more minutes until everything is well combined.

4. Add the tomatoes, stock and a good pinch of salt.

5. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and loosely cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little more water if it’s getting too thick; it should eventually resemble a thick soup.

6. If you happen to have some fresh coriander, sprinkle some chopped leaves over the top to garnish.