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I used to go to bed thinking about breakfast. Overnight oats, banana pancakes, sourdough toast, a berry smoothie… You name it, I’d be thinking about it. The meals I plotted were usually sweet, dipped in a teaspoon of maple syrup, full of fruit, and packed with carbohydrates. For fat, there’d be a little peanut or almond butter on the side. But despite all the planning—and trying to do everything right — I’d often be hungry an hour after eating and scrabbling for something to tide me over until lunch. Not ideal. It was only once I decided to properly take stock of my breakfast choices that I realised what I was missing: protein, and lots of it.
Having realized the sudden hunger onset mid-morning was likely due to a steep rise and fall in blood sugar, I decided to overhaul my breakfast routine. Instead of grain-based cereals and bread, I’d prioritize protein-rich food sources—like whole eggs, lean meat, beans and legumes, plus enough fat to support my hormones, brain, and energy.
Current NHS guidelines recommend 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day if you’re looking to build muscle and strength, but this figure can shift based on your age and general activity level. “Eating a healthy portion of protein for breakfast can help balance blood sugar and energy,” says nutritionist and founder of Artah, Rhian Stephenson, who tends to recommend closer to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day to her clients. “Plus, studies have shown that front-loading your day with adequate protein improves satiety and decreases appetite throughout the day.”
I now know that the breakfasts I used to make, while delicious, were overly sweet, prompting my pancreas to pump out insulin to deal with the sudden sugar deluge. Similarly, because they were so light on protein, feeling full only lasted an hour or two at a maximum. That is, until I made the switch. Here are all the changes I’ve noticed.
Prolonged satiety
Before, I’d be searching around my desk for something to snack on before 10 a.m. Having eaten breakfast just 90 minutes before, it felt demoralizing to be once again at the whim of my hunger. Since switching to a breakfast of egg muffins—scrambled eggs baked with feta, chilli oil and peas—and a couple of chicken sausages on the side, I can go to 1 pm or 2 pm without a hunger pang disturbing my morning. When I’m at home and not rushing to leave the house, a vegetable-stuffed omelette with parmesan and Tabasco has become a hyperfixation.
What these meals are noticeably lacking, though, is a decent dose of fiber—another cornerstone of satiety and blood sugar control. As a quick fix, I’ve been leaning on either a supplement or plain psyllium husk, as well as adding more beans, grains, and vegetables to my midday and evening meals.
Less food noise
Food noise is horrible. For the unfamiliar, it’s persistent, intrusive or repetitive thoughts about food that make it difficult to concentrate on much else. “Food noise is not simply a desire to eat but an internal dialogue that can range from anxiety about controlling your weight to seeking comfort through food,” psychologist and psychotherapist Dr. Anna Merolle explains. For me, prioritizing protein in the morning and feeling much fuller for much longer has quieted the background buzz. It’s not a silver bullet, but I’ve found it an effective tool in managing symptoms—especially as my blood sugar doesn’t rollercoaster, adding fuel to the food noise fire.
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