This is what a gastroenterologist eats in a day

Managing gut health through a nutrient-dense diet is an important way to support healthy digestion, reduce inflammation, and encourage the growth of probiotic bacteria in your microbiome, so we asked a gastroenterologist who specializes in all things gut health to walk us through her typical meals in a day.

Rabia de Latour, MD talked to Eat well through her partnership with Iberogast. In this conversation, we learned what the doctor typically eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner – and she revealed the most important gut-healthy nutrient you may not be eating enough of.

What a gastroenterologist eats in a day

Light breakfast

To start the day, de Latour recommends a lighter breakfast.

“I wake up, drink a glass of water and then I treat myself to a protein kick: I eat two egg whites every morning,” she says.

Drinking water first thing can help you stay hydrated throughout the day. And whole eggs can be even more filling and nutritious than egg whites, but egg whites are still a high-protein option, especially for the doctor who isn’t incredibly hungry in the morning.

“I don’t eat a particularly big breakfast,” explains de Latour. “If it were up to me, I would never eat breakfast, but it’s so important to start the day with some protein.”

And of course, the gastroenterologist also drinks a cup of coffee in the morning. According to current research, caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee is a gut-friendly alternative that can contribute to healthy digestion.

If you’re looking for a filling breakfast that will also satisfy your appetite, try a high-fiber, gut-healthy smoothie like the easy blueberry banana smoothie from gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, MD.

Lunch

For lunch, de Latour chooses a plant-based alternative, such as a salad, because it contains a lot of the nutrient she most likes to recommend to her patients: fiber.

“Unfortunately, our country has a huge, massive problem: We eat way too little fiber, and that’s very dangerous,” she explains. This is supported by the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which report that 90% to 97% of Americans do not get enough fiber in their diet.

We think de Latour would love some of our highly rated high-fiber lunch salads, like our Kale Quinoa Apple Salad or our Orange Mint Freekeh Salad with Lima Beans.

Dinner

Dinner is usually the most nutritious meal of the day, which sometimes makes it even more difficult to prepare. But the gastroenterologist stays true to her favorite nutritious choice.

“For dinner, I eat cauliflower rice with lentils because it’s a mix of proteins and fiber, especially plant proteins,” says de Latour. “And I add some yogurt and some achar, which is pickled vegetables.”

First, we love the protein and fiber combo of lentils and cauliflower rice. These nutrients will keep you full after enjoying a bowl. Plus, the yogurt and pickled vegetables are full of probiotics, which are great for the health of your gut microbiome. Plus, the doctor only drinks water with dinner to ensure she’s refreshed and hydrated until the evening.

“It sounds very healthy, but to me it also tastes delicious,” says de Latour. “If you try to change a habit but enjoy it, you’re more likely to stick with it. So this has been really good for my health and I love it.”

If you love eating healthy, why not stick to it? We’re big fans that the doctor has found a filling dinner that she likes to incorporate into her regular diet. Try topping our Lentil Curry with Cauliflower Rice with a dollop of yogurt or your favorite fermented vegetable like de Latour.

The conclusion

Overall, the gastroenterologist places more emphasis on nutrients than meal variety. Getting enough fiber, protein, and probiotics in her diet is important to her goals, and de Latour believes a plant-based diet best meets her health needs.

“Find healthy foods that you enjoy,” recommends de Latour. “If it’s something that’s good for you and that you enjoy, you’re more likely to eat it.”