Breakfast? What’s the hype?

What is breakfast? 

Breakfast quite literally means “breaking the fast”. Our bodies spend the night resting, rejuvenating and recovering through sleep, however when we wake up our bodies need food and nutrients to replenish energy levels to help us power through the day. Breakfast is important to refuel our bodies after the period of fasting (sleeping). 

Why is breakfast important?

Breakfast is important for a few reasons: 

• Enhances cognitive function: A nutritious breakfast helps provide the body and brain with fuel to improve concentration, memory and optimal function.

• Maintains weight: Skipping breakfast can lead to overeating later on in the day. A well balanced breakfast can assist in appetite control and weight management. 

• Stabilises blood sugar levels: A nutritious well balanced breakfast can assist in the management of stable blood sugar levels, preventing energy crashes and potential irritability and difficulty concentrating later on in the day. 

• Provides essential nutrients: By eating a well balanced breakfast it can provide important nutrients including vitamins and minerals, fibre, protein and healthy fats. If breakfast is skipped, not only can it lead to overeating and snacking later on, these foods eaten later on are more likely to be low in nutrient value.

What does a healthy breakfast look like?

A healthy breakfast may look different to everyone but there are a few main things to consider:

• Some form of fibre: this includes fruits, vegetables or wholegrains. Fibre assists with control of appetite and blood sugar levels, as well as bowel and gut health. If you struggle consuming two pieces of fruit throughout the day breakfast can be a great way to sneak in some fruit- see ideas further down.

• Protein: this includes meat, eggs, fish, nuts, beans and dairy. While most people are not going to eat a steak for breakfast it is common to include eggs, baked beans, yoghurt and salmon in breakfast meals. Protein assists in muscle recovery and growth as well as appetite control.

• Carbohydrates: this includes toast, crumpets, oats, muesli, cereals and grains. Carbohydrates are our bodies main energy source and are important to help power us through the day. We want to aim for wholemeal, wholegrain and high fibre products where possible as they assist in the control of blood sugar levels, appetite management and gut and bowel health. 

• Healthy fats: this includes avocado, salmon, nuts and seeds, yoghurt, cheese and olive oil. Fats help with cognitive function, provide a secondary energy source, cell structure, hormones and heart health. These foods need to be consumed in moderation as they are energy dense. 

Do I need to eat breakfast?

At the end of the day it is up to you if you would to prefer to eat breakfast or not. As mentioned above there are many benefits to eating breakfast however for some people they are just “not a breakfast person”. For some people they may not be hungry enough in the morning to eat breakfast, or may be too time poor to make breakfast. In these cases we would recommend to include nutritious snacks throughout the day or even have a late breakfast/morning snack. For some people they may be intermittent fasting, or trying to have a smaller breakfast to reduce calories etc. In this case we would still recommend ensuring you are getting enough nutrition in throughout the rest of the day, having well balanced meals and nutritious snacks. 

What are some healthy breakfast ideas?

• Overnight oats with yoghurt and fruit

• Muesli, fruit and yoghurt

• Eggs, tomato and mushroom on toast

• Smoothie

• Breakfast burrito

• Fruit pancakes with yoghurt

What are some healthy breakfast ideas for on the go?

• Fruit smoothie

• Toasted sandwich

• Savoury muffins

• Protein shake

• Mini quiches

• Breakfast oatmeal cookies

• Yoghurt pouches

• Granola/ nut bars

Want to know more about making a healthy breakfast to suit your lifestyle? Come see us at The Innovative Dietitian! Call or book online.

Written by Courtney Kluge, APD