Healthy breakfast: what goes in, plus easy ideas

A good breakfast combines protein, fibre and some fat – think eggs, yoghurt, oats, nuts and berries. What goes in, quick ideas and common mistakes.

Sweet or savoury is up to you – what counts is what’s on the plate. Protein, fibre and a little fat make breakfast more filling than white toast with jam and a glass of juice. And if you’re not hungry in the morning, you don’t have to eat breakfast at all.

Do you have to eat breakfast?

For a long time, breakfast was called the most important meal of the day. But there’s no fixed rule for adults. If you’re fine with a later first meal – with intermittent fasting, for example – you can skip breakfast. If you take glucose-lowering medication, talk to your doctor before you make changes like this.

Fast carbs on their own. Toast with jam, orange juice and cornflakes are mostly fast carbs – lots of people are hungry again by mid-morning. Add protein and fibre and your breakfast becomes more filling.

Sweet or savoury? What goes in

That’s down to taste – what matters more is what’s in it. Whichever you pick, a good breakfast combines three things:

• Protein: eggs, quark, skyr, yoghurt, soya yoghurt, salmon or cottage cheese.
• Good fats: nuts, almond butter, seeds, avocado, olive oil.
• Fibre: oats, wholegrain bread, chia seeds, veg or fruit such as berries.

Porridge is a good base – stir in quark or yoghurt and add nuts, and it becomes much more filling. An omelette with veg and feta is a good start to the day too.

Breakfast ideas for the week

• Quick Monday: Greek yoghurt with almonds, chia seeds and frozen raspberries – protein without cooking, ready in 2 minutes.
• Savoury Wednesday: two scrambled eggs with spinach and tomatoes, plus a slice of wholegrain bread.
• Sweet Sunday: banana and egg pancakes with a little almond butter. The sweetness comes from the banana – no added sugar.

Common mistakes: only sweet things with no protein. Juice instead of fruit. Sweetened mueslis and fruit yoghurts that contain more sugar than you’d think.

Breakfast recipes: from smoothie bowls to shakshuka – find what you like in the morning

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to eat breakfast?

No. There’s no fixed rule for adults: if you’re not hungry in the morning or prefer a later first meal, you can skip it. If you take glucose-lowering medication, talk to your doctor before you change your meal times.

What makes a good breakfast?

Three things: protein (eggs, yoghurt, quark, skyr), fibre (oats, wholegrain bread, berries) and some fat (nuts, almond butter, avocado). Together they make breakfast more filling than white toast with jam and juice.

Is porridge a good breakfast?

Yes, porridge is a good base. Stir in quark or yoghurt and top it with nuts, and it becomes much more filling.

Is juice a good choice for breakfast?

Have whole fruit instead. Juice instead of fruit is one of the most common breakfast mistakes – along with sweetened mueslis and fruit yoghurts that contain more sugar than you’d think.