How do you start your day? Do you have a bowl of that yummy granola with a health claim on the package? It’s all organic, even the honey in it – so it must be good for you, right? Or are you more of a continental breakfast lover: jam on toast, sometimes a lovely crumbly croissant and a tall glass of freshly squeezed juice? And what about the kids? Do you cave in when they scream for their favourite cereal with all those fun cartoon characters on the box?
Let's face it. For most people, breakfast is a starch-based, sugar-coated affair. It provides a short burst of energy and dumps them shortly after. By midmorning they find themselves crawling to the biscuit tin just to keep going.
Here’s the rule of thumb: If your breakfast comes in a box, it’s most likely not a good choice.
Just check the label of your breakfast cereal – many “healthy” mueslis contain just as much sugar as the infamous Kellogg’s Honey Smacks (launched in 1953 as Sugar Smacks)!
And you’ve surely read before that juices can contain as much sugar as a can of Coca Cola. Most orange juices, for example, come in at 10 grams per 100 ml. If you drink a 200 ml glass you’ve consumed the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar. Enjoy it together with a bowl of fruit yoghurt - another serial sugar offender - topped with cereal you’ve probably consumed your entire recommended daily amount of sugar before you even leave the house.
Last week Public Health England released details about the worrying sugar consumption of British children at breakfast time. UK Health experts found that our kids are eating on average the equivalent of nearly three sugar cubes before school starts, reported the BBC.
Over the course of a year, this adds up to over 1000 cubes at breakfast. Our four- to 10-year-olds are eating twice as much sugar as they should, and their well-meaning parents are often not aware they are serving their offspring future health problems on a plate (or in a bowl).
Since the millennium an increasing number of children in the UK have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, some as young as seven.
We’re not quite on a par with the US yet where a 5.5 stone 3-year-old girl with Type 2 diabetes made the headlines a couple of years ago (her condition has been successfully reversed after medical intervention), but it’s time to take a step back and think about better food choices.
Health researchers warn that about one quarter of five-year-olds have rotting teeth and almost one fifth are classed as obese by the time they enter secondary school.
So how about a few sugar free breakfast ideas?
We’ve ditched most cereals in our house, don’t eat bread on a daily basis (I have yet to expand my low carb baking skills) and include healthy fats and proteins in every meal.
The following make a regular appearance on our breakfast table:
Eggs in all variations. We eat them soft-boiled, fried, scrambled or poached. Scrambled eggs with ham, cheese or wilted spinach take minutes to make and will keep you satisfied until lunch. On weekends I might make chorizo egg muffins or Vietnamese scrambled eggs.
Dinner leftovers. Who says you can’t eat veggies, meat or fish for breakfast? The Japanese have been doing it since the dawn of time, and their health record looks a whole lot better than ours.
Homemade granola. I make a big batch of this peanut butter granola on weekends that never keeps long enough. Or just mix nuts, coconut flakes and seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower and flax and eat with plain yoghurt and some fruit.
Pancakes. Yes, pancakes. I love these almond and cream cheese pancakes. They are made with almond flour instead of wheat flour, which makes them low in carbohydrates. They are nutrient-dense and filling and were a hit with the kids. I made them the day before and just popped them in the toaster in the morning.
Coconut flour porridge. This might sound a bit weird, but bear with me. You gently cook 2 tablespoon coconut flour and 1 tablespoon flaxseed with milk or unsweetened almond milk. If you like, stir in some butter or cream. My blogging friend Low Carb Maven adds a raw egg in hers - it increases the protein content and makes the porridge taste incredibly creamy. Top with cinnamon and/or berries.
Kim | Low Carb Maven
Great article Katrin and lovely pancakes. We start our children off every school morning with eggs, cheese, sausage and a serving of whole fruit (never juice). We started this because we have a child on the Spectrum and noticed that we could avoid the mid morning hangries when we fed our children less sugar for breakfast. I wonder if those sugar counts you mention above from Public Health England even took into account the amount of sugar that grains and starches convert into in our bodies? While Sam was in the hospital last week he was served oatmeal with brown sugar, toast with jam, juice, milk and an egg (sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, protein plus fat). When the hospital nutritionist asked me what I fed my children for breakfast at home, she was aghast that they didn't receive any "whole grains" for breakfast. I smiled and said that whole grains for breakfast were a Saturday morning treat.
ps. Thanks for linking to my recipe for low carb porridge.
Evi
That's so true! Healthy breakfast is key.
Emily
I feel so much better when I don't have sugar included in my breakfast- no headaches! These are great tips and ideas!
Katrin
I couldn't agree more. Thank you Emily!
April
I rarely eat sweet foods for breakfast. It's usually just a bowl or oatmeal if I'm in a rush or if I have time, a savory type meal with beef bacon (I don't eat pork) Your options are a great alternative. I really want to try my hand at granola. I know my kids will love it.
Katrin
WE eat this granola by the handful here. You can use any nuts and seeds you find in your cupboard - it's very forgiving that way 🙂
Sarah
I love savory breakfasts anyway so these ideas are perfect for me!
Katrin
Eggs rule - we all love our savoury breakfasts here!
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed
Such a good idea to start the day with a savoury breakfast and those pancakes look delicious, perfect for the weekend.
Katrin
Hope you'll give them a go!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
These are great ideas for less sugary breakfasts! It's so easy to not think about how much sugar a quick breakfast like cereal can have. I prefer savory anyways!
jacquee | i sugar coat it!
Breakfast is my favourite meal, so I generally make it special by making something from scratch, high in protein and good fats. Those pancakes looks like the answer to brunch this weekend!!
Marie-Pierre
Yes, I agree, if we need sugar we should get it from the fruits themselves. And I like the idea of veggies for breakfast! a great simple tomato salad... yum
Katrin
Oh yes... love tomato salad. With good olive oil and really fresh garlic 🙂
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
Yes there are lots of hidden sugars in foods. You have to carefully read the labels these days if you are at all concerned in what is inside the package. Healthy eating is a lifestyle all its' own.
Erica
I always try to focus on whole foods and totally agree with you that "if it comes in a box, it's probably not that great for you." Wonderful post, I enjoyed reading it!
Tanya
I love homemade granola. Such a great way to start breakfast. Thanks for all these options.
Katrin
It's so easy to make your breakfast sugar free. You're welcome!
Jillian
This is some great info to think about; it's much better to nourish the body before satisfying cravings first thing every day.
Katrin
The less sugar you eat, the less you'll crave it anyway 🙂
Samantha @mykitchenlove
We too don't eat cereal for breakfast. I cannot handle the amount of sugar in it. For a treat we will let the kids have cereal once every two weeks or so, but our savoury toothed daughter doesn't even like it any more (she says it's too sweet!). Eggs are always a great call! Very informative post.
Katrin
That's how we do it! Cereal is treated as dessert 🙂
Jennifer Corter
Starting the day off with sugary foods is bad, learned that the hard way with my little guy. Got that sugar high and then crashed. Now we try to make him savory nutritious breakfasts!
Katrin
Especially small kids go bonkers when on a sugar high! LOL
Fred
I love your healthy options for breakfast. I need to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Emily
Such important points! I am really aware of what I feed my kids, but it can be so easy to plop down something with sugar, like cereal in the morning. I am tired and we are rushing. But, eggs are a big hit and can be scrambled pretty quickly. I have never made the Coconut flour porridge, that is a new one for me to try!
Katrin
Coconut flour is super delicious. Hope you try it!
Jamie
Sugar free breakfast? Count me in! I'm all for eating healthier and cutting out excess sugar, especially if you can still have a tasty breakfast!
Katrin
Absolutely Jamie!
Sandra
Sugar intake can get out of control if you don't pay attention to how much you're consuming. I started following the rule that if the ingredient list had a form of sugar in the first three ingredients then put it back!
Katrin
That is a very sensible thing to do. Thanks for sharing!
Juli
What do you think of Greek Yogurt? I usually have homemade granola with some greek yogurt, but the other day i noticed that my yogurt had more calories than my daughter's regular yoplait yogurt... :-/
THanks for all the great idea! it's obviously time for me to branch out a bit...
Katrin
Calories are fine, if they come from fat, like your greek yoghurt. Fat is filling, and you will need smaller portions to be satisfied. You'll fuel your body for longer.
Sarah
Thank you for this post, Katrin! Most convenience breakfast foods are just awful! Its no wonder our children struggle in school! Thank you for giving some healthy options!
Jolina
A similar study was done here about the ridiculous amounts of sugar in those breakfast cereals. We haven't bought one in years, we just make our own granola, though we are far from being a sugar-free household. And always yes to pancakes!
Katrin
I think there should always be room for a treat - this is real life, after all.
Debi at Life Currents
Your suggestions all sound wonderful. I wish I could get my husband to eat more veggies at breakfast. He'll do it if I make a veggie omlet, so that works for me.
Katrin
Most of us are grateful when all we need to do is sit down and eat, LOL! Hiding veggies in omelettes is always a good idea 🙂
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh
I really need to ditch sugar all together. I consume way too much of it over the course of my day. It makes me feel sluggish and crave even more sugar!
Georgina
This is great advice! I regularly eat meat leftovers for breakfast in a low carb wrap!
Katrin
That's a great idea Georgina! Thanks for sharing.
Stacey
You're so right about not starting the day with sugary foods. If I start with that, then I'm super hungry the whole day. If I start with protein and quality fats, I stay full so much longer.
Katrin
I absolutely agree. I had a cheese and spinach omelette this morning and did not even think about food until around 3 in the afternoon. But maybe that had something to do with the addictive qualities of facebook as well :)...
Lynn | The Road to Honey
I find a little bit of sugar at breakfast wreaks havoc on my body and I have to spend the entire day trying to recover from it. Because of this, I generally eat a protein rich diet, low in carbs. Of course, when I am treating myself, I will whip up a batch of flour free protein pancakes make with Banana. . .just as good as the average breakfast and certainly way more tasty than boxed cereals.
Liz
With some forethought, breakfasts like this are definitely the way to go! I think savory vs. sweet is more delicious anyhow!
Katrin
Absolutely. Once you re-adjust your sweet tooth, sweet things can easily taste way too sweet anyways