wholefood blueberry breakfast muffins

I know there’s a lot of emphasis on a savoury breakfast right now, but the truth is - I don’t have the time or stomach for them in the morning, and some of my clients don’t either.

However, much research suggests that a higher protein breakfast may be better for blood sugar levels across the day (and hormones). You know I’ve banged on again and again about the importance of blood sugar for endo. Blood sugar imbalances can cause oestrogen dominance, low energy levels, higher inflammation levels (and therefore pain) and issues like PMS.

I also wanted to ensure that this recipe was a good source of fibre, to help us manage and heal endo belly (more below) and as many of us aren’t getting enough fibre.

But what if you grew up on pancakes, or blueberry muffins, or cereal for breakfast? How can you make that transition into a diet higher in protein, healthy fats, fibre and slow release carbs?

Well, the good news is, you don’t have to go savoury in the way you may think. In fact, I think that term can get a little confusing. Fruit at breakfast is fine (and in my opinion, a good thing considering all the antioxidants!), as long as it’s balanced with fat, fibre and sufficient protein - rather than with a sugary bowl of cereal as so many of us grew up having!

So, this recipe is a bit of bridge for those who are trying to improve their breakfasts but aren’t quite ready to have salmon, eggs and greens each day (though that’s a great breakfast!).

It’s also a great energising snack, especially before a walk, movement or when on the go, due to its slow releasing carb content (of course, if you’re having it on the go, you can skip the yoghurt and added chia). This recipe is not low carb (it is moderate), as low carbohydrate diets can cause menstrual problems, like low oestrogen and disappearing periods. We need to feed our healthy hormones, but we don’t want to be just fuelled by carbs either - we want even blood sugar levels that are supported by the magic fibre, fat, protein and complex carbs, and that’s exactly what I’ve aimed for here.

So, with all that being said, this recipe is:

• Made from whole foods and minimally processed foods to lower inflammation levels and to fight endo belly problems. Research shows that ultra processed foods (considered to be foods with added additives, preservatives, sugars, fats, etc) are linked to greater levels of inflammation and negative microbiome alterations, whereas whole foods and minimally processed foods (such as the ground almonds and apple sauce in this recipe) are associated with healthier microbiomes and reduced inflammation levels. Additionally, when it comes to healing your gut troubles, one of the first recommended changes is to lower processed foods. ‘Breakfast’ muffins are typically laden with refined flours, high in sugar and unhealthy fats, so this muffin recipe offers a great alternative.

• Is designed to be blood sugar balancing to help keep inflammation levels low and hormones stable. This recipe is made with slower release carbs (oat bran or rolled oats), protein (egg, seeds, ground almonds, yoghurt) extra fibre (psyllium husk, chia, oats, seeds and almonds) and healthy fats (egg, nuts, seeds, yoghurt). The soluble fibre from the psyllium husk and chia seeds create a gel like consistency that further slows down the release of glucose from the starch in the oats, drip feeding you with energy rather than causing a big surge in glucose levels followed by a mid-morning crash. This recipe (according to AI) is low on the glycemic index and has a moderate glycemic load, so it’s best eaten before some form of movement, like your daily commute or morning exercise, to further help keep blood sugar stable. Read more about what that means for blood sugar here. Remember, everyone’s blood sugar responses are individual - if you crash or feel sluggish after this, try reducing the oat content, or increasing your protein or fibre with this meal.

• Can help with constipation and/or diarrhoea and endo belly problems. Both psyllium husk and chia seeds are stool bulking, which helps to solidify diarrhoea but also stimulates bowl motility in people with constipation. In fact, psyllium is an evidenced based tried and tested tool for constipation and even diarrhoea. It also helps to increase levels of short chain fatty acids, beneficial gut compounds which are produced when good bacteria eat fibre. These guys help to keep inflammation down in the gut and the body, help to keep blood sugar levels healthy, inhibit bad bacteria and foster good bacteria growth. Because people with endo often have gut inflammation, high levels of unhealthy gut bacteria and low levels of beneficial bacteria, as well as blood sugar issues, AND often low levels of short chain fatty acids, replenishing SCFA levels is essential to endo belly and endo management. The oats also help boost SCFA propionate.

• Rich in omega 3 fats from the chia seeds and egg yolk to help lower inflammation and period pain. These good fats help us to make our anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (as well as other anti-inflammatory mediators), naturally occurring immune compounds that help to counteract the effects of our inflammatory prostaglandins. People with endo (and people with dysmenorrhea and heavy menstrual bleeding) have been shown to have higher levels of inflammatory prostaglandins, and what we eat can help us to modulate these levels. Additionally, various studies indicate an association with lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids and dysmenorrhea and endometriosis. In fact, dietary intervention with omega 3 fatty acids is now being explored for endometriosis treatment and management.

• A good source of healthy polyunsaturated fats and monounstuarated fats from the olive oil, chia seeds and ground almonds, which help reduce inflammation. This recipe also contains some saturated fat from the yoghurt, which is essential for building healthy hormones. Additionally, the saturated fats found in fermented dairy products like yoghurt, do not share the same inflammatory health risks as other saturated fats.

• Contains around 20g protein to build healthy hormones, keep blood sugar levels stable and energy levels up. Additionally, as we move into perimenopause and menopause, our protein requirements tend to increase to keep bones and muscles healthy, so ensuring you’re getting at least 20g of protein per meal (some of us need more) is a great foundation, which can be increased with age, specific body types and exercise levels.

• Is a rich source of gut loving polyphenols to help establish a healthy gut. Polyphenols are types of antioxidants found in certain plant foods that not only have a profound effect on reducing inflammation levels and improving overall health, but they are also a favourite food for our gut microbiome. Because people with endo tend to have microbiome dysbiosis, with lower levels of some beneficial bacteria and higher levels of pathogenic (bad) bacteria, feeding our gut bugs is essential to reestablishing balance.

• Is a good source of anti-inflammatory antioxidants from the blueberries to lower inflammation levels. Research suggests people with endo have lower levels of antioxidants and higher levels of oxidation and inflammatory markers. A diet rich in antioxidants was shown to lower these markers, and blueberries are one of the best sources of antioxidants we can add to our diet. Whilst heat does lower antioxidant levels, the shorter cook time and reduced heat levels of microwaving allows a significant amount of these antioxidants to be persevered.

• Is a good source of probiotics from the yoghurt to help heal endo belly. People with endo may have lower levels of beneficial bacteria, this recipe delivers probiotics to replenish good gut bugs in a way that shouldn’t trigger endo belly problems (providing you adjust to tolerate) due to the low FODMAP serving sizes. However, there are some considerations to make with yoghurt that I’ve listed below.

• Low FODMAP to prevent bloating flare ups and IBS symptoms. People with endo often have gut microbiome alternations which can cause stomach upset, small intestine bacterial overgrowth and /or IBS. People with these gastrointestinal issues may find that foods high in fermentable carbohydrates can irritate their symptoms (because gut bugs love to eat these foods, creating gas, bloating, etc) and additionally, there is some research suggesting a low FODMAP diet may be helpful for people with endo who also have gut symptoms (more needs to be done). Does this mean you should go full blown low FODMAP? No (though some of you may benefit from it, as a short-term therapeutic diet), but to prevent triggering endo belly and worsening any pre-menstrual bloating, I wanted to keep this recipe low FODMAP so as many people as possible could enjoy it.

Important notes to help you tailor this toast recipe to your own body and needs (and tastebuds!)

Bloating and IBS issues

I’ve tried to make this recipe as endo belly friendly as possible by keeping it low FODMAP and rich in gut loving foods, but remember, everyone is different, especially if you also have SIBO, which sometimes requires further (but temporary) restriction.

How much protein is in the recipe and what to consider if not removing dairy yoghurt for vegan yoghurt

The protein in this recipe comes mainly from the egg, almonds, chia seeds/hemp seeds and yoghurt. The muffin itself is 12g protein - a standard aim of protein per meal is about 20g, but we want to go a bit higher if possible at breakfast. If you want to learn about protein intakes, I cover that (and how much you need during surgery recovery) here.

The 15g of hemp is 4.9g (based on this hemp nutritional info, no affiliation, just using their nutritional facts as demonstration) and the chia is 3.3g (based on this nutritional info). You could increase both as a low fodmap serving of hemp is 20g, and a low fodmap serving of chia is 24g, but it may be a lot for your gut to deal with that much fibre in one go (esp. with the fibre in the muffin), so I stuck to amounts that I tend to see well tolerated.

If you can tolerate dairy, then the yoghurt could add somewhere between 5-10g depending on the brand (some Greek yogurts contain about 12-15g protein per 100g or 150g, but it’s hard to find these lactose free).

So you’re looking at about 20g of protein for this meal, which isn’t up there at 30g yet that many experts recommend, but without protein powder, getting up to 30g for a sweeter tasting, low FODMAP breakfast is much harder than having a savoury one. Over time, you may want to add a protein shake on the side or protein powder to the muffin, but I didn’t want to jump to that as the default, because not everyone tolerates protein powders.

If you can’t tolerate dairy or don’t eat it for ethical/environmental reasons, then I recommend a full fat low fodmap yoghurt, it won’t necessarily add much protein, but it should add fat, which will still help slow down the blood sugar release. Here are some good resources for finding a low FODMAP yoghurt:

https://www.monashfodmap.com/blog/dairy-alternatives-beverage-and-yoghurt-low-fodmap-options/

https://alittlebityummy.com/blog/are-coconut-products-low-fodmap/#:~:text=Coconut yoghurt has been tested,honey, agave or fruit juice.

You could also even use full fat coconut milk and pour this over the muffin, a low fodmap serving is 60g. This would be quite high in saturated fats, but saturated fats are still necessary to hormonal health, we just want to be mindful of our intake so that we don’t have excessive levels in our diet. You can read more about that here (under fat content section).

Isn’t dairy inflammatory?

It depends on your body and there are a few things to consider with endo, gene though generally, yoghurt is found to be a beneficial dairy food. Read more about diary and endo here (scroll down to ‘The milk’).

Histamines and probiotic foods

Fermented and cultured foods can trigger histamine release. Histamines cause allergy symptoms, but also rise at menstruation and ovulation, and are higher in people with endo and can contribute to the inflammatory pathways that further endo growth. That doesn’t mean you have to go low histamine to control endo, but if you find you’re very histamine reactive or your symptoms get worse at these times of your cycle, you may want to lower the amount of yoghurt or skip it until that phase passes/your symptoms improve. Learn more about all of this here.

What if the fibre levels are too high for you and your endo belly issues?

There’s a fair few sources of fibre in this recipe, from the almonds, oats and psyllium to the chia seeds or hemp seeds. These are all in low fodmap serving sizes, so in theory, should be better tolerated, but jumping straight into the deep end with fibre is not always the best option for gut health if you currently don’t eat much of it. So if you’re not used to that much fibre or this many seeds/nuts, I would actually consider reducing some of the serving sizes. The easiest thing would be to lower the hemp/chia to 5-10g and see how you do with those, or you could omit entirely and slowly add in, but remember that this will change the protein levels, fat levels and may affect how your body response to this muffin in terms of blood sugar (as fibre helps to slow down glucose release). However, I designed this muffin to be fairly well balanced from a blood sugar perspective, so hopefully it’s fine without the added seeds, just take into consideration that blood sugar responses are very individual.

Is heating olive oil in the microwave inflammatory?

There’s a lot of confusion around oils and which ones are okay to heat (even as a nutritional practitioner, I have a hard time keeping up with the changing data!).

One of the key cause of concerns with heating oils is the formation of advanced glycation end products. Advanced glycation end products are harmful compounds that are produced when proteins and fats are heated and bond with sugar molecules, and they can also be produced naturally in our body from blood sugar spikes. AGES cause oxidation in the body, an inflammatory process linked to endo.

High temperatures, dry cooking methods and long cooking methods, as well as browning of food (called the Maillard reaction) increases the production of AGES.

Lower cooking levels (under 180c), moist cooking methods, and shorter temps, with less browning, lowers the AGE formation. Cooking this mug cake in the microwave is a moister, shorter and lower temp cooking method, so the AGE formation is much lower than it would be if you were let’s say, baking the cake in the oven, or using it to fry.

Another concern with heating olive oil is oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction where molecules (such as fats) lose electrons, leading to the formation of free radicals. Free radicals damage our DNA, and cause oxidation in our own bodies, which as I mentioned above, triggers an inflammatory response and is linked to endo. Oxidation of oils happens at high heats and kicks in at an oil’s smoke point. Olive oils smoke point is around 190-220°C or 374-428°F, which means it may begin to break down and lose some nutritional properties if overheated. Since microwaving typically does not reach these high temperatures, it’s unlikely to affect the oil's health benefit.

Having said that, olive oil is a little different from other oils. Its rich antioxidant content actually protects it from this oxidative process, even above its smoke point, and so it retains many of its beneficial properties and stays stable, and this makes it a safer oil than many to cook with.

This leads me to its nutritional benefits. Olive oil is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols - our gut loves these antioxidants, and so they can help us rebuild a healthy gut and microbiome (which sadly, not many of us with endo have). The worry with cooking olive oil is that it will lose its rich polyphenol levels, but the data shows that if you buy a extra virgin olive oil, the polyphenol levels are so high, that not only do they actually protect the oil from degrading, but that there is a significant amount left remaining after cooking. The reduction of polyphenol loss is reduced further by the short cooking times and lower heat of the microwave.

If you want to understand more about cooking olive oil, this is a fantastic evidenced based article.

Further resources

If you’re struggling with your gut health, you might find my courses and one to one coaching helpful. You can find out more here. I’ve also got endless podcast episodes on gut health and blood sugar.

To understand more about the low FODMAP diet, start here.

Method:

Combine the dry ingredients of oats, almonds, psyllium husk and baking powder in a microwavable mug, whisk with a fork to combine.

Add the wet ingredients, and beat with a spoon or a fork, as if you’re beating an egg, for 30 seconds or so, until really well combined (this prevents the egg whites from separating and frothing up on top when cooking).

Leave for two minutes for the mix to thicken - again, this is an important step as without it, I’ve noticed the egg whites tend to separate whilst cooking. This allows the oats and psyllium to absorb the liquid.

Microwave for two minutes on high (you may need to adjust according to your microwave). You can check it’s cooked by inserting a tooth pick or wooden skewer and seeing if it comes out clean.

Leave to stand for two minutes, as it will continue to cook at this stage, which gives it the right texture.

Ideally, leave for an extra two minutes to cool (I promise it’s better this way). Empty into a bowl or eat in the mug, topped with the yoghurt and chia seeds/hemp seeds.

*If too dense, omit 10g ground almonds for a lighter texture.