You’ve had breakfast. You know you’ve had breakfast. And yet you’re in the middle of convincing yourself 9am is definitely not too early to indulge in your packed lunch.
Sometimes, breakfast barely touches our sides.
If your food never seems to go the distance, you’re not the only one. So I asked nutrition scientist Dr Joanna McMillan for the simple morning tweaks that help you feel fuller, stay satisfied for longer and keep your focus sharp.
The first thing she told me was that breakfast sets the tone for the whole day.
“Way back when I was doing my PhD in the early 2000s, we saw very clearly that when people ate a healthy breakfast, a balanced breakfast, they tended to eat better for the rest of the day,” she said. “It’s like starting the day on the right foot.”
So here are her three easy tweaks to make sure that your brekky provides you with the sustenance you need to get through the day.
1. Nail the protein and fibre combo.
“You have to think about protein and fibre,” Dr Jo said. “Think about the combo. If you can get both into breakfast, that’s the best thing for trying to stay full.”
Why do they work so well together?
“What they have in common is that they’ll both slow down stomach emptying,” she explained.
“When food stays in your stomach longer, the stretch receptors on your stomach send signals to your brain to say that food’s here. It’s okay. You can relax. Your appetite can calm down.”
Protein has an extra trick up its sleeve.
“There’s something called the protein leverage hypothesis, which is just a fancy scientific term for the idea that our bodies will essentially keep driving us to meet a certain protein requirement. Our appetite will keep urging us to seek out food until we’ve met that threshold.”
“So if you don’t get enough protein early into the day, then you might be chasing your appetite a little bit, never quite feeling satisfied.”
Her trick is to front-load protein at breakfast to help you feel fuller and more energised from the start of the day. And when it comes to an easy protein hit, she said Greek yogurt ticks the box: “Greek yogurt is just a super easy way of nailing the protein part of that equation.”
For Dr Jo, one of the best hassle-free options to try is Chobani Natural Greek Yogurt.
She recommends it because it’s made with just fresh milk and live cultures, and it’s authentically strained to create a deliciously thick and creamy texture that’s naturally high in protein.
Importantly, there are no added milk powders, concentrates or thickeners, and you get 13g of quality, natural protein per serve.
For a protein-rich breakfast, she recommends Chobani Natural Greek yogurt topped with sliced pear, walnuts, cinnamon and oats.
And for those mornings when you’re rushing out the door, she suggested taking the same approach on the go: “You can make a smoothie with Chobani Natural Greek yogurt, milk and frozen berries. Throw in some nuts and seeds, and maybe a handful of oats in there.”
2. Build a bigger, more balanced bowl. 
Image: Supplied.
If your breakfast feels more like a snack than a proper meal, the fix might be simpler than you think.
“One thing is often the volume of food. It might be as simple as you didn’t eat enough,” Dr Jo said. “The volume in your stomach has a big impact on how satisfied you feel after the meal.”
So, how do you get the balance right? Dr Jo suggested picturing your breakfast as you would a dinner plate, divided into segments.
“Picture your dinner plate, slice it down the middle. So half of your plate, try to make veggies and/or fruit. So at breakfast it might be fruit.”
“From there, roughly a quarter of the plate should be your protein-rich food, such as Chobani Natural Greek yogurt, followed by your smart carbs, meaning fibre-rich, low-GI carbohydrate foods. The final small slice is for healthy fats, which could come from extra virgin olive oil, oily fish, avocado, nuts or seeds.”
And no, carbs aren’t the enemy. “Don’t be scared of carbohydrates. It’s about having the right carbs.”
Her quick checklist for a breakfast that goes the distance is simple: “Have you got the good fats? Have you got the protein? Have you got the fibre-rich, low GI carbs? Have you got the right volume?” Tick those boxes, and you’re golden.
3. Do a little forward planning for breakfast.
The most satisfying breakfast is the one you actually get to eat, and Dr Jo said a tiny bit of planning goes a long way.
“For me, it’s just about having the right foods at home,” she said. “That’s why Chobani Natural Greek Yogurt is such a good fridge staple. If it’s there, it’s an easy choice.”
One way Dr Jo makes breakfast easier is by preparing it ahead of time. A simple option is overnight oats made with Chobani Natural Greek Yogurt, oats, chia seeds and frozen fruit, ready to grab from the fridge in the morning.
And if you’ve forgotten to prep the night before, all is not lost. Her advice is simple: “Get up 10 minutes earlier so that you’ve got time to make a quick breakfast smoothie, or actually sit down, even better, and eat your breakfast at home before you leave for work.”
Keeping to a regular rhythm helps too. “Not skipping meals and eating regularly is the way to nail your nutrient targets and keep hunger at bay.”
Most of all, she wants us to think about breakfast as something to embrace. “You’re thinking about what to eat rather than what you shouldn’t be eating,” she said. “It’s less about restriction and much more about embracing really nutritious foods that are going to give us energy.”
Check out Chobani Natural Greek Yogurt next time you shop.
Dr Joanna McMillan is a paid ambassador for Chobani. The views and advice expressed are her own.
Featured image: Supplied.
Chobani® Natural Greek Yogurt is made with just milk & cultures. Authentically strained creating a naturally thick, creamy and high in protein Greek yogurt.
Packed with 13g of natural protein per serve, with no added milk powders or concentrates. It’s a simple and delicious way to start your day.
