Meal prep and gut health go hand in hand. Having gut-supportive foods prepared and ready to eat makes it far more likely that you’ll actually consume them consistently. And seeds are among the easiest gut-health foods to prepare in advance, requiring minimal effort for significant benefit.
Three seeds have been recommended by a gut specialist for their exceptional digestive benefits: chia seeds, flaxseeds, and basil seeds. Here’s how to incorporate simple meal prep into your routine to make consuming these seeds effortless.
For chia seeds, overnight preparation is ideal. Combine one to two tablespoons with almond milk or yoghurt in a jar before bed, and they’ll be ready to eat by morning. Preparing several jars at once means you have gut-healthy breakfasts ready for multiple days. Add berries in the morning and you have a complete, nutritious meal in seconds.
For flaxseeds, grind a small batch at the start of each week and store it in the fridge. This eliminates the need to grind seeds every time you want to use them, making it easy to add a tablespoon to oatmeal or a smoothie whenever needed. Ground flaxseeds stay fresh in the fridge for about a week, so grinding weekly is ideal.
For basil seeds, keep them in a visible place in your pantry alongside your chia seeds as a reminder to use them. They can be added directly to your chia seed jar before overnight soaking, or soaked separately in the morning for just a few minutes. The key is making them easy to reach and easy to use so that they become a regular part of your gut-health routine.