Healthy breakfast: how to build one that keeps you going until lunch

What makes a healthy breakfast?

There is no single good breakfast. There is, however, a shape that works for almost everyone: the same proportions as any balanced meal. The Harvard School of Public Health put them in a simple picture, the “Healthy Eating Plate”.

The World Health Organization says the same, briefly: plenty of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, legumes and nuts, and as little added sugar and salt as possible.

Why are you hungry again at 11?

A breakfast made only of refined carbohydrates (croissant, white bagel, sugary cereal, juice) is digested quickly. Blood sugar rises fast and falls just as fast. Two hours later you are hungry again, you crave something sweet and your focus drops.

Protein, fibre and fat slow digestion down. With them, the same amount of food keeps you full for longer. You do not need to give up bread. Choose wholegrain and pair it with some protein.

What to eat for breakfast: 7 ideas

Each idea has protein, fibre and healthy fats. Most take 5 minutes.

Breakfast	Protein	Fibre
Two-egg omelette with spinach and tomatoes, a slice of wholegrain bread	eggs	vegetables, wholegrain bread
Plain yoghurt with oats, berries and a spoon of nuts	yoghurt	oats, fruit
Porridge made with milk, grated apple and cinnamon	milk	oats, apple
Wholegrain bread with hummus, cucumber and peppers	chickpeas	vegetables, wholegrain bread
Cottage cheese with tomatoes, spring onion and a spoon of olive oil	cheese	vegetables
Eggs boiled the night before, a pear and a handful of almonds (on the go)	eggs, almonds	pear
Chia soaked overnight in milk or yoghurt, with kiwi	milk, yoghurt	chia, kiwi

If you are not sure how well you really eat, create your free MentorSano account. You log your meals in the journal and see, week by week, what you change.

What is best avoided in the morning?

• Fruit juice instead of fruit. It has the fruit's sugar, but almost no fibre. Harvard suggests one small glass a day at most.
• Sugary breakfast cereal. Read the label: many have over 20 g of sugar per 100 g.
• Pastries every day. Lots of white flour and fat, little protein and fibre.
• Processed meats. Harvard advises avoiding them. They are salty and processed.
• Coffee with lots of sugar or syrup. Plain coffee or coffee with a little milk is fine for most people.

Do you have to eat breakfast?

No. If you are not hungry in the morning and feel fine until lunch, there is no need to force yourself. What you eat across the whole day matters more than the time of your first meal.

Still, watch how you feel. If you skip breakfast and then eat a lot in the evening, snack on sweets at work or get a headache before lunch, a simple breakfast may help. Children, teenagers, pregnant women and people doing physical work in the morning usually need one.

How do you make breakfast a habit?

• Keep 3–4 options you can make without thinking.
• Prepare what you can the night before: boiled eggs, soaked oats, chopped vegetables.
• Tie breakfast to something you already do: when the coffee is on, make your plate too.
• Change one thing at a time. Wholegrain bread first, protein a week later.

What breakfast can you have on the go?

You do not always have 5 minutes at home. A few simple choices work on the move too:

• At a café: a wholegrain sandwich with egg, cheese or turkey and vegetables, instead of a croissant.
• At the supermarket: a plain yoghurt, a banana or an apple and a handful of nuts.
• At the office: overnight oats in a jar, made at home, with milk and fruit.
• At a petrol station: boiled eggs, if they have them, and a piece of fruit, instead of pastries.

Glance at the label: look for products with protein (at least 10 g per serving is a good sign) and little added sugar.

What is a good breakfast for children?

Children need the same three things: protein, fibre and a little healthy fat, in portions that suit their age. A few ideas they usually enjoy:

• oat and banana pancakes with yoghurt;
• wholegrain bread with no-sugar peanut butter and apple slices;
• an omelette with cheese and cherry tomatoes;
• plain yoghurt with fruit and a little sugar-free muesli.

Brightly coloured cereals with lots of sugar and sweet drinks are best kept as exceptions, not the everyday breakfast.