Breakfast comparison tool

What is the healthiest breakfast?

While it’s quite subjective to say that any particular meal or food item is healthier than the rest, wholegrain cereals are consistently a great choice.

Porridge has a strong claim to being the gold standard for a nutritious and filling breakfast. At around 175 calories with semi-skimmed milk, it delivers steady, slow-releasing energy, a reasonable hit of protein, and a decent amount of fibre. This all comes without the sugar spikes associated with many cereals.

Bran flakes offer the highest fibre count of the cereal group at 5.2g per serving, though their sugar content is considerably higher than porridge. Having a bowl of bran flakes or All Bran every day would still be very sensible as part of a balanced diet.

Weetabix sits in a sensible middle ground and is easier to measure portions thanks to its denomination in lozenges, or ‘biscs’. With modest calories, low sugar and good fibre, Weetabix is one of the more nutritionally balanced ready-to-eat options.

Eggs deserve their reputation as a breakfast staple. A poached or boiled egg delivers 7.5g of protein for just 85 calories, with no sugars and no added fat from cooking. Scrambled eggs or an omelette made with two eggs and a splash of milk push protein up to around 14g which is nutritionally excellent and impressively filling. Pairing with grilled mushrooms or tomatoes adds volume, micronutrients and fibre, with barely any caloric cost.

Perhaps the most balanced breakfast the tool above can build is a bowl of porridge followed by a poached egg, grilled mushrooms, and tomatoes. That combination comes to roughly 276 calories, provides around 15g of protein, meaningful fibre, and very little sugar. It’s the sort of breakfast that keeps hunger at bay well into the morning without overloading on calories before the day has properly begun.

Less healthy breakfast foods

There are some out there whose first meal of the day is rather more hedonistic. With one of the national dishes being a Full English Breakfast, a popular choice would involve one or more of sausage, bacon or black pudding. These foods are high in fat and salt, and sausages are even classed as carcinogens.

What about baked goods? A croissant would contain about 230 calories and 12g of fat, offering relatively little protein or fibre to balance this out. Waffles and pancakes follow a similar pattern. These are perfectly enjoyable as occasional treats, but they don’t sustain energy in the way that foods rich in protein- or fibre do.