Day 10: Eat a Healthy Breakfast

You've probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The truth is more nuanced, and more useful. Today's challenge isn't about forcing yourself to eat first thing if you're not hungry. It's about making whatever breakfast you have a genuinely good one.

What the evidence says

For years, observational studies linked eating breakfast with better health. But people who eat breakfast tend to differ in lots of ways from people who don't, so it's hard to know what's causing what.

When researchers have tested breakfast directly in controlled trials, the picture is less dramatic. A 2019 review and meta-analysis in the BMJ, led by Katherine Sievert, looked at trials in adults and found that eating breakfast did not appear to help with weight loss; if anything, breakfast eaters consumed slightly more calories overall. The authors cautioned that the trials were short and of mixed quality.

So, if you're not a breakfast person and you feel fine, there's no need to force it. If you do eat in the morning, what you eat matters a great deal.

What a balanced breakfast looks like

Many popular breakfasts, such as sugary cereals, pastries and white toast with jam, are mostly refined carbohydrate. They're quick, but many people find they're hungry again by mid-morning. A more balanced plate includes three things:

Protein: eggs, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, milk or a fortified plant alternative, nuts, seeds, beans or tofu.
Fibre-rich carbohydrate: porridge oats, wholegrain bread, high-fibre cereal without much added sugar.
Fruit or vegetables: berries, a banana, an apple, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms.

That's broadly the approach behind public-health guidance such as Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate, which suggests building meals around vegetables and fruit, whole grains and healthy protein.

Quick ideas

Time you have	Idea
2 minutes	Greek yoghurt with berries and a handful of nuts
3 minutes	Wholegrain toast with peanut butter and sliced banana
5 minutes	Microwave porridge made with milk, topped with fruit and seeds
10 minutes	Scrambled eggs with spinach and tomatoes on wholegrain toast
Night before	Overnight oats: oats, milk or yoghurt, chia seeds and fruit in a jar

Make tomorrow easy tonight

The biggest barrier to a good breakfast is usually time. A few minutes of preparation the evening before makes a big difference:

Make overnight oats or a batch of boiled eggs.
Wash and portion fruit.
Set out a bowl, spoon and the oats so breakfast is ready to assemble.

Watch the hidden sugar

Many breakfast foods marketed as healthy, including some granolas, flavoured yoghurts, cereal bars and smoothies, contain a lot of added sugar. Check labels and look for options with less sugar, or add your own fruit for sweetness.

Eating mindfully

If you can, sit down for your breakfast rather than eating on the move or at your desk. Even five minutes at the table, without your phone, can feel like a calmer start to the day. You may notice you enjoy the food more and feel satisfied sooner.

Special situations

If you have diabetes, a medical condition or specific dietary needs, follow the advice of your doctor or dietitian. If breakfast is a struggle because of money, food banks and community programmes in many areas offer help without judgement.

Today's challenge

Eat a breakfast that includes protein, fibre and at least one portion of fruit or vegetables. Notice how your energy feels through the morning, and jot it in your tracker.