08/07/2026
Not all breakfasts are created equal… 🌿🫐
This bowl isn’t just about filling my stomach. It’s about feeding the 100 trillion microbes that call my gut home.
Every colour, every fibre, every polyphenol is an invitation for a different group of beneficial bacteria to thrive. We often focus on probiotics, but it’s the prebiotic fibres and plant polyphenols that determine which microbes flourish and what beneficial compounds they produce.
Today’s bowl includes:
🌱 Homemade soy yoghurt – a fermented base rich in protein and naturally occurring beneficial microbes.
🩷 Cranberry powder & tart cherry powder – concentrated sources of polyphenols that help nourish beneficial bacteria while supporting the production of health-promoting postbiotics.
🫐 Organic blueberries & blackberries – packed with anthocyanins, some of the most researched polyphenols for supporting microbial diversity and reducing oxidative stress.
🍌 Green banana – one of my favourite sources of resistant starch, providing slow-fermenting fuel for butyrate-producing bacteria.
🍎 Cooked apples – rich in pectin, a beautiful soluble fibre that supports microbial diversity and the integrity of the gut lining.
🥭 Paw paw – provides gentle fibre along with carotenoids and vitamin C to support both the microbiome and immune system.
🟣 Purple Bliss organic potatoes – cooled after cooking to increase resistant starch, while their deep purple pigments add another unique family of polyphenols.
🍚 Boiled wild red rice – contributes resistant starch, insoluble fibre and antioxidant-rich pigments that feed different microbial populations.
🌰 Fermented activated nuts – fermentation and activation improve digestibility while adding another diverse plant food to the bowl.
🌰 Date, nut and seed paste – supplying natural sweetness alongside fibre, healthy fats and minerals.
🌾 Rolled oats soaked in matcha powder – oats provide beta-glucans while matcha contributes catechins, creating a wonderful combination for both the microbiome and metabolic health.
⚫ Black sesame seeds & nigella seeds – tiny nutritional powerhouses providing lignans, healthy fats and unique phytochemicals that add yet another layer of diversity.
🍎 Jujubes – a traditional fruit rich in polysaccharides and polyphenols that have been studied for their prebiotic potential and immune-supportive properties.
☕ Alongside my bowl is my favourite microbiome hot chocolate, made with organic raw cacao, lactulose and PHGG (partially hydrolysed guar gum). Raw cacao is one of the richest dietary sources of flavanol polyphenols, while lactulose and PHGG are two extensively researched prebiotic fibres. Together they provide fermentable fuel for beneficial bacteria, encouraging the production of short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate that help nourish the gut lining, support immune function and promote microbial diversity. It’s one of my favourite ways to add another layer of nourishment before the day begins.
Why does diversity matter?
Research consistently shows that people who eat a wide variety of plants each week tend to have a more diverse gut microbiome. Diversity doesn’t happen because of one “superfood”—it comes from consistently eating many different fibres and polyphenols.
Each plant feeds different microbes.
Each polyphenol is transformed by different microbes into unique bioactive compounds.
Each microbe produces different metabolites.
And those metabolites influence everything from our gut lining and immune function to our mood, metabolism and inflammation.
So instead of chasing the latest supplement, start by asking yourself:
“How many different fibres and polyphenols have I fed my microbiome today?”
Sometimes the most powerful medicine begins with breakfast. 💚🌿
