Kerry Torrens, nutritionist and food writer
My top tip is to eat breakfast within two hours of waking. This will help to support a balanced appetite and energy levels.
Breakfasts are often carb-heavy, but you should make your first meal of the day a balanced one including protein and fats. Think beyond the classic breakfast options and choose an omelette roll or a burrito.
Breakfast – or ‘breaking the fast of the night before’ – replenishes nutrients including your glucose stores, so if you skip breakfast you may end up feeling ‘hangry’. This can impact your appetite later in the day, which may lead you to overeat or to choose the wrong foods.
If you struggle to eat first thing, try reducing the size of your evening meal or eat it earlier in the evening so you’ll have more appetite in the morning.
Regularly missing breakfast makes it harder to meet your recommended fibre intake and five-a-day minimum intake of fruit and veg. You may also fall short of minerals like calcium and vitamins like those in the B group.
Do:
- Eat within two hours of waking up
- Take on proteins and fats
- For more appetite, consider reducing evening meal size
Don’t:
- Regularly skip breakfast
- Limit yourself to classic, carb-heavy options
Kerry’s breakfast recipe recommendation: Black Forest breakfast bowl
This Black Forest breakfast bowl is the perfect combination of delicious flavours with nutrient-dense, good-for-you ingredients. The oats and soya yogurt help manage cholesterol levels, while the 85% cocoa chocolate may support mood and gut health. The carbs in this recipe are balanced with protein and healthy fats from the nut butter and seeds. The frozen berries make it a great, budget-friendly option for the winter months, when fresh berries are expensive and possibly less nutritious.
For most of us, breakfast is the first meal of the day. This means it has two main jobs: to replenish the nutrients and energy used overnight while your body rested and repaired during sleep, and to give you the nutrients and energy needed to get through the rest of the new day (or at least to the next meal).
Breakfast should balance these needs with ease and convenience, as mornings are often a busy point in the day. Eat breakfast when it works for you. And, importantly, to start our day out right we shouldn’t hate what we are eating!
The basics are getting enough energy (calories), fibre, lots of vitamins, minerals and health-promoting bioactives (which are the parts of foods that are good for us but aren’t essential to survive like nutrients are). Breakfast is a great time to boost our vegetable intake – we don’t have to wait for lunch or dinner.
Do:
- Include some vegetables in your breakfasts
- Consume enough calories to give you energy for the day ahead
- Take on health-boosting bioactives (such as the polyphenols found in some berries, nuts and seeds)
Don’t:
- Force yourself to eat breakfast foods that you dislike
- Worry about the timing of your breakfast
Emma’s breakfast recipe recommendation: mushroom hash with poached eggs
The mushrooms, tomatoes and herbs in this recipe tick the vegetable, vitamins, minerals, fibre and bioactive boxes with your first meal of the day. For a nutritional bonus, pop your mushrooms out in the sunlight anytime between buying and cooking – they can produce vitamin D, which we normally make in our own skin in the sun. The eggs add more vitamins and minerals plus high-quality protein, while seeds add more vitamins, minerals and good fats. This is a delicious and relatively simple way to start the day – it should take about 15 minutes and is adaptable if you want to add other vegetables or cook the eggs differently.
Nicola Shubrook, clinic director and nutritional therapist, Urban Wellness
Breakfast should prepare you for the day ahead, hence it is important to choose options that are lower in starchy carbs and not too high on the glycemic index scale, so cornflakes or toast and jam aren’t ideal. Starting the day with a high-protein, high-fibre breakfast will keep your blood sugars stable, preventing any energy crashes or sugar cravings mid-morning, and also improving your energy and concentration for the day ahead.
Eat within 90 minutes of waking to optimise blood sugars, and ensure the meal contains a good source of lean protein (e.g. eggs, plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, beans) together with fibre such as fruit, vegetables, oats or sourdough bread.
When having bread for breakfast, make sure you eat it with protein (e.g. egg, nut butter, fish) rather than a carb-based topping (e.g. jam, marmalade). If you’re short of time, it is better to have something rather than nothing at all, so grab a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts rather than reaching for a pastry or biscuit.
Batch-making recipes such as overnight oats or chia seed pots the night before can give you something convenient and portable, should you need to have your breakfast once you get to your workplace.
Do:
- Include lean protein in your breakfasts
- Take on plenty of fibre
- Consider making recipes such as overnight oats the night before
Don’t:
- Eat too many high-GI foods or low-starch carbs
- Skip breakfast – even when you’re busy
Nicola’s breakfast recipe recommendation: scrambled egg and feta hash
I love scrambled eggs for breakfast, as they are quick and easy to make, and are high in protein to keep me full until lunchtime. I tend to use three eggs per person, and I add some feta cheese to ensure I get enough protein. In this scrambled egg and feta hash recipe, the added vegetables provide some fibre, so you don’t need bread. I often add a dollop of sauerkraut on the side for extra fibre and gut health benefits.
Dr Frankie Phillips, registered dietitian and nutritionist
Breakfast is the powerful way to start your day. Done well, it can serve a massive amount of nutrients very easily. There is a wide range of options but my top tip is to make sure you always include some protein, whole grains, fruit and a drink. Together these will help to fill you up, provide at least one of your five-a-day and give some much-needed fibre.
Depending on how much time you have, cooked or uncooked breakfast is really worth the investment as you won’t get too hungry before lunchtime. It also saves money as you won’t be tempted to buy a mid-morning snack.
If time really is short, a bowl of wholegrain cereal with milk is still a good way to provide valuable nutrients, as most breakfast cereals are fortified with a range of vitamins and minerals. And if you can’t face breakfast before you leave the house, having a box of cereal at your workplace can be helpful.
I always make time for a cup of tea or coffee with breakfast. It will give you a boost of caffeine, which can help with alertness and – contrary to popular belief – doesn’t dehydrate you.
Do:
- Eat a combination of protein, whole grains and fruit
- Perk up with a caffeinated tea or coffee
- Keep some cereal at your workplace
Don’t:
Frankie’s breakfast recipe recommendation: poached egg
One of my top go-to breakfasts is poached egg (or scrambled egg) on multigrain toast, with a few slices of tomato and a glass of fresh orange juice. This meal is especially good for your iron levels, as the vitamin C helps you to absorb iron and make it more available to the body. You might also want to try a simple recipe for overnight oats, which can be adapted to your preferences.
Beth Furness, nutritionist, Nutracheck
Breakfast is key to a healthy, balanced diet. Starting the day with a well-rounded meal supports cognitive function, replenishes energy stores from a night’s sleep and curbs mid-morning hunger.
While some choose to skip breakfast, doing so means missing out on a valuable chance to stock up on essential nutrients that help you meet your daily targets. For example, aiming for at least 30g of fibre daily is crucial for gut health – however, this goal can be challenging without including fibre in every meal. Breakfast provides a perfect opportunity to boost fibre intake. Foods like wholemeal toast, berries, tomatoes and avocados are all great examples of high-fibre breakfast ingredients that can help you reach this 30g goal.
To maximise breakfast’s nutritional value, aim to build your meal around a variety of nutrient-dense ingredients. Always include a serving of wholegrains, a lean protein source and a portion of fruit or vegetables. Personally, I enjoy savoury breakfasts and, when I have the time, I like to prepare something warm.
Do:
- Include plenty of fibre, contributing to a 30g daily target
- Focus on nutrient-dense ingredients such as wholegrains and lean proteins
Don’t:
- Skip this daily opportunity to take on plenty of nutrients
Beth’s breakfast recipe recommendation: avocado and black bean eggs
One of my favourite breakfasts is this avocado and black bean eggs recipe. It’s packed with fibre and protein, and features some of my go-to breakfast staples – avocados, beans, eggs, and tomatoes – which I often have on hand, making it a convenient choice. I pair it with a slice of rye sourdough toast for a gut-friendly carbohydrate source. It’s a filling and delicious way to stay satisfied all morning.
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