"Despite what #GutTok may have you believe, you don’t have to down olive oil shots, nosh on stewed apples, and graze on papaya seeds for the sake of digestive health and beating painful bloat. The reality is there are no quick fixes or cure-alls to GI issues, even if said olive oil elixir worked for your favorite TikToker (I would know—I’ve had too many digestive drama episodes to count). But there are a few things you can do to optimize your digestion as much as possible so you’re setting up your gut for success. I asked dieticians and gastroenterologists for the top morning practices that are not the trendy hacks you might see on your FYP, but are the easy rituals that can make a big difference in gut health and digestion.
1. Drink a big glass of water first thing after waking
Most of the experts I talked to agreed that the most simple practice is also the most important: drinking a big glass of water as soon as you wake up. “Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning helps flush out toxins and supports morning bowel movements,” described Tanya Mezher, MS, RD, CDN, a lead functional practitioner at Malla. “The most abundant molecule in the cells lining your digestive tract is water, accounting for 70 percent or more of total cell mass,” agreed Dr. Lance Uradomo, M.D., M.P.H., an interventional gastroenterologist. “Water is crucial for those cells to function properly and for your gut to digest food easily.” So before you reach for your morning cup of coffee or bite into your breakfast, wake up and hydrate your body first. For overachievers, adding lemon also helps fight indigestion, heartburn, bloating, constipation, and gas formation.
2. Take a high-quality probiotic and prebiotic
Adding a high-quality prebiotic and probiotic to your morning routine can help maintain a healthy gut microbiome, which keeps your digestive system in check and improves gut function. You probably already know probiotics are important good bacteria for the gut, but you also need to be taking prebiotics, or else the good bacteria will not survive. “Your gut is like a garden,” explained Melanie Murphy Richter, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and instructor of Nutrition Physiology at UC Irvine. “If we plant a seed (probiotic) but do not water it or give it sun (prebiotic), it will eventually die. We need the seed and the food together to maximize our gut health. They work in synergy together.”
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3. Don’t skip breakfast–make it your largest meal of the day
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and when it comes to your gut, it’s true. “Because of the body’s circadian rhythm, we create less stomach acid later in the evening when the sun is down, so when we eat larger meals at night, we might not be able to optimally digest,” explained Paulina Lee, MSHS, RD, LD, a gut health functional dietitian. “Fueling with a bigger breakfast can help us obtain nutrients optimally when our digestion is more awake in the mornings.”
Don’t let a hectic schedule or tough work deadline make you skip breakfast, and plan ahead so it’s not an afterthought or something you grab on the go. Take time to sit down and eat mindfully, and shut off all distractions—social media, emails, and TV—to eat fully present. “Chewing each bite well without distractions or multi-tasking can help your digestion because you’re in ‘rest and digest’ phase,” Lee explained.
4. Eat high-fiber and fermented foods
While eating breakfast in itself is good for the gut, what you eat matters too. Optimize your digestion further by adding high-fiber and fermented foods to your breakfast. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest, so it passes through the body undigested and makes its way to the gut, promoting regularity and relieving GI issues. “Fiber is digested by beneficial gut bacteria so they can make healthful by-products like short-chain fatty acids that support the gut barrier, decrease inflammation, manage the pH of the gut, and keep oxidative stress at bay,” Lee explained. Sprinkle your yogurt with flaxseeds or chia seeds, top your oatmeal with berries, use whole grain bread for your avocado toast, or add veggies to your omelet.
Fermented foods are crucial for gut health. “Fermented foods contain and feed probiotics, which are beneficial to healthy digestion,” Dr. Uradomo said. Lee recommended at least 1-2 tablespoons of fermented foods daily. Whether you blend coconut yogurt or kefir into your morning smoothie or incorporate sauerkraut or kimchi into your breakfast burrito, you’ll be doing your gut a major solid.
5. Sip on ginger tea
Ginger does more than deliver its signature spicy zest to savory dishes and baked goods. Consider it your gut’s BFF, thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can support digestion and combat bloat by stimulating saliva and stomach acid production. “Because ginger has anti-inflammatory and gastro-protective properties, it may relieve digestion, bloating, and inflammation,” Lee explained. “In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginger is often used for indigestion.”
But the plant’s good-for-you qualities don’t stop there. “Ginger root contains gingerol, a natural compound that assists with gastrointestinal motility–the contractions and relaxations of muscles of the GI tract and the movement of ingested food and liquid through the gut,” Dr. Uradomo pointed out. It’s easy to add to your morning routine since preparing ginger tea is as simple as slicing ginger and adding hot water.
6. Do gut-friendly Yoga poses and go for a walk
Lee said it best: “Get moving to get ‘things’ moving in your gut.” Hot girl walks are more than a means to get your steps in. Gentle forms of exercise in the AM are *chef’s kiss* since easing into your morning should be your MO for promoting gut health. “Morning walks or yoga can help contract muscles, which keeps things moving in your digestive tract,” Lee continued. “Even if it is just a 10-minute walk or an at-home workout, any form of movement can help with digestion,” Dr. Uradomo agreed. “Exercise increases blood flow to the muscles in the digestive system and helps to move food through the digestive tract.”
Mezher emphasized that exercise in general is beneficial for gut health. In fact, exercise can change the composition of the gut microbiome to increase the amount of beneficial bacteria and reduce the amount of harmful bacteria. Lee also suggested yoga poses like downward dog and standing forward bend (or any stretches that involve twisting) gently massage the digestive tract to relax the gut and stimulate digestive enzymes.
7. Relax the nervous system
A chaotic morning that calls for rushing to get ready and out the door can wreak havoc on your stress levels, which can also negatively affect digestion and gut health. The gut-brain connection is real, which means when we are stressed out, digestion slows down, impacting gut health. “When the body isn’t in a state of flight-or-fight, AKA sympathetic pathways, we are able to focus more energy and time into digesting nutrients optimally,” Lee explained.
No matter how much time you have in the morning, make relaxation a priority. It can be as simple as taking 3-4 deep breaths to set the tone for digesting before calmly getting out of bed. “Deep breathing in the morning helps to set your day for parasympathetic pathways that aid in resting and digesting,” Lee explained. Mezher cited a recent study that found breathwork improved digestion and increased the number of beneficial bacteria in the gut, so now is as good a time as ever to give it a go. But the important part is to wake up peacefully and feel relaxed before starting the day; you can also try meditation, journaling, or sipping your coffee while reading your favorite book.
8. Do an at-home lymphatic drainage massage
Lymphatic drainage massage is the holy grail of naturally flushing out toxins, reducing swelling, and stimulating the digestive system. But just how does it work? Think of the lymphatic system as the body’s “sewage system.” By promoting the body’s natural drainage mechanisms, lymphatic drainage massage helps detoxify and get rid of toxins that may be contributing to bloat and slow digestion (read more about the lymphatic system here). With the helping hand of a gua sha, dry brush, or your hands, you can manually massage your stomach to encourage the flow of lymphatic fluid toward the lymph nodes where it’s filtered and fed back into the bloodstream. A study showed that abdominal massage, specifically manual lymphatic massage, may help relieve symptoms of constipation and can stimulate the bowels to move.
To give it a go on your stomach, Rebecca Faria, a licensed lymphatic drainage specialist and founder of Detox By Rebecca, gave a how-to in an interview with InStyle: Start by opening your lymph nodes with light presses, then make circular, clockwise movements around your navel, followed by consecutive up-and-down movements, from your stomach to your lymph nodes. “Then, turn to one side of your body and, using both hands, make pushing movements from the side towards the lymph nodes,” she explained.
Experts Consulted
Tanya is a functional practitioner specializing in digestive health and stress management.
Lance Uradomo, M.D., M.P.H. specializes in advanced endoscopic interventional, biliary tract disease, gastrointestinal cancer, and pancreas disease.
Recognized as 2023’s “Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year” by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Melanie integrates evidence-based principles with ancient healing traditions to empower individuals on their wellness journeys.
A licensed and registered dietitian specializing in integrative and functional medicine, Paulina’s mission is to help you create a healthier and happier gut through personalized nutrition and functional testing so you can fully show up and be present in your work, passion, and relationships without gut issues getting in the way.
With over 13 years of experience in lymphatic massage and a Master’s degree in Integrative Wellness, I have dedicated my life to transforming bodies and helping people achieve their wellness goals.
