Start your day with these healthy breakfast ideas

Published August 2024 | 4 min read 
Expert contributor Novelitha Tio, HCF dietitian and health coach
Words by Trudie McConnochie 

These delicious healthy breakfast ideas will get your day off to a great start – and could have longer term benefits, too.

Whether you’re a morning person or not, there’s one thing you can do first thing that can make a big difference to how the rest of your day plays out: eat a healthy breakfast.

If mornings tend to be rushed or stressful in your household, you may not give much thought to your first meal of the day, but HCF dietitian and health coach Novelitha Tio says setting yourself up with smart nutrition choices at breakfast time could pay off later.

“Starting the day with a nutritious meal can positively impact mood and reduce feelings of irritability and fatigue,” she says. “It can also enhance cognitive function, memory and concentration, leading to better performance at work or school.”

And if you want to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, getting breakfast right is even more important. Novelitha says a healthy breakfast can have a positive flow-on effect for everything you eat (and burn) throughout the day.

“It can also prevent overeating later in the day, reduce cravings for unhealthy snacks and support weight management by stabilising blood sugar levels,” she explains. “Plus, from my experience, people who eat breakfast tend to make healthier food choices throughout the day, including consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.”

If you needed any more reasons to make breakfast a priority, Novelitha says a healthy morning meal also pays off in the long term, by helping to lower your risk of dying from heart disease in the future.

What makes a healthy breakfast?

While grabbing a muffin from a café on a busy morning might be tempting, Novelitha cautions against eating sugary foods for breakfast. Instead, she says, the best breakfasts are a combination of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and fibre-rich foods.

Ideally, she says, aim to hit each of these four targets:

• Whole grains: whole-wheat bread, oats, quinoa and wholegrain cereals.
• Protein: eggs, yoghurt, cheese, tofu, nuts, seeds and lean meats like turkey or chicken.
• Healthy fats: avocados, nuts and seeds.
• Fruits and vegetables: berries, bananas, apples, oranges, spinach and tomatoes.

Including superfoods like chia and berries in your breakfast will give it an extra hit of nutrients, she adds.

High-protein breakfast ideas

While there are many options for healthy breakfasts, Novelitha recommends considering the following five high-protein breakfast ideas:

• Smoothies: Add chia seeds for extra fibre or boost your antioxidant intake with berries or kale.
• Grain bowls or salads: Use quinoa as a base. “It’s rich in fibre, iron, magnesium and antioxidants,” says Novelitha.
• Oatmeal: Mix in chia seeds and berries. “Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are packed with vitamins, antioxidants and fibre,” she says.
• Yoghurt: Sprinkle almonds over the top for “healthy fats, protein, fibre, vitamin E, magnesium and antioxidants”.
• Salmon: “It’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for heart health and brain function,” says Novelitha. “It’s also a good source of protein, vitamin D and selenium.”

Chia pudding recipe with cinnamon, banana and nuts

This chia seed pudding recipe is high in fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and antioxidants to fire you up for the day.

Prep time: Soak overnight
Cook time: 5 mins
Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
• 1½ tsp honey
• ½ banana, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped almonds
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

Method

1. Combine the chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla seeds (keep the vanilla bean for another use), 1 tsp honey and 100ml water in an airtight container and leave to soak overnight in the refrigerator.
2. To serve, spoon the chia mixture into a glass or bowl and top with the banana and chopped almonds. Drizzle over the remaining honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Variations

Replace the banana and cinnamon with half a mango and 1 tsp flaked dried coconut for a tropical summer twist. Or sprinkle with goji berries and coconut.

This is an edited extract from Manual of Healthy Longevity & Wellbeing by Luigi Fontana, published by Hardie Grant Books. Photography by Bonnie Savage.

Achieving your health goals

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