Hi friends,
Something I’ve been hearing from my clients recently is, “I don’t typically eat breakfast, but….. I’m open to hearing why it’s a good idea.”
Many of you probably know I’m a huge breakfast proponent and enthusiast. But, whether you do or don’t eat a breakfasty meal, I have a few reasons why a solid, balanced breakfast can help you on your health & nutrition journey.
Supports metabolic health
Eating within 1–2 hours of waking helps regulate circadian rhythms and promotes insulin sensitivity.
Helps maintain steady blood sugar levels, reducing glucose spikes and crashes later in the day.
Improves appetite regulation
A balanced breakfast reduces excessive hunger later in the day and decreases risk of overeating at night.
Helps regulate ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin (fullness hormone) for better energy balance.
Aids in sustainable weight management
Studies show regular breakfast eaters tend to have healthier body weights and improved portion control throughout the day (1, 2).*
Helps prevent the late-day “hangry” cycle that often leads to cravings for ultra-processed foods.
Boosts energy, focus, and productivity
Provides a steady source of glucose to fuel the brain and body—especially important for mental clarity in the morning hours.
Helps avoid that mid-morning crash that has you reaching for more caffeine or sugary snacks. A balanced breakfast → balanced blood sugar.
Improves mood and reduces stress
Skipping meals can lead to blood sugar drops that worsen irritability, anxiety, and fatigue.
Eating a nourishing breakfast helps regulate cortisol and supports a more stable emotional baseline.
Protects muscle mass and promotes satiety
Including 20–30g of protein in the morning supports muscle maintenance (especially important after 40) and helps keeps you full for hours.
Protein and fiber-rich breakfasts (like Greek yogurt with berries and seeds or eggs with avocado toast) improve fullness cues.
Encourages healthier food choices
Starting the day with a balanced meal can help improve the likelihood of making more nutrient-dense choices the rest of the day.
Is skipping breakfast ever a good idea?
For some it’s just not always feasible or necessary. Others tend to “just not have an appetite in the morning.” And others seem to really thrive with time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting. Here’s when no breakfast might work:
Time-restricted eating (TRE) or intermittent fasting (IF)
A shortened eating window (e.g., 10am–6pm) can support weight loss, insulin sensitivity, and digestion for certain individuals.
Skipping breakfast may be strategic if it creates a sustainable routine or aligns better with natural hunger cues.
Some studies show metabolic benefits of fasting in the morning, especially for people with insulin resistance or high body fat.
Dietitian tip: Intermittent fasting isn’t about starvation or skipping meals to "earn food" later—it's about structured meal timing that fits your body and lifestyle.
Breakfast can backfire if it’s mostly sugar + starch
A typical high-carb, low-protein breakfast (like pastries, sugary cereal, or flavored coffee drinks) can spike blood sugar, leading to a crash mid-morning.
Low-fiber, high-sugar breakfasts don’t provide lasting satiety and may actually increase cravings and appetite throughout the day.
When breakfast lacks balance, it can make you feel hungrier sooner, setting you up to overeat at lunch or snack excessively.
Dietitian tip: If you’re going to eat breakfast, quality matters more than timing. Aim for protein + fiber + healthy fats to fuel you, not just fill you.
Breakfast isn't always necessary if you're not hungry
For people who genuinely don’t feel hunger in the morning, forcing food can feel unpleasant and unnecessary.
Learning to listen to your body’s cues is more beneficial than eating by the clock.
If skipping breakfast makes you feel better and doesn’t lead to rebound eating later, it might not be a problem.
The Bottom Line:
Breakfast isn't “mandatory” for everyone—and skipping it doesn’t automatically mean you’re harming your health. What does matter is:
What you're eating (is it blood sugar-stabilizing?)
When you're eating (does it align with your hunger cues and lifestyle?)
How it's impacting the rest of your day (energy, appetite, mood, and eating habits)
So, whether you eat breakfast at 7am or break your fast at noon, what’s most important is making that meal count. So, without further ado, here are some recent favorite breakfasts.
Chia Pudding… With Everything
I have been making chia pudding all month and LOVING it as the base of my breakfast bowl, or just a goopy side to a yogurt bowl. Here’s how I make it:
Option 1:
3/4 cup milk
1-2 tbsp collagen peptides
sweetener of choice
1/4 fruit or pureed fruit of choice
3-4 tbsp chia seeds
Option 2 (shortcut)
1 cup Fairlife Corepower shake (flavor of choice)
3-4 tbsp chia seeds
Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together to combine and transfer to a jar or tuperware container.
Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Remove and re-whisk. Many of the chia seeds may have fallen to the bottom— do your best to break them up.
Chill for 4 hours or overnight. Stir with a spoon to evenly distribute the chia seeds or break up any clumps, as needed.
Bowl Assembly:
Combos I’ve been loving recently look somewhat this:
3/4 cup greek yogurt
scoop of chia pudding
1 tbsp peanut butter
handful of granola
1/2 cup mixed berries
A guest appearance in one of my chia-yogurt bowl this week was a smoked peach cobbler (recipe for this coming soon) in place of the granola — YUM.
Avo & Egg
A new iteration of this has been with Hero bread. I’ll admit, I was fully influenced by a handful of podcasters. Will I be purchasing it again? Unlikely, as a loaf currently runs over $8, and sourdough will always have my heart. But, they have an interesting product— made primarily of resistant wheat starch and wheat gluten. Each slide has 11 g fiber and 5 g protein, and the texture is light, fluffy and toasts delightfully IMO.
Here we have it with 1/2 a perfectly ripe avocado, 2 fried eggs, everything bagel seasoning, and Franks buffalo hot sauce, with a side of Rainier cherries and 1/2 a kiwi. Total fiber in this meal? 30 g. Woah. That’s more than the recommended daily amount for women, so if you’re still working on getting enough, I’d recommend not loading it all into one meal, take it easy).
Loaded Açaí Bowls
Here’s the smoothie base (makes 2 servings):
2 frozen acai packets
1 cup frozen cherries or berries
2/3 cup greek yogurt
1.5 frozen bananas
2 scoops collagen peptides
1/4 cup frozen avocado chunks
2 tbsp milk, as needed to achieve desired texture
1 tsp agave syrup
squeeze of lime, optional
Blend together until fully combined, serve immediately with desired toppings— I chose:
peach slices
mango slices
berries
granola
chia seeds
almonds
drizzle of peanut butter
ENJOYYYY!
Talk to you next time,
Haela