Zoë Birkbeck
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- Skipping breakfast is linked to weight gain, poor gut health, anxiety, and depression.
- A dietitian dedicated to helping people move past restrictive diets shared her go-to breakfasts.
- Sophie Gastman makes a plain batch of overnight oats and switches up the toppings over the week.
It's been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Sophie Gastman, a dietitian and cookbook author, agrees.
"I have to have breakfast when I wake up. There's no skipping breakfast for me, otherwise you won't want to know me," Gastman who is based in London, told Business Insider. Her book, "Find Your Healthy," debunks common diet misconceptions and aims to help us eat delicious food, guilt-free.
Her experience is rooted in biology. A 2025 meta-analysis published in the journal Nutrition Research found that skipping breakfast was associated with obesity, weight gain, worse gut health, anxiety, and depression. The authors said this is likely because morning fasting disrupts the circadian rhythm, or body clock, which plays a key role in hormonal secretion and blood sugar control.
While eating breakfast is a non-negotiable for Gastman, her general food philosophy is about flexibility and joy. "The best way to approach nutrition is going to be different for everyone. So the way I like to approach things is keeping things very flexible and staying as far away from perfectionism as possible," she said.
Yes, she builds meals around protein, fiber, carbs, and healthy fats, but adding a healthy dose of what she calls "vitamin P" (pleasure) is equally important.
She shared the three breakfasts she eats on repeat to fuel her body and satisfy her taste buds.
Upgraded oatmeal
Gastman's oatmeal.Sophie Gastman
A self-confessed creature of habit, Gastman said that her go-to breakfast for the past ten years has been oatmeal. "But it's upgraded oatmeal," she said. Oats have a range of benefits, including helping lower cholesterol levels because they contain a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucans.
She said she cooks the oats on a stove top with a splash of oat or almond milk and water, "so it's nice and creamy," and adds plenty of nutritious toppings.
She loves to use bananas, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, berries, nuts, and seeds to add more protein, fiber, and healthy fats to the meal.
Overnight oats two ways
One of Gastman's favorite overnight oat combinations is inspired by a British pastry called cherry Bakewell tart.NatashaPhoto/Getty Images
When she needs to get up and out the door early, Gastman opts for overnight oats. She typically makes a plain batch to last the week, containing oats, flaxseeds, milk, yogurt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, and then switches up the toppings.
The flaxseeds add fiber and give the mixture a "good texture," she said.
One of her favorite overnight oat combinations is inspired by a British pastry called cherry Bakewell tart. It consists of a shortcrust pastry shell filled with layers of raspberry jam and a sweet almond-flavored custard, topped with flaked almonds.
To recreate it, she adds a dash of almond extract into the oat mixture, makes a quick jam by heating up frozen cherries in the microwave, then tops the oats with the jam, almond butter, and almond flakes.
Her other current obsession is apple cobbler overnight oats. To make it, she cooks down apples with water, a splash of lemon, and cinnamon until they've softened into a compote. Then she dollops it onto the oats with some nut butter and granola.
Avocado and eggs
Eggs are a good source of protein, with one containing about 6 grams.happy_lark/Getty Images
When she wants a hot breakfast, Gastman likes to eat avocado and eggs with toast, and a bowl of Greek yogurt, and fruit on the side.
She switches up how she cooks the eggs, rotating between her favorites: soft-boiled, fried, and scrambled.
Eggs are a good source of protein, with one containing about 6 grams, and are packed with micronutrients such as iron, magnesium, and vitamin A. And avocados are rich in healthy fats.
Read the original article on Business Insider