15 Nutrient-Rich Recipes to Kickstart Your Day – One Green Planet

Whether you just woke up or you’re ending a purposeful fast, deciding what to put in your empty stomach may lead to a blissful day of energy and rejuvenation or a tumultuous day of upset. The food you consume throughout the day plays a hugely important role in protecting the lining of your stomach, activating bile and stomach acid, percolating digestion, and providing the nutrients that fuels.

An empty stomach, on the other hand, requires a little help hand to get warmed up.

There are particular positive characteristics that make food empty stomach-friendly — such as nutrient-rich, high in fiber, and satiating — yet it’s also about what’s not in those food items. For instance, it’s best to avoid spicy chilies and spices, sugar, citrus fruits, coffee, and raw veggies.

Here is a selection of recipes filled with empty stomach-friendly foods!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out our Whole Foods Archives!

1. Warm Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal 

Warm Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal/One Green Planet

Oatmeal really is the best for everything! It’s also a great food for an empty stomach as it “creates a protective coating around the lining of your stomach which prevents hydrochloric acid from causing damage to the stomach walls.” This Warm Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal recipe by Sophie Parker is the perfect mixture between super easy overnight oats and warm comfort breakfast foods!

2. Watermelon Mint Drink

Watermelon Mint Drink/One Green Planet

How is watermelon great for an empty stomach? This summer-favorite-fruit is chock full of fluids, vitamins, and minerals, which is a great mixture to wake up your digestive system and subtly say hello to a sleep tummy. This Watermelon Mint Drink recipe by Wendy Irene also asks for a bit of mint, a soothing agent that’s a favorite herbal remedy for upset stomachs.

3. Fig and Almond Bars

Fig and Almond Bars/One Green Planet

Almonds are an excellent source of healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals making them a perfect small snack to gently wake up your digestive system and satiate you throughout the day. This Fig and Almond Bars recipe by Sara Oliveira combines the digestive comforts of almonds with nutrients from chia seeds, oats, figs, and coconut oil!

4. Papaya Avocado Salsa

Papaya Avocado Salsa/One Green Planet

While you may think that papaya would aggravate an empty stomach, it turns out this wonderful, sweet tropical fruit actually “cleanses your stomach and is excellent for smooth bowel movement.” This Papaya Avocado Salsa recipe by Viktoria Radichkova is great to break your fast in the morning or as a very late lunch after a day without much to eat.

5. Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding

Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding/One Green Planet

Along with oats, chia seeds are pretty much great for any type of plant-based diet! They’re also safe to be consumed on an empty stomach. Not only are they rich in “all nine essential amino acids,” but they also happen to be rich in “essential fatty acids, magnesium, iron, and B vitamins.” This Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding recipe by Natalie Yonan is rich with chia seeds and empty stomach-friendly pistachio nuts. Opt-out of the grapefruit for the ultimate stomach-friendly meal!

6. Walnut Bread

Walnut Bread/One Green Planet

Along with almonds, walnuts are an excellent empty stomach-friendly food. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, plus they’ve also got those wonderfully healthy fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Plant-based healthy fats are a great way to awaken the digestive system, especially when paired with dietary fiber, also found in walnuts. This Walnut Bread recipe by Julia Winnicki may have a long list of ingredients, but they all happen to be rich in dietary fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals and are all great for an empty stomach!

7. Detox Breakfast Stew

Detox Breakfast Stew/One Green Planet

When it comes to veggies, they’re a great way to start, fill, and end your day. With that said, if you’re loading an empty stomach, it’s best to avoid raw vegetables and cruciferous veggies — such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts. The digestive system works very hard to break down raw veggies, as well as cruciferous veggies, which can lead to stomach irritation, gas, bloating, and nausea if it’s the first thing you put in your stomach. This Detox Breakfast Stew recipe by Kerry Harling is a wonderful way to start your day 100 percent with veggies! It’s load with cooked potato, carrots, parsnip, onion, and lentils, as well as anti-inflammatory coconut milk, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and cumin.

8. Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Porridge

Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Porridge/One Green Planet

Buckwheat is not only great for your heart, but it’s also known to “gently stimulate the digestive system.” This Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Porridge recipe by Kristina Jug and Mitja Bezensek is an excellent way to start the day, break your fast, and fill an empty stomach. It’s not only rich in empty stomach-friendly buckwheat, but it’s also got fiber-rich apples and anti-inflammatory cinnamon.

9. Baked Smoky Carrot Bacon

Baked Smoky Carrot Bacon/One Green Planet

Another great way to integrate cooked veggies into your empty stomach-friendly food list! Carrots are naturally sweet vegetables, rich in vitamin A and antioxidants. This super creative Baked Smoky Carrot Bacon recipe by Lisa Andersson and Erik Huss uses carotenoid-rich carrots (antioxidants), garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

10. Cornmeal Zucchini Pancakes

Cornmeal Zucchini Pancakes/One Green Planet

Much like buckwheat, cornmeal is a great starter for an empty stomach. Along with being super filling and holding satiety throughout the day, whole-grain, yellow cornmeal is rich in dietary fiber, protein, and a slew of vitamins and minerals. Starting your day with these Cornmeal Zucchini Pancakes recipe by Natasha Minocha will coat and protect your stomach lining while packing you full of nutrients.

11. Chocolate Drizzled Stuffed Dates

Chocolate Drizzled Stuffed Dates/One Green Planet

Dates are not only a great natural sweetener used in hundreds of plant-based recipes, but they’re also a great starter food for an empty stomach. Dates provide a “bunch of soluble fibers, which are essential for good digestive health because it draws water into the digestive tract.” Plus, dates are a “great source of instant energy that is much needed to kick start your day.” Along with relieving constipation, the high levels of potassium in dates “can also treat upset stomachs and diarrhea.” This Chocolate Drizzled Stuffed Dates recipe by Heather Thomas combines fiber-rich dates, healthy fat-filled almond or walnut butter, and antioxidant-rich chocolate. Make sure to choose dark chocolate that’s at least 70 percent or higher and free of sugar!  

12. Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Almonds

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Almonds/One Green Planet

Another great almond-based recipe! This Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Almonds recipe by Stephanie McKinnie creates a wonderful small snack to wake up your digestive system and satiate a hungry stomach. Plus, you’ll get a healthy dose of fat-filled olive oil and anti-bacterial-rich garlic.

13. Papaya and Coconut Yogurt Breakfast

Papaya and Coconut Yogurt Breakfast/One Green Planet

This Papaya and Coconut Yogurt Breakfast recipe by Kelly Fielding offers a healthy dose of empty stomach-friendly papaya, along with healthy fat and protein-filled young coconut meat, coconut milk, coconut shreds, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds, as well as antioxidant-rich goji berries.

14. Blood-Sugar-Balancing Cinnamon Bites

Blood-Sugar-Balancing Cinnamon Bites/One Green Planet

The perfect on-the-go snack to wake up your digestive system and fill your stomach without causing aggravation. This Blood-Sugar-Balancing Cinnamon Bites recipe by Gretchen Lidicker is made with oats, chia seeds, coconut oil, cashew butter, and flavored with cinnamon, ground ginger, and goji berries.

15. Maple and Wheat Germ Waffles

Maple and Wheat Germ Waffles/One Green Planet

Wheat germ is “part of a wheat kernel and is responsible for helping the plant reproduce and spawn new wheat.” It’s also a “major nutritional component of whole grain wheat.” Wheat germ is great for an empty stomach as its super gentle on the digestive system. Start your day with this Maple and Wheat Germ Waffles recipe by Vaishali Honawar!