Start your day right

Healthy breakfast

Sarah DrabbleIn the morning, it’s important to provide your body with fuel to ‘break the fast’. Sarah James is World Cancer Research Fund’s Health Information Publications Manager and editor of our supporter magazine, Healthy You. Here are her top breakfast tips.

Eating a nutritious breakfast helps to provide us with energy and nutrients to start the day and can also mean you’re less likely to reach for high-fat and sugary snacks mid-morning.

Whether your usual breakfast is a fry-up or a bowl of cereal, take a look at these simple changes you could make to kickstart your day.

Wholesome cereals

  • Check the nutrition labels so you can avoid cereals that are high in sugar, fat and salt
  • Choose wholegrain options where possible
  • Add a handful of fruit to your cereal to add one portion of your 5 A DAY
  • Use low-fat plain yoghurt, skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, or unsweetened non-dairy milk to lower the calories

Toasty goodness

  • Wholemeal bread is a healthier choice compared with white bread or pastries such as croissants
  • Top your toast with nutritious toppings such as eggs, tomatoes or avocado – and try to avoid full-fat butter and spreads
  • If you prefer sweet toppings, choose healthier options such as sliced banana or nut butter rather than jam, honey or chocolate spread

Healthier fry-ups

If you enjoy a cooked breakfast, here are a few tricks to make it a healthier treat:

  • Poach eggs instead of frying them
  • Choose reduced-salt and reduced-sugar baked beans
  • Opt for wholemeal toast rather than white toast or fried bread
  • Include grilled mushrooms and tomatoes to increase your 5 A DAY intake
  • Have one sausage rather than two, or replace sausages and bacon with low-fat vegetarian sausages

If that’s got you thinking about new ways to start your day, why not try out these healthy breakfast options:

Overnight oats

Overnight oats and raspberries in a jar

Sweet potato hash with poached eggs 

Sweet potato hash with poached eggs

Porridge with warm fruit compote

Porridge with warm fruit compote