5 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for SIBO

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) happens when the small intestine becomes overrun with coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria break down carbohydrates, which in turn causes digestive symptoms like bloating, excessive gas, stomach pains, and diarrhea.

While SIBO is initially treated with antibiotics, if you want a long-term solution, eating a SIBO-friendly diet is much more effective in keeping digestive symptoms at bay. This diet allows you to promote positive gut health by consuming foods that are less likely to cause intestinal fermentation and feed coliform bacteria. If you’re new to the SIBO diet, start with simple but gut-friendly breakfast meals.

Why Is Breakfast Important for People With SIBO?

Breakfast, as its name implies, ends the period of fasting during the night. By doing so, it restores your glucose levels, which in turn enhances your energy and focus, as well as supplying your body with important nutrients. Eating a SIBO-friendly breakfast helps you get the nutrients you need to stay healthy without triggering your symptoms.

What Are Healthy Breakfast Options for People With SIBO?

Contrary to what you might think, you don’t need to swear off carbohydrates altogether just to relieve your symptoms. You can choose to eat low-carb or low-FODMAP meals and still enjoy some carbs in your diet, even if you have SIBO. 

To be more specific, here are some healthy breakfast ideas you can try if you have SIBO:

• Scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado
• Gluten-free oatmeal with blueberries and almond butter
• Quinoa breakfast bowl with berries and coconut milk
• Yogurt with low-FODMAP fruit and nuts
• Smoothie with spinach, banana, almond milk, and chia seeds

Scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado

One of the easiest breakfast meals you can make is scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado. Not only is this nutritious and tasty, but it is also gut-friendly, as animal-based proteins like eggs don’t trigger the bacteria in your gut, and healthy fats found in avocado promote satiety and provide sustained energy throughout the day. Additionally, veggies like spinach are considered low-FODMAP because they are low in fermentable carbohydrates. Mix them altogether and you get a delicious, filling breakfast option that won’t hurt your gut.

Gluten-free oatmeal with blueberries and almond butter

For overnight oats enthusiasts, then the gluten-free oatmeal with blueberries and almond butter is perfect for you. Regular oats are grains that can wreak havoc on your gut, but gluten-free oats are low-FODMAP and safe to eat. If you’ve started on your low-FODMAP diet, oats are a perfectly safe meal to have during the elimination phase. You can add in blueberries, which are low-FODMAP fruits that are sweet and high in antioxidants, and almond butter, which is a low lactose dairy alternative. 

Quinoa breakfast bowl with berries and coconut milk

If you’re fond of breakfast bowls, you’ll be happy to know you can keep eating them even if you’re on a SIBO-friendly diet. For example, you can make a quinoa breakfast bowl with berries and coconut milk. It’s low-FODMAP and low-carb. Quinoa is a gluten-free grain you can safely eat alongside berries, which is a low-FODMAP fruit that’s high in antioxidants and fiber. To top it all off, you can add coconut milk, which is a safe alternative to dairy. 

Yogurt with low-FODMAP fruits and nuts

If you like your breakfast sweet, try yogurt with low-FODMAP fruits and nuts. For this meal to be SIBO-friendly, you need to make the yogurt at home and keep it lactose-free. It’s filled with probiotics that help ease stomach pains and encourage better gastrointestinal motility. Fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi are low-FODMAP choices you can add to your homemade yogurt. Nuts, on the other hand, are full of healthy fats that can help you feel full longer.

Smoothie with spinach, banana, almond milk, and chia seeds

If you’re craving something light, you can’t go wrong with a healthy smoothie. To keep you feeling full and energized throughout the day, your smoothie should contain healthy fats, protein, and are low in carbs. One such example is a smoothie with spinach, banana, almond milk, and chia seeds. This smoothie is great for sensitive stomachs as all of its ingredients are low-FODMAP and low-carb. This drink doesn’t have the carbohydrate groups that promote the overgrowth of bacteria in your gut, so you don’t have to worry about digestive symptoms.

Prioritizing Healthy Breakfasts

In order to follow a SIBO0-friendly diet, it is highly encouraged that you prioritize nutrient-dense breakfast options that contain proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. To help alleviate symptoms related to SIBO and support gut health, you can include low-FODMAP fruits and vegetables, gluten-free grains, and dairy alternatives that are low in lactose in your breakfast meal.

So you don’t have to come up with a different recipe everyday, we’ve compiled this list of five healthy breakfast ideas for SIBO. These meals are low-carb and low-FODMAP, so you’re sure none of these trigger your SIBO symptoms. As SIBO is a condition that’s closely related to your digestive system, it’s important to only eat meals that promote positive gut health.