What Should I Eat For Breakfast?

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Why You Should Have A High-Protein Breakfast

Starting your day with a well-rounded, nutritious breakfast featuring ample protein, high-quality fibre-rich carbs, and healthy fats not only establishes stable blood sugar levels but also wards off cravings later on.

A 2013 study found that “the daily addition of breakfast, particularly one rich in protein, appears to be an appropriate strategy to improve satiety, reduce food motivation/reward, and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy evening snacking with nutrient-rich foods at breakfast”.

Starting the day with balanced blood sugar can have a huge impact - it will:

• bolster your resilience to the day’s stresses

• help you to sustain your energy

• support optimal brain function

• help to regulate your hormones

• enhance your gut-brain connection (for good digestion),

• help to reduce inflammation

• support your circadian rhythm and so promote good sleep.

How To Create A Nutrient-Dense Breakfast

Follow these 3 simple steps to create a high-protein nutrient-dense breakfast that will fuel your day:

1. Pick a protein source (aim for at least 25g of protein)

   • eggs - 6g of protein per large egg

   • full-fat Greek yogurt - 13g of protein per 150g serving

   • smoked salmon or trout - 23g of protein per 100g serving

   • smoked mackerel - 20g of protein per 100g serving

   • full-fat cottage cheese - 6g of protein per 60g serving

   • heck chicken sausage - 18g of protein per 100g (3 sausages)

   • Skyr coconut 0.5% yogurt - 13g of protein per 150g serving

   • protein powder (whey & pea) - amounts vary but 20-25g of protein per 30g serving (2 scoops)

   • collagen powder (bovine & marine) - approximately 27g of protein per 30g serving (2 scoops)

   • chia seeds - 4g of protein per 15g serving (1 tbsp)

   • ground flax seeds - 3.5g of protein per 15g serving (1 tbsp)

   • ground hemp seeds - 5g of protein per 15g serving (1 tbsp)

   • peanut butter - 4g of protein per 15g serving (1 tbsp)

   • avocado - 2g of protein per half an avocado

   • sliced ham - 6g of protein per 30g serving

   • cheese - approximately 7g of protein per 30g serving

   • houmous - 2g of protein per 30g serving
     
     

2. Pick a carbohydrate source

   • fruit (apples, green bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, pears, kiwi, cherries, stone fruit, oranges, grapefruit, watermelon)

   • vegetables (sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, peppers, spinach, kale, squash, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, courgettes, Romaine lettuce, broccoli sprouts, herbs)

   • legumes/Beans (chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, butter beans)

   • grains (oats, quinoa)

   • bread (sourdough, rye bread, wholegrain breads)
     
     

3. Pick a fat source

   • avocado

   • eggs

   • grass-fed butter or ghee

   • coconut oil

   • coconut yogurt

   • coconut milk

   • full-fat dairy (yogurt, milk, cream, kefir, burrata)

   • nuts (walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds)

   • seeds (sunflower, chia, flax, sesame)

   • cocoa butter

Breakfast ideas

Pexels image credit: Foodie Factor

• 2 eggs, chicken sausages, mixed roast vegetables and a piece of fruit

• 2 eggs, cottage cheese, wholegrain toast with peanut butter

• crunchy scrambled eggs with chopped tomatoes, mixed seeds and herbs

• 150g yogurt with berries, peanut butter, chia seeds & 1 scoop protein powder

• 2 egg omelette with ham & cheese, chopped tomatoes, spinach and broccoli sprouts

• avocado on rye toast with eggs, toasted pine nuts and black pepper

• smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber on rye bread

• protein pancakes topped with Greek yogurt, berries & almonds

• mini egg frittatas with cottage cheese, spinach and ham

• smoked mackerel and Greek yogurt pâté on wholegrain toast with horseradish or Dijon mustard, dill and lemon

• shakshuka with 3 eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and paprika served with whole grains

• avocado toast with burrata, drizzle of olive oil, basil leaves and chilli flakes

• mixed berry smoothies with 2 scoops of protein powder & chia seeds

• spinach, peanut butter and banana smoothie with 2 scoops of protein powder

• breakfast burrito with eggs, roasted vegetables, leftover chicken & cheese

• leftover dinner such as chicken, sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli

Is Breakfast For Everyone?

In recent years, intermittent fasting (or time-restricted eating) has had a lot of attention from both researchers and the general public. It involves abstaining from food for a set period of time each day — commonly between finishing dinner and eating at lunchtime the next day.

Pexels image credit: Jane Doan

But a new field of research is known as chrononutrition, and this is the study of how circadian rhythms and nutrition interrelate. It is now thought that the ideal eating hours for a circadian rhythm fast might be between 8 am and 6 pm.

Eating between these times accommodates the natural waxing and waning of various hormones like cortisol, insulin, and leptin. Furthermore, when you eat breakfast you’re telling your body that the day has started and that there are plenty of calories available to fuel it. By skipping breakfast, your body get the message that it needs to conserve rather than burn any incoming calories, and research has found that people who skip breakfast tend to have a higher body mass index and may be less metabolically healthy.

Potential benefits of circadian rhythm fasting include:

• Weight loss

• Reduced body fat

• Lower blood pressure

• Lower fasting insulin levels

• Lower fasting glucose levels

• Reduced insulin resistance

What To Do If You’re Not Hungry

I do understand that not everyone is hungry in the morning. If that’s you then you could try starting small - a berry and spinach smoothie with a scoop or two of good quality protein powder is a great way to start your day, or you could try reducing the amount of food you eat in the evening so that you have more of an appetite the following morning.

References:

1. Leidy HJ, Ortinau LC, Douglas SM, Hoertel HA. Beneficial effects of a higher-protein breakfast on the appetitive, hormonal, and neural signals controlling energy intake regulation in overweight/obese, "breakfast-skipping," late-adolescent girls. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Apr;97(4):677-88. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.053116.

2. Adafer R, Messaadi W, Meddahi M, Patey A, Haderbache A, Bayen S, Messaadi N. Food Timing, Circadian Rhythm and Chrononutrition: A Systematic Review of Time-Restricted Eating's Effects on Human Health. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 8;12(12):3770. doi: 10.3390/nu12123770.

3. Manoogian ENC, Panda S. Circadian rhythms, time-restricted feeding, and healthy aging. Ageing Res Rev. 2017 Oct;39:59-67. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.12.006.

4. Welton S, Minty R, O'Driscoll T, Willms H, Poirier D, Madden S, Kelly L. Intermittent fasting and weight loss: Systematic review. Can Fam Physician. 2020 Feb;66(2):117-125.

5. Li ZH, Xu L, Dai R, Li LJ, Wang HJ. Effects of regular breakfast habits on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Nov 5;100(44):e27629. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000027629