These recipes have been designed for clients wanting to improve digestion, maintain steady energy in the morning, support healthier skin and improve elimination. Both require minimal preparation and can be ready to eat as soon as you wake up.
Breakfast is not optional when you are working on your gut health. Skipping it disrupts the body's natural elimination cycle, leads to overeating later in the day, and slows digestion. The two recipes below are both based on soaking overnight, so the preparation time in the morning is almost nothing.
Both recipes offer gentle roughage and nutritional diversity that soothes and revitalises the colon, a far preferable alternative to the bran and wheat cereals that are traditionally recommended. They stimulate healthy gut bacteria and promote more consistent bowel movements.
It sounds far more complicated and time-consuming than it actually is. Just have a go and you will see.
The evening before, prepare a large cup or medium bowlful of jumbo oats (available from Holland and Barrett or any health food shop). Mix with apple juice, orange juice or another fruit juice, organic where possible, not from concentrate. You can dilute as you prefer, or use oat milk, rice milk, soya milk or water instead.
Optional additions to the overnight mix:
Leave overnight. In the morning, add one to two tablespoons of bio-live yogurt (Yeo Valley plain is ideal, or Yofu soya yogurt), and one teaspoon or tablespoon of cold-pressed flax oil, Udo oil or red palm oil. Eat as a bowl or blend into a smoothie. Warming in winter is fine, just add the yogurt and oil after heating.
Note for anti-Candida diets: use rice milk, oat milk, soya milk or water to soak the oats. Only add fruit juice or soaked dried fruits after your initial 4 to 6 week clearing period. If diabetic, go easy on fruit juices and syrups.
Place enough brown rice for one to two days into a bowl, rinse it well (ideally in boiled water), then leave to soak with more boiled water for 12 to 24 hours. Even an hour or two of soaking will speed up the cooking time considerably. At the same time, soak a cupful of dried fruit, figs, apricots, dates or raisins work well, in a separate bowl of boiled water for the same length of time.
In the morning, cook the rice for 20 to 25 minutes until soft, keeping it topped up with water and draining off any excess. When you serve it, add the pre-soaked, plump fruit or just the sweet soaking syrup.
Serving options:
Keep your body hydrated throughout the day. One and a half to two litres of water is ideal. A useful habit is to drink water first thing on rising, it triggers your natural thirst and orients you towards healthier food choices for the rest of the day. Water first thing kick-starts metabolism, supports elimination and helps clear the head.
Brown rice deserves a place in your regular diet if you want to see genuine health improvement. It is versatile, easy to digest and works just as well for breakfast as it does for lunch or dinner. Both recipes above require overnight soaking, so the key is simply building the habit of preparing them the evening before.
If you feel bloated or gassy on healthy foods, it is usually a case of too much of a good thing, or too many good things combined at once. Portion size matters regardless of how healthy the food is.
Breakfast: Either recipe above or a similar combination. If you want something lighter, plain fruit and yogurt are fine.
Lunch: A brown rice dish with salad, avocado or a vegetable mix. Try rocket, watercress, lettuce, beetroot, green peas or beans with houmous, flax oil or a tin of oily fish.
Dinner: A fresh salad alongside two or three types of vegetables, raw, steamed or stir-fried, with fish. Brown rice dishes work well at dinner too, combined with pulses, peas or beans to make a dhal or Thai-style dish.
After dinner: Wait a few hours before eating anything late in the evening. If you do want something, graze on foods you are already preparing for the next morning, or have a small portion of fresh fruit.
These guidelines are here to help you organise and feed yourself with the right things. Any changes should feel positive and manageable. Make the dietary advice your own by listening to your body and building on what works for you., Claire