What’s a quick healthy breakfast?
Oats or wholemeal toast, plus fruit. Both take about 5 minutes. But some healthy-looking cereal bars and yoghurts are sugary. Check one number on the back of the pack: sugars per 100g.
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What is a quick healthy breakfast?
Porridge, plain wholegrain cereal, wholemeal toast or plain yoghurt, each with fruit. The NHS says a healthy breakfast is high in fibre and low in fat, sugar and salt.
Fibre is the part most of us miss. Adults should aim for 30 g a day, but most eat about 20 g.
Two slices of wholemeal toast with peanut butter, then a medium orange, give about 8.3 g. That’s over a quarter of a day’s fibre in one meal.
| Breakfast | Fibre from | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Plain porridge with a sliced banana | Oats and fruit | Banana or chopped dried apricots instead of sugar. |
| Plain wholegrain cereal with semi-skimmed milk and sliced fruit | Wholegrain and fruit | Plain wheat biscuits or shredded wholegrain are lower-sugar picks. |
| 2 slices of wholemeal toast with peanut butter, then a medium orange | About 8.3 g in all | Wholemeal or granary bread has more fibre than white. |
| Whole oats, plain lower-fat yoghurt and fruit | Oats and fruit | Mix it in a jar the night before to take with you. |
| Plain natural yoghurt with chopped fruit | Fruit | Plain lower-fat yoghurt usually has no added sugar. |
| Egg on wholemeal toast | Wholemeal bread | Adds protein. |
Sources: NHS: 8 tips; NHS: starchy foods; NHS: fibre; NHS: sugar; NHS: dairy
Pregnant? Hen eggs with the red British Lion stamp or the Laid in Britain logo are fine runny, before their use-by date. Cook all other eggs well, including duck, goose and quail eggs.
Pick the one you already have in the cupboard and start tomorrow. For more protein, see high-protein breakfast ideas.
What can I eat on the go or at work?
Do the slow part the night before, or keep the dry part at work. Then breakfast takes a minute.
Six ways to eat a healthy breakfast on the go
- Mix whole oats, plain lower-fat yoghurt and fruit in a lidded jar the night before.
- Keep a box of plain wholegrain cereal at work, and add milk and sliced fruit there.
- Carry fruit that travels well, like a banana, apple or orange.
- Choose cereal bars that are lower in sugar, fat and salt.
- Keep fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to 150ml a day in total, a small glass.
- Snack on oatcakes, rye crackers or unsalted nuts if you’re hungry before lunch.
Sources: NHS: starchy foods; NHS: sugar; NHS: fibre
Why check the bars? Despite their healthy image, the NHS says many cereal bars can be high in sugar and fat.
And juice counts as one of your 5 a day at most, however much you drink. Two glasses and a smoothie still count as one.
Tonight, make one jar for tomorrow.
How do I pick a cereal or yoghurt that isn’t sugary?
Start with total sugars per 100g. It’s in the nutrition table on the back of the pack.
The NHS says more than 22.5 g is high, and 5 g or less is low. Anything in between is medium.
- 5 g per 100g or belowLow sugar.
- Above 5 up to 22.5 g per 100gMedium sugar.
- Above 22.5 g per 100gHigh sugar. NHS: have it less often, in small amounts.
Source: NHS: food labels
Low fat doesn’t mean low sugar. Some lower-fat yoghurts can be sweetened with sugar, fruit juice concentrate, glucose or fructose syrup.
Plain lower-fat yoghurts usually have no added sugar. But the sugars figure also counts natural sugar from milk and fruit. You don’t need to cut down on that, so plain yoghurt may still show a few grams.
To spot added sugar, check the ingredients for words like glucose, fructose or fruit juice concentrate. Granola or muesli? Read the label, not the name.
| Per 100g | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Saturated fat | 1.5 g or less | More than 5 g |
| Salt | 0.3 g or less | More than 1.5 g |
| Fibre | No NHS low level | 6 g or more is high fibre |
Sources: NHS: food labels; NHS: fibre
Comparing two packs with colour-coded labels on the front? Go for more greens and ambers, and fewer reds.
Is your cereal high in sugar? The NHS suggests mixing it with a plain one in the same bowl, or eating them on alternate days.
Short of fibre? See high-fibre foods and how much fibre you need.
Do I need to eat breakfast at all?
The NHS says don’t skip it. A healthy breakfast can help you get the nutrients you need, as part of a balanced diet.
But it may not help you lose weight. A 2019 review of 13 trials in adults in high-income countries found breakfast eaters had about 260 more calories a day.
They weighed slightly more too, by 0.44 kg on average. The trials were short and mostly low quality, so the authors say to treat this with caution.
Their view is that adding breakfast might not be a good way to lose weight. So eat it for the fibre and fruit, not as a weight-loss trick.
Not hungry first thing? Take it with you and eat it when you are.
When to speak to a GP
Do cereals and grains leave you bloated? The NHS suggests getting your fibre from fruit and vegetables instead.
Speak to a GP if:
- You’re worried about your weight. The NHS says to ask your GP or a dietitian for advice.
- You have type 2 diabetes, or have been told you may get it (prediabetes), and find it hard to change your diet. The NHS says a GP or diabetes nurse may be able to find support near you.
- You feel bloated regularly, or you’ve tried changing your diet but keep feeling bloated.
- You have bloating and weight loss you weren’t trying for, or bloating and blood in your poo.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if:
- you have bloating with being sick, diarrhoea or constipation
- you have bloating with a stomach ache
- you have a high temperature, or feel hot, cold or shivery
- you have a swelling or lump in your tummy
- you can’t pee, poo or fart
- you have a burning feeling in your chest from stomach acid coming up towards your throat (acid reflux)
Call 999 or go to A&E if you have bloating with a swollen stomach and:
- a severe stomach ache that came on very suddenly
- you’re vomiting blood, or your vomit looks like ground coffee
- severe difficulty breathing: you’re gasping, choking or can’t get words out