Why breakfast is good for you and a bunch of delicious breakfast ideas

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. There is nothing that I like more than waking up ( ideally also working out... but it’s hard especially in winter time !! ;) ) and having a nice bowl of porridge while listening to the radio or to some music. For me, it is a sort of wellness ritual, I feel that I am gifting myself with good, nourishing food, a beautiful ambiance and no matter how hard the day will be, I feel happy and ready to move mountains!

I've been used to skip breakfast when I was working in finance, especially during intense periods of work. I was always in a rush, had early meetings, had that feeling of fatigue since mornings. So I decided that in order to secure myself (and my clients!) a healthy start of the day, I would organise breakfast sessions with my clients instead of business lunches. And it worked ! There are so many incredible places offering delicious, nourishing breakfasts in Paris. And it feels much better to start the day with the right dose of energy and nutrients.

Having breakfast helps you stay fit - and it’s scientifically proven !

Many of us grab coffee and a quick bite in the morning and eat more as the day goes on, with a medium-size lunch and the largest meal of the day in the evening. But a growing body of research on weight and health is proving what millenary approaches such as Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have been saying for centuries: that we should all be doing it all backward.

The scientific community is now agreeing that we should all front-load our calories early in the day to “wake up” our metabolisms and prevent obesity, starting with a robust breakfast, and continuing with a smaller lunch and light supper.

Having the largest meal in the morning is better for weight control compared with having a large meal in the evening since the digestive process and the action of insulin, the pancreatic hormone that the body uses to process the sugars in carbohydrates and store glucose, appear to be at their peak performance early in the day.

Insulin action is more efficient in the morning. If you have high-energy meals at morning, the blood glucose might stay high one or two hours before coming back to normal. At night, our pancreas is already in sleep mode and is not able to produce as much insulin as needed, and blood glucose will stay up much longer, increasing the risk of gaining weight.

What if I don’t feel hungry in the morning?

The first reason, is because we eat too much and too late in the evening: you don’t feel hungry because your body is still having troubles digesting the evening’s meal and gets into a sort of chronic indigestion state, whose consequences are weight increase and a feeling of fatigue when we wake up.

On the other hand, it is a matter of routine. Our body is “used” to get food at a certain time and not to feel hungry until that time. By slowly educating your body to eat in the morning, it will take the pace automatically.

Last but not least: a non-adapted breakfast. Café et croissant or cappuccino e brioche should not be an habit. They are very high in calories but they lack real nutrients, so you end up running for biscuits or chocolate or another small bite at 11am because your stomach is already asking for food. If you love the ritual of coffee and croissant (I do!), make it a special occasion.

In the end, you really have to listen to your body. If you really feel like not having breakfast, try at least to have an early, balanced lunch that will become the most important meal of your day and should be able to provide you with all the necessary nutrients.

Breakfast ideas to start the day with a flavorful, delicious meal!

Before we start:

Here’s a selection of my usual breakfast meals throughout the year, but the essential thing to remember is to follow seasonality ! Buy fruits and veggies that are local and in season
Especially during fall/winter, I recommend to cook fruits (oven roasted or in a pan). They are much more digestible and your body prefers warm food when its cold because it is already struggling with the temperature outside, no need to feel even more fatigued because your stomach is not able to fully digest raw food :)
Always cook well your cereals : be them granola, porridge or galette, it is essential that cereals are cooked well, otherwise they are very hard to digest.
I’ve put both savory and sweet alternatives, and they all take maximum 15 minutes to prepare. You can also prepare things in advance if you’re used to rush at mornings.
Take your time to eat slowly and savor your food ! Gift yourself with half an hour of healthy morning ritual, you deserve it !