ideas for not being so dependent on carbs for breakfast

[Hadtocomment]

Hello. I am not doing a low-carb diet and I don't want to go down any route like that but I thought you might be the people to ask some advice from as I feel my diet is tending more towards carbs these days and it's partly to do with my lack of imagination.

My particular problem is breakfast. Porridge or cereal or toast - the usual breakfasts are all very carby aren't they? I thought good whole oat porridge would keep me full. But I don't find it does particularly which is surprising and disappointing. I do find shredded wheat a bit better - I have that with plant milk which is quite high protein so I don't know if it's that that keeps me fuller. But sometimes I get a bit bored of it and would like a few different options. Also I often find I'm then craving more cereal or bread later in the morning - which is annoying.

Lunch is bready and spready or homousy with salad or whatever. So basically it's the easiness and lack of imagination making bread the fall-back or go-to for too many meals, and I'd like to change this and vary things more.

But I'm a bit at a loss as to different sorts of low-carb breakfasts. One of the reasons is that I'm mostly veggie and I also don't want to eat too much dairy (although I love it) as I get sad about how it's produced etc. But this leaves me with a bit of a blank about what to replace things with that aren't too processed or carby. There's only so much tofu you can eat and it's not really very breakfasty! I do eat nuts and also a lot of beans and lentils, veg stews etc. But more for main evening meal.

I used to eat quite a lot of free-range eggs which might be a breakfast option. But after a bout of stomach bug I went totally off them although I know they are good for protein. I do eat fish but - again - fish breakfast? Hmm.

Any advice for things I might not have thought of that might give me more protein for breakfast and keep me fuller longer? Am I being really unimaginative? Anywhere I can go for some ideas?

Any help and advice appreciated. Thank you

I would say full fat yoghurt with nuts and seeds and a few berries or eggs and spinach/ mushrooms both good but from what you say may not be right for you.

It's the bit I find hardest and I can't meet your criteria but I eat some protein first eg boiled egg (I boil several at once and keep in the fridge for a few days as I need breakfast to be very quick to prepare), active yoghurt, cottage cheese or when I'm really sick of these, Quorn fillets. Then I add some fruit eg blueberries or half a grapefruit. When I was on holiday in Syria, I was given hummus and fruit for breakfast - could you stomach that? Or maybe quinoa with fruit/yoghurt.

I eat stuff that I would eat for my evening meal a lot of the time (often leftovers). I seem to digest it much better than traditional breakfast stuff and don't get hungry before lunch either.

Not sure if you don't eat eggs? I also do little egg flans quite often: three eggs whisked up, a small tin of sweetcorn, a bit of salt, pepper, paprika and dried onion (that's just for ease of prep), maybe parmesan or other grated cheese and in the oven on 200 for 20 minutes while I have a shower. Takes two minutes to prep. I usually do veg on the side at that same time - just frozen peas this morning, but if I have peppers, I cut them in half and put them in at the same time, skin side up (no oil).

Polenta is also very quick in the morning, with some ready-prepped veg from the freezer or salad stuff.

And those veggie galettes/burger things from the freezer are also very good and quick.

Im an egg fan so don't find a boiled egg or 2 scrambled every day a chore.

I do find that chopping a banana into my porridge makes a huge difference to how filling it is.

Thanks so much for the suggestions everyone. Mushrooms is a good shout. Maybe I could do some sort of tweaked full english with mushrooms and beans and tomatoes or something? The idea of different grains in the morning is interesting, to not just be bread. I hadn't thought of that. Like quinoa. Is that more filling?

On the eggs thing - I went off them as they were what I'd had when I was sick with a stomach bug so I think I'm associating them with that but maybe if I find another way of doing them it might help. Or eggwhite only and then get onto yolks a bit later on! Or make something with them so it's not just egg? I'm not sure.

I'll look into polenta (I don't really know what that is....so interesting thanks.)

The suggestion of just adding something to the porridge etc might be a good one I hadn't thought of. Maybe if I put nuts and fruit and some sort of yogurt with it it will be more protein and more varied and fill me up more? I hadn't really thought of that. Lack of imagination as I said!

I control my type 2 pre diabetes with low carb.
Breakfast is a small fruit salad (tangerine, strawberry, grape, blueberries etc) then some form of egg, bacon & tomato. Sometimes poached egg on toast, sometimes scrambled with avocado, chopped onion & tomato, sometimes kippers.
Instead of potato mash we have mashed carrot and parsnip.

PS I realise my requirements sound a bit limited - I'm not actually some clean living warrior or anything and eat too much and quite chubby. But I do eat a tonload of veg so that side of things is pretty good I think. I just get sad about animals. I also have dollops of unhealthy stuff quite regularly! My main evening meal is not bad at all I don't think. I just think I am overly-dependent on bread and cereal for breakfast and lunch and afternoon snack! It's like I can't really think of other easy to prepare things that aren't meat or cheese based so I really appreciate the thoughtful suggestions.

Gosh I hadn't even thought of kippers for breakfast - but that's actually traditional isn't it? I'm not sure if I could face a kipper in the morning, although I do like kippers. Great thought.

I prefer a savoury breakfast, but am not keen on eggs.

So I normally have a mix of veggies, sautéed in a bit of Chinese 5 spice.
I then tip it with some avocado.

*top

An omelette with mushrooms and tomatoes is filling, provides protein and fibre and takes about 5 minutes from opening the fridge to sliding it onto the plate.

That might work.

I tend to go with combinations of greek yoghurt and berries/nuts during the week (favourites are strawberries or blackberries with slivered almonds). Occasionally stir some passionfruit through instead.

At the weekends, sometimes will make cooked apples with cinnamon with a scoop of yoghurt or a kind of crumble with plums and blueberries. Also a big fan of overnight oats/bircher, with just a small volume of oats, plus, you've guessed it, berries and nuts!

Don't usually have eggs but do eat a fair number during other meals!

I know you arent wanting a low carb diet, but have you looked up low carb breakfast ideas?
www.carbmanager.com/recipe-search?query=breakfast&page=1

• I too was going to suggest kippers
• poached haddock with poached egg on top
• I like asparagus or mushrooms for breakfast. Or cook them into scrambled eggs with a tomato/veggie cheese
• veggie yoghurts with fruit/nut/honey
• Avocado halved and grill an egg in the hole

Have you tried bulletproof coffee? Basically adding fat to your coffee, either butter, coconut oil, cream, coconut cream or combinations thereof. It's pretty delicious and keeps you full for ages.

Otherwise, cheese and nuts.

How about a low carb smoothie, they are pretty filling. I use half a cup of almond milk, a small beetroot (so although beetroot is high in carbs, it's not much), kale, avocado, peanut/almond butter, a few frozen raspberries and protein powder. Honestly keeps me full for hours!

Picklemewalnuts - the bulletproof coffee idea makes my stomach flip. I am very fussy about my coffee and like it just as I like it. Adding butter or coconut oil just sounds horrible to me! I have read about it before though. The idea of an avocado with an egg - is just blurgh to me as well. Two slimy things together. But it's interesting to read this - does this mean it's the fat or the protein part that keeps people full longer, do you know?

Eggs seem to be a go-to for this problem. I'm a bit off eggs as i said because I had a stomach bug when I'd just eaten eggs so I'm associating them with sickness I think. But maybe mixed into something else would be less eggy and I could get back onto them again. I don't want to be off eggs for ever after all!

I wonder if I could eat fish in the morning. It's an interesting idea.

Greek yogurt - I use the fage total 5% (I prefer to keep my fat up at least a bit with anything lower carb as it is more satiating, if they did a 10% I'd have that!)

I also do egg white or full egg omlettes with a bit of cheese or feta and some spinch/aspaprus/mushrooms/bacon and always a good whack of black pepper

I love some smoked salmon alongside my scrambled egg, or undyed smoked haddock with a poached egg.
I also eat bacon and have it grilled , with grilled tomatoes for breakfast sometimes, very filling. Or a slice of ham with a boiled egg.
Buttered spinach (frozen is fine) with a poached or boiled egg in top.

I'm not deliberately low carb but have recently cut out all bread products as they make me feel a bit lethargic and bleurgh. I've never been hugely into other 'pure' (or whatever the word is) carbs either

If you have the time or the inclination, you could bake your own bread with ancient grains (I use Einkorn) as they are more easily digested and gave more nutrients than modern wheat.

I have a smoothie of strawberries, blueberries (frozen, defrosted overnight or in the microwave) with a handful of spinach leaves, fage greek yoghurt and a splash of apple juice. Sometimes I put a few oats in. I whizz it in a blender and drink direct from the container for less washing up. Maybe you could try a non dairy yoghurt? I've experimented with adding protein powder but I don't like it much.

If I can't be bothered I like Aldi high protein granola (honey and seed flavour) but it's pretty high in sugar too.

For an on the go option I sometimes make a batch of nigella breakfast bars. They are pretty calorific but really satisfying and at least they are not processed.

My favourite low carb breakfast is stewed plums, Greek yogurt topped with flaked almonds. Takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.

Stew the plums in 50ml of orange or apple juice plus some water in a lidded pan until they soften and break up a bit.

Put 120g of 10% fat Greek yogurt into a bowl . I like the Aldi one. Top with the stewed plums and about 5g of flaked almonds. Comes in at about 250 calories.