Relieve your digestive system with wholesome recipes
If you are looking for a way to keep your digestion going naturally, try our healthy menu suggestions! All dishes are easy to prepare, contain lots of vitamins and minerals and are gentle on the digestive tract.
Before starting any treatment or intervention, please talk to your doctor first!
Enjoy breakfast. Have an easy start into your new day
Wholesome Breakfast Porridge
Ingredients (2 portions):
100g oats
2 tsp sugar
200ml water (or lactose free milk)
1-2 bananas
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp cinnamon
Preparation (10 minutes):
- Roast the oats together with 2 tsp sugar in a small pot for one minute.
- Cover the oats with water or lactose free milk and simmer on low heat while stirring.
- Add the banana, cocoa and cinnamon to the porridge and mix well.
- Turn off the stove and let the porridge steep for 3-5 minutes to soften.
- Arrange the porridge in small bowls with banana slices and sprinkle with cocoa and cinnamon.
The banana can be cooked together with the oats or added later. It will taste different! Find out what you prefer. Depending on your personal tolerance and taste, vary fruit and spices!
The starter of your choice: Cosily warm, fresh or savoury
Warming Vegetable Soup
Ingredients (4 portions):
200g carrots
200g celery root
200g parsnip
100g potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
500ml water
A bunch of chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp marjoram
½ tsp salt, pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
Preparation (30 minutes):
- Peel and chop the carrots, the celery root, the parsnip and the potatoes into small cubes or slices.
- Fry in olive oil for a minute.
- Add water, salt, pepper, marjoram and nutmeg.
- Cook for approx. 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Arrange in soup bowls with fresh chopped parsley.
Creamy soup or whole pieces of vegetables – what do you prefer? Or do you like mashing just half of the soup? Try different methods of preparation!
Instead of bread, you can combine small fried corn patties to get a filling meal!
Refreshing Salad with Millet
Ingredients (2 portions):
150g millet
300ml water
200g tomatoes
½ cucumber
1 spring onion (only the green part)
1 cup fresh spinach
A bunch of parsley, cilantro
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
a pinch of salt, pepper
Preparation (25 minutes):
- Boil up the water in a small pot.
- Put in the millet and cook slightly for 15 minutes. Don´t let it burn, optionally add water while cooking!
- Turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 20 minutes without stirring.
- Put the millet into a large bowl to cool down.
- Wash and chop tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion and spinach.
- Mix the vegetables and the millet.
- Prepare a dressing mixing olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Refine the salad with chopped parsley and cilantro.
Millet is a great substitute for couscous: versatile, easy to cook and filling!
Washing the millet thoroughly before cooking avoids bitter taste.
Consider if the grains are whole or peeled – the cooking time will be shorter for peeled millet, and it is easier to digest.
Salade Marocaine
Ingredients (2 portions):
3 tomatoes
1 cucumber
½ red bell pepper
½ lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt, pepper
A bunch of basil
A bunch of cilantro
Preparation (15 minutes):
- Wash and cut the tomatoes, the cucumber and the bell pepper.
- Put the vegetables into a large bowl.
- Prepare a dressing mixing the juice of the lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Add the dressing to the vegetables.
- Arrange in a salad bowl with fresh basil and cilantro.
“Just” a salad?
Tomatoes and cucumber are rich in water and help maintain fluid balance and healthy digestive functioning.
Did you know that raw bell peppers contain more Vitamin C than oranges and lemons? Vitamin C not only supports the immune system, but also the uptake of plant-based iron, which is plentifully contained in herbs. Last but not least, the olive oil has anti-inflammatory and health-promoting effects!
Spicy Polenta Frittata
Ingredients (4 portions):
½ cup polenta
1,5 cups water
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp dried marjoram
1 carrot
1 zucchini
4 eggs
1 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp chili flakes
1/8 tsp curcuma
5 tbsp hard cheese
Preparation (45 minutes):
- Boil up the water.
- Add polenta and salt, cook for 3 minutes.
- Turn down the heat and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Stir now and again to prevent it from burning.
- Stir the eggs, the milk, the butter and with pepper, marjoram, chili flakes and curcuma well in a bowl.
- Fold in the polenta.
- Grate the carrot and the zucchini and add.
- Put the whole mixture into an ovenproof gratin dish.
- Cover with hard cheese.
- Gratinate in the preheated oven (180°C) for 10 minutes.
Curcuma is said to be food and medicine in one: Curcumin can promote cell protection, act anti-inflammatory and supports healthy digestive functioning.
Did you know that eggs contain all Vitamins except Vitamin C? Combine the frittata with a mixed salad (use e.g. red peppers, parsley, lemon) to provide your body with all nutrients!
Crunchy Hash Browns and Fried Egg
Ingredients (2 portions):
300g potatoes
4 tbsp oil
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
A pinch of pepper, nutmeg, paprika powder
1 tbsp fresh parsley
Preparation (30 minutes):
- Peel and finely grate raw potatoes in a bowl.
- Mix the potatoes with salt and nutmeg.
- Form balls and flatten them to patties.
- Fry in oil on low heat until golden brown.
- Put the hash browns on side and turn on the heat to fry the eggs.
- Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and paprika powder and garnish with chopped parsley.
Try your eggs in different forms! Fried from both sides, scrambled or softly poached are just a few possibilities to prepare delicious egg varieties. Ever tried to make muffin-formed vegetable omelets? Be creative!
Crispy Baked Vegetables
Ingredients (4 portions):
300g tomatoes
200g zucchini
500g potatoes
4 corn cobs, peeled
2 spring onions, the green part
4 tbsp olives
5 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt, pepper, cumin, ground coriander, ground
pepper
Preparation (60 minutes):
- Bring water to boil over medium heat in a pot, then add the corn cobs; cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Wash the tomatoes, zucchini and potatoes, then slice them into a gratin dish.
- Cut the corn cobs into small disks and add to the other vegetables.
- Chop the spring onion, then add to the vegetables together with the olives and the olive oil.
- Spice up with salt, pepper, cumin, ground coriander and ground pepper.
- Mix well to coat all the vegetables with olive oil and the spices.
- Bake the vegetables, at 180°C for 50 minutes.
- Stir the mixture 3-4 times at regular intervals to prevent it from burning.
Depending on your personal tolerance and taste, vary vegetables and spices!
Oven vegetables can be used as main course or as a side dish, served warm or cold, and even prepared as a salad with dressing.
Healthy main dishes: Nourishing and satisfying
Colorful Vegetable Rice Mix
Ingredients (4 portions):
300g rice
3 tbsp oil
2 carrots
2 bell peppers
1 eggplant
3 tomatoes
½ lemon
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp curry
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
A bunch of cilantro
Preparation (30 minutes):
- Stir-fry the rice in 1 tbsp oil for a minute, then just cover it with lightly salted water.
- Cook the rice for around 15 minutes in the covered pot at low heat. Try to open the pot as rarely as possible to allow proper steaming.
- While the rice is cooking, cut the peeled carrots, the bell pepper, the eggplant and the tomatoes in small cubes.
- Preheat a pan with 2 tbsp oil and roast the vegetables for 5 minutes.
- Cover the vegetables with a little water to soften.
- Season the vegetables with cinnamon, salt and pepper and the juice of ½ lemon.
- Turn down the heat and simmer the vegetables for 10 minutes.
- Mix the vegetables and the rice in a bowl, garnish with chopped cilantro.
Depending on your personal tolerance and taste, vary vegetables and spices!
Cut the eggplant in small cubes, it takes a little longer to cook. Use oil sparingly, eggplants resorb plenty of liquid!
Try some of the vegetables cooked together with the rice if you prefer a softer texture.
Crispy Corn Patties
Ingredients (2 portions):
150g corn flour
150ml water
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp salt
2 tsp oil for frying
Preparation (25 minutes):
- Put the corn flour, water, olive oil and salt in a bowl and stir well.
- Let it soak for 10 minutes.
- Form 8 dough balls and flatten them into patties.
- Fry them in oil on both sides until golden brown.
- Combine with blanched vegetables or green salad.
Fry slowly on low temperature – the dough needs a little time to be evenly cooked and the patties will get even crispier!
Optionally add herbs, dried tomatoes, olives or mature cheese before frying for extra taste!
Hearty Beef Stew with Potatoes and Vegetables
Ingredients (2 portions):
500g beef
2 bay leaves
½ tsp clove powder
½ tsp ginger powder
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
A pinch of pepper, nutmeg
500g potatoes
2 carrots
160g pumpkin
2 tomatoes
1 spring onion (the green part)
1 tbsp sugar
Preparation (120 minutes):
- Preheat an oven-proof cooking pot with olive oil and sear the meat on medium heat until brown, then fill up with water until the meat is covered.
- Turn the oven on low heat and add bay leaves, clove powder, ginger powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Slowly simmer the meat for minimum 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and the pumpkin and cut them into cubes.
- Cook the pumpkin and the potatoes for 10 minutes together with the meat and the spices, to harmoniously round off the flavor.
- Chop the tomatoes and the spring onion into small pieces and sprinkle them on top of the stew. Add a little sugar on top for extra flavor.
- Cover the stew and put it in the oven on middle shelf (170°C) for around 50 minutes until the meat is tender.
The cooking time depends on the thickness and the quality of the meat.
Take out the bay leaves at the end of the cooking time.
For an even more delicious and thick sauce, mash a third of the cooked vegetables and add the puree to the stew.
The sweet closing. There´s always room for a dessert
Crispy Oat Bars
Ingredients (4 portions):
80g coconut oil
120g oats
60g sugar
Preparation (25 minutes):
- Heat up the coconut oil in a pot until melted.
- Add sugar and oats and stir until mixed well.
- Spread the mixture onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes in 160°C.
- Cut in rectangles while hot.
Caution: The baking time may appear too short, since the cookies will still be soft after baking time! Don´t let the mixture in the oven for too long, since the caramel may turn bitter. The melted and caramelized sugar and the coconut oil will immediately solidify after cooling off!
Try adding nuts, coconut flakes or pumpkin seeds to the mixture or dip the cookies into (milk-free) chocolate after cooling.
A good digestion turneth all to health.
- George Herbert -