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The Gut-Healthy Reason Mandy Moore Switches up Her Breakfast Each Day

Kells McPhillips

November 18, 2019

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Photo: Getty Images/Vivien Killilea; Graphics: Well+Good Creative

Eating the same thing each morning means you're spared making hard choices about what to eat for breakfast. But as much as you may love your bowl of oatmeal topped with banana and peanut butter, a dietitian says that changing up your morning meal makes for a healthy gut.

In a recent interview with Well+Good, the This Is Us star said that she has no loyalties at the breakfast table. "Gosh! Yeah, I try to change it up every day—just because it is my favorite meal," says Moore, who's working with Nature's Way to mark the company's 50th anniversary. Coconut yogurt with gluten-free granola, smoothies, eggs, turkey bacon, and paleo pancakes each earn a spot of her breakfast plate. "Maybe I’ll have oatmeal one day and coconut yogurt with berries and gluten-free granola the next. And scrambled eggs or an omelette and turkey bacon another day. I definitely cover my bases when it comes to breakfast."

Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, registered dietitian and author of The Better Period Food Solution confirms that mixing things up works wonders for your microbiome: the trillions of micro-organisms living in your gut. "Switching up your breakfast is an opportunity to sprinkle different strains of bacteria into your life," says Beckerman. "A diverse diet equals a diverse gut microbiome which equals a tougher gut system." Having a diverse microbiome is linked with having a strong immune system, an asset you'll need to deploy during flu season, she adds.

Beckerman suggests a back-to-basics approach to make it as easy as possible. "Keep breakfast simple, especially if you have no time in the morning. Build your meals around healthy bases like eggs, oats, chia seeds, and yogurts. That way, you can add antioxidant ingredients from fruits and vegetables to your base and healthy fats from nut butters and seeds to keep you full," she says.

You can draw inspiration from Moore for a week's worth of meals and/or choose from the menu below. Or, if you're short on time, Beckerman recommends looking into Perfect Bar, Mush, Daily Harvest, Modern Oats, or Purely Elizabeth for on-the-go healthy options.