If, like me, you don’t really get hungry until about 12 noon, you’ll be glad to hear that breakfast may not be the most important meal of the day after all.
But if you do eat breakfast on the reg, what you choose to chow down on may seriously affect your blood sugar, mood, and energy levels, experts say.
Speaking on gut health company ZOE’s podcast, the enterprise’s head nutritionist Dr. Federica Amati spoke with biochemist Jessie Inchauspé (also known as Glucose Goddess) and epidemiologst and ZOE co-founder Tim Spector.
In a quick-fire round of questions at the start of the episode, Dr. Federica asked Jessie the fan-submitted question, “Is there one thing most people can do to improve their blood sugar levels?”
“The first thing is switching from a sweet breakfast to a savoury breakfast,” the blood sugar specialist said.
Why?
It’s partly to do with the cravings glucose spikes can cause; the earlier you start disrupting your blood sugar levels, the more time the cravings that causes have to roll in.
“If, at 10:30 [AM] you really want biscuits, it’s possible that your breakfast was causing a big glucose spike, and at 90 minutes or two hours later you’re getting this dip,” Federica said.
“Protein keeps your glucose levels really nice and steady,” she added, sharing that this is often missing from a breakfast based on the typical OJ, cereals, and muesli.
The cravings caused by a sugar and carb-heavy breakfast can lead to bigger spikes throughout the day, she adds, calling it a “vicious cycle.”
“And you don’t even understand that it was caused by your morning oats and honey.”
Tim Spector agreed it could be worth experimenting if you’re not happy with how your breakfast makes you feel, saying, “Just take a week recording what’s going on with your regular breakfast.”
So what should I eat instead?
Traditionally, families would eat leftovers from the night before for breakfast, Tim and Jessie agree. This may help to “treat breakfast like any other meal” instead of a high-sugar exception.
Jessie loves a hummus, avocado, lemon, and tuna concoction (don’t knock it ’til you try it), and also recommends a three-egg omelette with feta cheese and tomatoes.
“Leftovers from dinner work super well,” she added.
“You can even pre-boil your eggs and leave them in the fridge” for brekkie.
If you’re feeling a bit sluggish and face a lot of sugar cravings throughout the day, it may well be worth changing your meals from the first food up.