Chris Bumstead Drops His Post-Retirement Gut-Healing Breakfast Shake Recipe

Chris Bumstead, the guy who crushed it with six Classic Physique Olympia wins, is letting us in on his gut-healing breakfast shake that’s now his morning must-have since retiring after the 2024 Olympia win. He laid it all out in a YouTube video dropped on April 2, 2025, sharing a recipe that’s helping him recover from years of punishing diets. Off the stage, this bodybuilding king is taking it easy and figuring out a better way to eat, with this shake front and center.

“It tastes incredible, and the texture is really good; my new current breakfast,” Bumstead said in the video, beaming about his latest creation.

He’s had his share of diet battles.

“You have to starve it with a diet,” he said, reflecting on how those lean prep phases left his gut struggling—sometimes linked to stuff like candida overgrowth, a yeast issue that can flare up from tough eating habits.

Now he’s rewriting the playbook. “I’m changing how I eat a lot; not going to be perfect just yet,” he admitted, easing into a relaxed post-retirement vibe.

What’s Inside the Shake

This shake packs a punch with gut-friendly and strength-boosting ingredients. Here’s what Bumstead throws in:

• Blueberries for taste and antioxidants to ease inflammation [1].
• Bone Broth Protein Powder to help fix the gut lining [2].
• RAW Protein Powder for muscle support.
• RAW Creatine to keep his power up.
• MCT Oil for fast energy and digestion aid [1].
• Choice of Coconut Milk, Almond Milk, or Water to blend it smooth.
• Doctor-Prescribed Supplement Powder with Glutamine, Licorice Root, Aloe Vera, Marshmallow Root, and Zinc Carnosine to soothe and heal the gut [2].

He blends it into a creamy drink that’s now his daily kickoff. Research backs up the gut perks, with blueberries fighting inflammation and bone broth protein aiding repair [1][2]. After years of pushing his body hard for the stage, Bumstead’s using this shake to bounce back and stay strong without the pressure of competing. 

How Leaky Gut Ties Into Candida Overgrowth

Years of tough diets can beat up your gut, and Bumstead’s been there. Leaky gut is when the walls of your intestines get weak from stress or strict eating, letting junk slip through and cause trouble like bloating or low energy [2]. That damage can set the stage for candida overgrowth, where a yeast called Candida grows out of control in your gut because the balance is off [3]. Together, they’re a rough combo, leaky gut opens the door, and candida crashes the party, making you feel worn out or sick. Bumstead’s shake, packed with bone broth and glutamine, is his chill way to patch things up and push back after all those rough prep days.

References:

[1] Xiao J., Chen H., & Wang D. (2015). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of blueberries in human health. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 63(25), 5678–5685. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b01525
[2] Peterson J. A., & Smith R. (2019). Effects of bone broth protein and glutamine on gut barrier function. Nutrients, 11(9), 2034. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092034
[3] Kumamoto C. A. (2011). Inflammation and gastrointestinal Candida colonization. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 14(4), 386–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2011.07.015

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