Recently, culinary nutrition researchers confirmed that we all submit to a surprising monotony at breakfast. This is a starkly different attitude to other meals, where we’re expected to introduce ever-evolving flavours. Their explanation: habits help keep control of the scarce time after the alarm rings, and – unlike dinner – breakfast usually requires no social jockeying, as it is often eaten alone. It’s no surprise, then, that 34 per cent of people still prefer a cheese sandwich with their morning coffee. Despite all dietary insights, tradition obliges. Jam on bread comes in second place, muesli trails far behind, and fruit is the least popular.

What about all the trends making waves on social media? No other meal gets as much attention or is laden with as many dietary dogmas as breakfast – from porridge buffs to green smoothie advocates, chia pudding and granola fans, to “proats” believers who mix protein with quark and oats, forming a mad-scientist-esque creation from familiar elements. At the forefront are blood-sugar disciples, who start the day with a spoon of apple cider vinegar and consider oats as evil as pasta.

The heroine of this movement is Jessie Inchauspé, a scientist with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s in biochemistry. Known to her 4.4 million followers as Glucose Goddess, the Frenchwoman says, “Breakfast is the most important meal.” It determines whether you will have a good or bad day, glucose-wise. 

To keep blood sugar levels stable and ensure prolonged satiety, avoid cravings, and get radiant skin and more energy, the first meal shouldn’t be sweet but based on fibre and protein. Think vegetables, eggs, cheese, meat – or tofu for vegetarians. Orange juice, oat milk and oats aren’t so healthy, according to Inchauspé. 

If your taste buds protest for lunch instead, you’re onto a trend nutritionists unanimously support: “Lunch is the healthier breakfast,” confirms Professor Andreas Michalsen, naturopath, and chief physician at Berlin‘s Immanuel Hospital. He doesn’t mean spaghetti carbonara, but a meal of legumes, vegetables, and plant-based proteins like tofu.

In Asia, the combination of soup plus sides is widespread – the New York Times recently praised the Japanese principle of ichiju-sansai (one soup, three sides like spinach, rice, fish) as a life-extending ideal that not only tastes great but also soothes the soul and stomach lining, while providing a balanced mix of proteins, vitamins, and carbohydrates. 

However, habits are hard to change. “We have been programmed into sweet breakfasts for generations,” says Professor Michalsen. “To maintain the taste while getting valuable nutrients and staying full longer, oatmeal or millet porridge with flax seeds, nuts, and seasonal fruits or frozen berries is ideal.” 

Coffee (without milk!) is healthy according to current studies, with up to four cups a day being fine. Similarly, whole-grain carbohydrates don’t need to be banned. My yogurt with fruits, nuts, and honey also gets the scientific nod. But what about people who prefer quiet in the morning over any dietary routine? 

Twenty per cent of people skip breakfast, either out of convenience or because they practice intermittent fasting. With 16-hour meal breaks, this promises positive effects on sugar and fat metabolism and health. 

Those skipping breakfast and only eating lunch and dinner should avoid grains and legumes. “The body metabolises carbohydrates better in the morning,” Professor Michalsen notes. He recommends a late breakfast after a 14-hour fast, which is easier for most to maintain and has equally positive effects. “However, late snacks count,” he cautions. 

So, if you have a bag of crisps at 10pm, porridge as the first meal at noon is a good idea. Even a bowl of life-extending, healthy miso soup would taste good by then.