Better Breakfasts: Ideas for Every Type of Diet

The changing of seasons is an especially good time to reevaluate your morning meal. Does chugging a large coffee while starting your work day count as “breakfast?" Or do you think it needs to be bacon, eggs, toast, and juice in order to hold you over til lunch? Chances are, no matter what you’re eating for breakfast, there’s room for improvement! The right breakfast fuels you through your day, amping up brainpower, kick-starting your metabolism, and letting your body know it’s “all systems go!”

Think you should bypass this article because you follow an intermittent fasting type of plan and usually skip breakfast? Research¹⁴ shows that people who skipped breakfast or lunch tended to have poorer diets the rest of the day. Other recent study results published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics of nearly 10,000 people showed that there was an association between skipping breakfast and cardiovascular mortality in individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.¹⁵ Needless to say, your morning meal is a great opportunity to work in more good-for-you foods.

Different people might target different macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) for their meals depending on their goals. If you're trying to lose weight, you might want a low-carb breakfast or low-calorie breakfast. Someone who is training for an endurance event will probably want a high-energy breakfast and maybe a high-fat breakfast. Feeling sluggish and need to get your digestive system moving? A high-fiber breakfast is a good solution. Depending on your health concerns, you might want an immune-boosting breakfast, a low-inflammation morning meal, or a gluten-free breakfast if you’re following that type of diet.

Already starting the day with a morning meal that’s aligned with your goals? Kudos to you! But we’re willing to bet you probably could use some fresh ideas to shake things up. (Your tastebuds are begging for it!)

Experiment with these breakfast ideas to beat food boredom and fuel your body.

International breakfast ideas

• In Norway, they eat dense grain bread for breakfast, or some cheese or butter on Wasa crackers

• In Middle Eastern countries, they eat shakshuka, which is eggs cooked in a tomato-based sauce

• In Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, they eat arepa, a fried corn cake, and it can be plain or filled with things like beans, eggs, avocado, cheese, or meat.¹

• In Vietnam, Pho (clear broth made with noodles, meats, and herbs) is a popular breakfast food.  

Lower-carb breakfast ideas

• Frittata muffins (made with eggs with veggies, cheese, meat options)²

• Crustless quiche (make this quiche recipe without the sweet potatoes) 

High-carb breakfast ideas

• Rice pudding³

• French toast with bananas

• Granola with yogurt, nuts, and fruit

High-protein breakfast ideas

• Greek yogurt with nuts

• Omelets⁴

• Ricotta pancakes

• Steak and eggs

High-fat breakfast ideas

• Scooped bagel with cream cheese, lox, veggies, and avocado

• Avocado Toasts with Poached Egg

• Protein shake made with whole milk and nut butter

Gluten-free breakfast ideas

• Buckwheat pancakes

• Cottage cheese and fruit⁵

• Eggs, omelets

High-energy breakfast ideas

• Energy Builder Strawberry Banana Smoothie

• Breakfast burritos⁶

• Nut butter on toast with bananas and hemp seeds

• Homemade breakfast sandwich with eggs, meat, cheese, vegetables on whole wheat bread or an English muffin⁴

Vegetarian breakfast ideas

• Bean and vegetable breakfast burritos

• Fruit and yogurt parfaits

• Tofu scramble⁸

Low-Inflammation breakfast ideas

• Quesadillas made with sweet potatoes, beans, and avocado⁹

• Eggs sprinkled with turmeric

• Grain bowls topped with vegetables and egg.

Immune-boosting breakfast ideas

• Smoothie bowl blended from frozen fruit and almond butter, topped with chia seeds, flax meal, and cacao nibs or powder¹⁰

• Vegetable omelet made with peppers and broccoli

• Citrus fruits, kiwi, and yogurt paired with green tea.

High-fiber breakfast ideas

• Oatmeal topped with pomegranate seeds, oranges, and almonds¹¹

• High-fiber, whole grain cereal (at least 5 grams per serving) with milk and a sliced pear¹²

• Chia pudding; avocado on whole-grain/high-fiber toast; sweet breakfast quinoa; yogurt with ground flax, granola, and berries

Low-calorie breakfast ideas

• Berry fruit smoothie made with skim milk

• Low-fat cottage cheese with fruit

• Scrambled egg and veggies on a whole wheat English muffin¹³ 

Share photos of your healthy breakfasts on social and tag us @Viome.

References:

1. TasteAtlas. “10 Most Popular South American Breakfasts.” TasteAtlas, TasteAtlas, 26 July 2022, tasteatlas.com/most-popular-breakfasts-in-south-america. 

2.  “Breakfast Recipes.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/breakfast-recipes/rcs-20076564. 

3. “Easy Rice Pudding.” Nutrition.gov, nutrition.gov/recipes/easy-rice-pudding. 

4. Murphy, Camille, et al. “Quick and Easy High Protein Breakfast Ideas.” Intermountainhealthcare.org, 23 Jan. 2019, intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/live-well/2019/01/quick-and-easy-high-protein-breakfast-ideas/. 

5. “Gluten-Free Meal Ideas, Breakfast - Celiac Disease - Stanford Medicine Children's Health.” Gluten-Free Meal Ideas, Breakfast - Celiac Disease - Stanford Medicine Children's Health, stanfordchildrens.org/en/service/celiac-disease/gluten-free-breakfast 

6. “Breakfast Burritos.” Nutrition.gov, nutrition.gov/recipes/breakfast-burritos. 

7. Ellis, Esther. “Power up with Breakfast.” EatRight, eatright.org/food/planning-and-prep/snack-and-meal-ideas/power-up-with-breakfast. 

8. Daily, Dora. “Sweet Potato and Tofu Scramble Mega Breakfast Burritos [Vegan].” One Green Planet, One Green Planet, 22 Jan. 2016, onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/sweet-potato-and-tofu-scramble-mega-breakfast-burritos/. 

9. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 14 Feb. 2019, chop.edu/news/health-tip/anti-inflammatory-diet-recipes. 

10. Arbital, Jacoby, Sheri. The Well by Northwell, The Well by Northwell, 12 Nov. 2020, thewell.northwell.edu/healthy-living-fitness/breakfast-foods-boost-your-immune-system. 

11. eatright.org/food/vitamins-and-supplements/types-of-vitamins-and-nutrients/easy-ways-to-boost-fiber-in-your-daily-diet

12.  “Increasing Fiber Intake.” University of California San Francisco. ucsfhealth.org/education/increasing-fiber-intake#:~:text=Choose%20cereals%20with%20at%20least,hand%20for%20an%20easy%20snack.

13.  “Smart Tips to Power Up with Breakfast.” Maryland Department of Aging. aging.maryland.gov/SiteAssets/Pages/NutritionMonth/Smart%20Tips%20to%20Power%20Up%20with%20Breakfast_NNM22_English.pdf 

14. E. Zeballos, J. E.Todd. usda.gov, 6 July 2020, ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/july/skipping-breakfast-or-lunch-has-a-larger-impact-on-diet-quality-than-skipping-dinner/

15. Xie J, Huang H, Chen Y, Xu L, Xu C. (2022). Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2022 Jan;55(2):212-224. doi: 10.1111/apt.16727. Epub 2021 Dec 8. PMID: 34877669.