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Healthy chef | Start smart

A hearty, healthy breakfast is the ideal way to kick-start your day, writes Healthy Chef Teresa Cutter. Send your energy levels through the roof with these tasty recipes.

Skipping breakfast is like driving a car without petrol – if you don’t have sufficient fuel, your body won’t perform at its best. Not only will you be unable to think straight, you’ll probably feel generally lousy and end up overeating in your lunch hour.

The healthiest breakfast contains a mix of carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index (GI) and low-fat protein. The GI ranks foods according to its immediate effect on blood sugar levels (for more information, go to www.glycemicindex.com). Low-GI carbs are important for sustained energy, while protein is vital for building muscle, fighting disease and making hormones. Good choices for low-GI carbs include fresh fruit (pears, apples, berries, figs), veges (mushrooms, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and spinach), and whole grains (oats). Proteins such as eggs, salmon or tuna, nuts, beans, yoghurt, low-fat milk or soy milk, tofu and cottage or ricotta cheese are all easy to incorporate into breakfast recipes.

Try to include a small amount of unsaturated fat as well. You could do this simply by adding a tablespoon of flaxseed oil to a smoothie, sprinkling a handful of chopped nuts onto some fresh fruit and yoghurt or spreading avocado on a slice of wholegrain sourdough toast.

For many people, breakfast just isn’t complete without a cup of coffee. Yes, caffeine can kick your mind into gear, but overdoing it can lead to dehydration, insomnia and anxiety as well as interfere with iron absorption. Limit your coffee intake to two cups a day, or, better still, switch to green tea. Studies have shown that green tea can increase the body’s ability to burn fat, help lower cholesterol and prevent fluctuation in blood-sugar levels.

Try these healthy breakfast recipes...

/ACP Digital Library


Blueberry pancakes (pictured)
Complete breakfast smoothie

Text by Teresa Cutter
Photography by Brett Stevens/ACP Digital Library