Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings

What makes a breakfast hold up until lunch

Breakfasts that keep you going usually combine three things: a source of protein, some fibre from wholegrains, fruit or vegetables, and a little fat. Toast alone disappears quickly; toast with eggs or peanut butter and a piece of fruit lasts much longer.

Five-minute options

• Greek yoghurt with berries, a spoon of oats and a few nuts.
• Wholegrain toast with eggs, or with avocado and seeds.
• Porridge made with milk, topped with banana and cinnamon.
• Overnight oats prepared the night before with milk, chia and fruit.
• A smoothie with milk or yoghurt, frozen fruit, oats and nut butter.

Prepare the night before

Overnight oats, chopped fruit, a boiled egg or a set-out bowl and spoon all take two minutes in the evening and save five stressful minutes in the morning.

If you leave the house early, pack breakfast the way you would pack lunch and eat it when you arrive.

If you are not hungry first thing

Not everyone wants food at 7am, and that is fine. What matters more than the timing is that the first thing you eat is something reasonably balanced rather than whatever is closest when you get too hungry to think.

Carry a portable option — fruit and nuts, a yoghurt, a sandwich — for the moment your appetite arrives.

Make it repeatable

Two or three breakfasts you like, on rotation, beat a long list you never cook. Keep the ingredients on your regular shop and the decision disappears.