Nourish your microbiome with these gut-friendly recipes

As triathletes, we’re used to thinking about fuelling and nutrients in our meals, but how often do we think about gut health? Over to expert nutritionist Kate Percy with some of the best meal and snack options that are kind on your gut.

Keeping the gut healthy is key for the active triathlete, and it’s easier than we think thanks to these four delicious recipes… Think bacteria are bad? Think again! Bacteria in our gut can play an essential role in digestive health, immune function and even our mental wellbeing.

The gut contains trillions of bacteria, yeast and viruses, commonly called the ‘gut flora’ or the ‘microbiome’. Some of these bacteria are good, and some bad, and we need a healthy balance of the two. That’s where pro- and prebiotics come in. Probiotics are the live microorganisms found in fermented foods, such as yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles.

Prebiotics, essentially soluble fibres found in foods such as leeks, onions, flax and chia seeds, radishes, carrots, garlic and cabbage, feed the good bacteria.

In this article, I’ve compiled four of my favourite triathlete-friendly recipes designed to keep your gut in good shape. First on the gut-friendly spectrum is a fresh and colourful red cabbage salad, then it’s french onion soup, nourishing black bean burgers, and frozen kefir fruit pops for a refreshing dessert.

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4 Gut-friendly recipes for triathletes

1. Red Cabbage ‘Sauerkraut’ Salad

Prep: 15mins + 30mins chilling | Serves: 4

Here you’ll find a red cabbage salad, loaded with prebiotics to keep that microbiome nice and healthy. Red cabbage is also a great source of vitamin C and vitamin K, and, along with other purple foods, is rich in antioxidants and provides excellent anti-inflammatory properties. Great to include in your training diet.

Ingredients:

• 1 small red cabbage, sliced very thinly
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
• 4 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 orange – zested, peeled and sliced into rounds
• Handful of chopped walnuts
• Small packet of baby spinach

Dressing:

• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1⁄4 tsp runny honey

Method

1. Combine the red cabbage with the salt, caraway seeds, juniper berries, pepper, cider vinegar, oil and orange zest in a bowl. Find a plate the right size to sit inside the bowl and weigh down with a weight. Leave to infuse for 30mins minimum.
2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. When you’re ready to eat, drain the red cabbage in a colander. Arrange the spinach leaves and orange zest on individual plates, spoon some red cabbage in the middle and decorate with chopped walnuts. Spoon over the dressing. Eat with hunks of fresh wholegrain bread.

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2. French Onion Soup

Prep: 10mins | Cook: 30mins | Serves: 4

Lastly, a hearty bowl of French onion soup. Packed with soluble fibre, the humble onion is a bit of a superfood when it comes to gut health.

Onions also provide antioxidants and contain the anti-inflammatory flavonoid, quercetin. That aside, this soup is cheap to make and tastes amazing. Top with melted cheese on toast and dig in!

Ingredients:

• 50g unsalted butter
• 4 large onions, sliced into rings
• 1 bay leaf
• 1⁄2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 700ml chicken or veg stock
• 250ml white wine
• 4 slices French bread, toasted
• 75g gruyere cheese, grated
• 25g curly parsley, chopped

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions, stir well and cook on a medium heat for 5mins until they start to colour. Cover the pan and cook on a very low heat for 15mins, stirring frequently, until the onions are really soft.
2. Add the sugar, a pinch of salt and black pepper and increase the heat. Cook for 2mins until the onions start to caramelise. Reduce the heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1min. Gradually pour in the wine, and then the stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and gently simmer, covered, 15mins.
3. Place a little gruyere on each slice of toast and lightly brown under the grill. Spoon the soup into 4 bowls and top with the cheesy toast and parsley.

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3. Black Bean Burgers

Prep: 10mins + 30mins chilling in the fridge | Cook: 5mins | Serves: 2 large burgers

Eating beans and pulses will also help promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Rich in soluble fibre, potassium and protein, try making these really tasty black bean burgers.

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, sliced into rings
• 400g tin black beans
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 2 x spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1⁄2 tsp each ground cumin, ground coriander & smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Yoghurt sauce:

• 2 tbsps natural yoghurt

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Squeeze of lemon
• 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin

To serve:

• 2 tomatoes, sliced

• Lettuce leaves
• 2 rolls

Method

1. Place the onion rings in a bowl of cold water. Set aside. Drain beans and then pat dry with kitchen towel. Prepare sauce.
2. Combine beans, breadcrumbs, spring onions, garlic, spices and seasoning in a bowl. Form two large balls then flatten into patties. Pop in fridge for 30mins.
3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and season. Heat oil in a pan and fry burgers for about 4mins on each side.
4. Drain the onions. Arrange burgers with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and sauce.

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Frozen Kefir Fruit Pops

Prep: 5mins | Freeze: 2h+ | Serves: about 6

Kefir is a cultured, fermented milk drink, commonly drunk in Eastern Europe. It’s quite sour so I’ve combined it with some creamy Greek yoghurt for this recipe, and added a little honey. Pop in your freezer for a perfect probiotic protein-packed post-exercise cooler.

Ingredients:

• 250g natural Greek-style yoghurt
• 250ml natural kefir
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 100g fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries
• Set of lolly moulds

Method

1. Combine the yoghurt and kefir in a bowl. Add the honey then blend with a whisk or electric hand-blender until frothy. In a separate bowl, crush the fruit gently with the back of a spoon. Swirl the fruit into the yoghurt and spoon into the lolly moulds.
2. Freeze for at least 2h, or until frozen solid. Run under warm water to ease the lolly from the mould.

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