Your breakfast may contain carbohydrates, but is it giving you enough of everything else? (Image: Getty)
Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day, but if yours leaves you counting down the minutes until lunch, there may be a simple reason why.
Feeling hungry mid-morning, dipping into the biscuit tin or searching the snack cupboard can be a sign that your first meal of the day needs a closer look.
Many go-to breakfast choices are heavy on carbohydrates but light on the nutrients that help keep energy levels steady and hunger at bay. If you regularly find yourself craving biscuits, crisps, cereal bars or chocolate just a couple of hours after eating, the answer is not necessarily to skip meals, but to make a few smarter changes to what is on your plate.
Oliver Goble, nutritionist at Supply Life, suggests trying a quick 30-second “breakfast check” before eating, built around three straightforward questions.
The first is: “Where’s my protein?” It is a part of breakfast that is often forgotten, but it plays an important role. Protein helps slow digestion and is strongly linked with feeling full and satisfied after a meal.
Small breakfast swaps can make a noticeable difference (Image: Getty)
The second question is: “Where’s my fibre?” This is another key addition to breakfast and one of the easiest to include. Options such as oats, berries, wholegrain bread, fruit, seeds and high-fibre cereals can help add bulk to the meal.
Fibre can also support steadier energy levels throughout the morning, so you don’t experience that sudden drop-off before lunch has even rolled around.
The big question, and where many people are going wrong, is asking, ‘Will this realistically keep me full until lunch?’ and it’s often that the answer is no. Breakfast shouldn’t be a quick snack but a big meal that gives you your fuel for the day.
If the food you’re eating in the morning is just sugary or refined carbohydrates, you may find yourself hungry again much sooner than expected.
The nutritionist explains: “You don’t need a perfect breakfast and you certainly don’t need expensive healthy foods. The aim is simply to include a balance of protein, fibre and healthy fats wherever possible, as these nutrients work together to help keep you satisfied.”
Adding nuts and grains to your porridge is a good start (Image: Getty)
Although there are a few simple swaps that he recommends which can make a world of difference and shouldn’t be asking too much of your morning routine.
Instead of eating a plain bowl of cereal, adding Greek yoghurt and berries to the bowl can help to bulk it up all while getting those extra nutrients. Another quick way is by adding nuts and seeds to your usual bowl of porridge for that extra goodness or swapping white bread with whole grain for your toast.
Eggs are a simple but easy addition to any breakfast to help create a more balanced meal, whether that be on your toast or even scrambled as an extra side to your meal.
Oliver added: “When breakfast keeps you satisfied for longer, you’re naturally less likely to spend the rest of the morning thinking about food. It’s a small daily habit, but one that can have a surprisingly big impact over time.”
