Nine of the Best Breakfasts to Help You Lose Weight Healthily

Fruits and protein sources are excellent options to start the day. Luckily, it's possible to combine them in many different ways to get delicious, healthy, and nutritious breakfasts.

Reviewed and approved by the pedagogue in physical education and nutritionist Elisa Morales Lupayante.

Written by Ivan Aranaga Amengual

Last update: 14 June, 2023

There are thousands of different breakfast options; foods that both energize you and help you lose weight healthily. In this article, we’ll give you nine of the best ones.

If you want to lose weight, you shouldn’t skip meals or reduce your calorie intake too much. For this reason, it’s beneficial to include a good breakfast.

If you have doubts about this first meal of the day or want to add more variety to your diet, you can get some inspiration from the following nine breakfasts.

Jump-start your metabolism with breakfast

For some years, the belief that eating breakfast is essential if you want to lose weight healthily has been questioned. In reality, it’s a matter of working out the difference between the calories you ingest and expend.

The authors of a recent review of studies concluded that “further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to substantiate whether those individuals seeking to lose weight should skip or consume breakfast and the role of breakfast eating in an overall weight management approach.”

However, this doesn’t mean that breakfast is counterproductive or harmful. On the contrary, it has many advantages that should be taken into account.

• Breakfast can help spread your total calorie intake over more meals throughout the day. If you follow a restrictive diet, without a sufficient supply of energy, your metabolism will slow down in order to save on non-vital functions. In this case, the opposite effect occurs and you won’t lose weight.
• During the night, your blood sugar levels drop and you might wake up fatigued and with little vitality. Breakfast provides you with the energy you need to start your daily routine.
• A sufficient and satisfying breakfast can prevent you from experiencing hunger pangs during the rest of the morning. Furthermore, you probably won’t overeat at lunch and you’ll make healthier food choices.
• Breakfast is an ideal meal for providing a good part of the nutrients you need for the rest of the day by way of protein, fiber, minerals, or vitamins. In fact, it contributes to the quality of your diet in general.

Eat more protein at breakfast

A balanced and nutritious breakfast should contain foods with all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Make sure you don’t miss out on the protein element as it makes you feel fuller for longer as you go about your daily routine.

A breakfast based on cereals or a piece of pastry contains mainly carbohydrates and fats. It might fill you up for a short period of time, but it’s likely that, after a short time, you’ll feel hungry and are likely to eat less healthy foods.

Furthermore, you need an adequate supply of protein to avoid the loss of muscle mass that occurs in some slimming diets.

Basic rules for a healthy breakfast

We’re going to give you some basic guidelines you should follow if you want healthy breakfasts that can also help you lose weight.

However, you must remember that it’s your total daily calorie count that matters. Therefore, if the rest of your intake isn’t correct, you might not achieve the desired results.

• Add at least eight grams of fiber. Choosing foods that contain fiber will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
• Avoid refined carbohydrates. You can replace classic breakfast cereals with those made from whole grains and with no added sugar.
• Fruits and, to a lesser extent, nuts, can also provide you with carbohydrates for energy.
• Add more foods that provide protein. For example, eggs, nuts, or dairy.
• Breakfast should be a powerful start to the day, but your calorie intake should be kept within moderate limits.
• Beyond the nutrients, the basis of a good breakfast is always fresh and quality food.

To obtain good results, you should include a variety of fruits at breakfast (seasonal if possible), wholemeal bread, oatmeal, eggs, cheese, yogurt, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and vegetables. 

Nine breakfasts to help you lose weight healthily

1. Wholemeal bread with cottage cheese and a peach

• 1 slice of wholemeal bread
• 50 -60g of cottage cheese
• 1 fresh peach
• Coffee or tea

You can add cut pieces of fruit on top of the ricotta or add a little jam on top. It goes really well with sweet flavors.

2. Scrambled eggs with vegetables

One of the best options, if you like a savory breakfast, is scrambled eggs. Add vegetables (leftovers if you like) to taste.

• 1  egg
• Vegetables of your choice. For example, spinach, mushrooms, and peppers
• 1 or 2 slices of pineapple
• Coffee or tea

If you want to add some extra protein, you can add some ham or prawns to the scrambled eggs.

3. Oatmeal with red berries

Oatmeal is an ideal carbohydrate to have for breakfast. It’s a long-lasting source of energy and is really nutritious. It also promotes good health as it regulates your cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood.

• A good handful of red berries: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc
• 40 or 50 grams of oatmeal
• Half a cup of milk or vegetable drink
• 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
• Cinnamon to taste

It’s easy to prepare. You only have to wash the fruit and mix it with the oatmeal, flaxseed, and milk. Sprinkle with cinnamon or a little vanilla powder if you like.

4. A banana and oat smoothie

Smoothies are a great breakfast option to help you lose weight. Try mixing your favorite fruits with some cereal.

• 30 grams of oatmeal
• Half a banana
• A handful of strawberries
• 1 glass of milk or vegetable drink to taste
• Coffee or tea

If you’re going to exercise in the morning, add 1 or 2 dates for extra energy and sweetness.

5. Wholemeal bread and ricotta cheese

Ricotta cheese provides protein and a small amount of calcium. It also combines perfectly with many kinds of vegetables, which you can add.

• 1 or 2 slices of whole wheat bread
• Some spinach leaves
• Tomato slices
• 50 or 60 grams of ricotta cheese
• Sesame seeds
• Coffee or tea

Put the vegetables and cheese on top of the bread, dressed with a little olive oil. If you prefer, you can substitute the seeds for nuts.

6. Wholemeal bread with ham

You could occasionally add sausages to this breakfast, although not too often.

• 1 orange
• Wholemeal bread: 1 or 2 slices
• 1 or 2 slices of ham
• Coffee or tea

6. A bowl of kefir and fruit

This option is perfect if you suffer from gastrointestinal transit problems. In addition, kefir is an excellent dairy product for taking care of the microbiota.

• 1 glass of kefir (cow, goat, or vegetable milk)
• 1 or 2 kiwis
• 2 or 3 dried plums
• 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds
• Coffee or tea

Ideally, prepare the day before. Place the plums and flaxseed in a glass of water (just enough to cover both ingredients). The next morning, add them to the kefir and the cut fruit in a bowl and mix well.

8. Apple with peanut butter

Nut butters are a really healthy alternative to other spreads, both on bread and with fruit.

• 1 apple
• Peanut butter (or dried fruit to taste)
• 1 natural or Greek yogurt without added sugar
• Coffee or tea

If you’re not keen on the taste of peanuts, you can opt for hazelnut, almond, or cashew butters.

9. A French omelet

A good breakfast to lose weight healthily can be either sweet or savory. For the latter, eggs provide you with a large number of nutrients.

• 1 egg + 1 white (optional)
• A handful of parsley leaves (to flavor the omelet)
• 2 fresh apricots

These are all healthy examples of breakfasts you can use as guidelines to help you lose weight healthily. You just need to make sure that each of your own dishes contains foods that provide both fiber and nutrients.

Be creative and make delicious and healthy breakfasts

There are as many delicious breakfasts to help you lose weight healthily as there are days in a year. You just need to be creative. In that way, the action of making them won’t become a chore. The goal is to make your breakfast a really pleasant experience. After all, you naturally want a good start to your day.