Ah, breakfast. I can’t think of breakfast without picturing that giant Frosted Flakes tiger smiling at me – call me indoctrinated. But we’re not gonna be talking about him, we’re gonna be talking about ADHD-friendly breakfasts. Because if you’re going to eat breakfast, you gotta make it a good one. Otherwise you probably are better off skipping it! A breakfast that spikes your glucose levels will lead to fatigue, irritability, lack of focus, lack of energy, low motivation. With that being said, I’m gonna share some quick, easy, brain-boosting breakfast ideas for you to try.

Before we start, I have two very important tips for you:

1. Always include fat, fiber, protein, and carbs in your breakfast to keep your glucose levels steady. In other words, “put some clothes on your carbs.”
2. Try to make your breakfast savory, not sweet! If you do opt for sweet, add a savory protein like eggs or savory toppings like nut butters and seeds.

Side note – Everything you need to know about glucose you can learn from French biochemist, bestselling author, and founder of the Glucose Goddess movement, Jessie Inchauspé. I love her work! She completely changed the way I look at food. Her main principle is this: you can drastically improve your health not by dieting or avoiding your favorite foods, but by avoiding glucose spikes. Check out her IG and her bestselling book, Glucose Revolution, for super simple glucose hacks. The comparison charts are the best.

Without further ado, these are mostly prep-ahead options to keep you from scrambling as much in the AM. Get it?! 

Old Trusty

This has been my hyperfixation breakfast for the last 6 months: good ‘ole scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and berries. As far as breakfast ideas go, you can’t beat it! Scrambled eggs are ridiculously quick to make and surprisingly travel-friendly (forks are overrated, just use your hands). 

You get your fat & protein from the eggs and avocado, carbs from the toast (opt for sourdough over white bread for more complex carbs, it keeps you fuller longer), and fiber from the avocado and berries (pro tip: use frozen!).

Other great combos:

• Egg + avocado (great fiber!) + toast + goat cheese 
• Egg + buttered toast + berries
• Egg + peas (yes, peas!) + berries

For a low-carb option, you could skip the toast and go for some extra fat instead with buttery goat cheese… yum! Drizzle a little honey and add some bee pollen for some extra nutrients.

The Diner Staple: 3 Egg Omelette with Ham and Mozzarella Cheese

You can totally prep a batch of this diner-worthy breakfast ahead of time: simply whisk up some eggs along with chopped up deli ham and mozzarella (cheese sticks totally work!). Then in the morning all you have to do is toss it into the pan. Plus making it at home means you skip on all the inflammatory seed oils!

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Oats are a starch, and starch turns to glucose in our bodies. It's super important to combine oats with some sort of fat, fiber, and protein to reduce their spike and feel good. You can do that by adding nuts, seeds, whole fruit, and protein powder. Avoid honey, maple syrup, sugar, and fruit purées. 

This recipe is a good option for ADHDers because you can prep it ahead of time, then simply throw it in the oven while you’re getting ready. It also combines the necessary breakfast components of protein, fats, fiber, and carbs.

The Lumberjack Special: Cereal + Egg + Beef Jerky

If you’re in a time crunch, cereal is a good option, as long as you add a protein, fiber, and fat source along with it to avoid spiking your glucose. To make this even more quick and efficient, buy pre-hard boiled eggs or boil them yourself at home in batches so you always have them ready to go!

Some of my favorite cereals:

• Nature’s Path Whole O’s
• Nature's Path, Organic Fruit Juice Sweetened Corn Flakes Cereal – I use this to make this crazy good Butterfinger dupes
• Lovebird Cereal 
• Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola
• Forager

The best beef jerky brands by far are Chomps and Country Archer from Thrive Market, and Lorissa’s Kitchen (found at Amazon and sometimes carried at Costco). 

Pro tip: I like to stock up on healthy snacks and pantry staples from Thrive Market – they have the BEST selection and shipping is free over $49. You can get $60 in FREE groceries with this link.

Greek Yogurt Parfait

It’s best to go for savory over sweet breakfasts, but there is a way to do sweet if you do it right. For the perfect Greek yogurt parfait, combine greek yogurt with frozen cauliflower (for fiber) and vanilla protein powder (I love Kion – code LPWKION saves you money). Then top with frozen raspberries, chia seeds, and your favorite nut butter. Απολαμβάνω! (Google tells me that’s “Enjoy!” in Greek.)

Overnight Oats

If you enjoy your oats cold, always opt for steel cut oats over instant and add hemp seeds, chia seeds, your favorite nut butter, and frozen cauliflower rice and frozen strawberries. In the morning simply stir and enjoy!

Late for School Drop-Off Breakfast

Viral TikTok Custard Toast

Believe it or not, this TikTok trend from last year was surprisingly ADHD-friendly and I’ve kept it in my rotation ever since! It checks off all the boxes – carb, protein, fiber, and fat. Plus it’s super versatile, you can add whatever toppings you want!

Here’s a link to the step by step recipe but basically you take a few slices of soft bread and make a little indent in it. Then you combine Greek yogurt and an egg and pour into the indent. Next add your toppings. Finally, pop it in an air fryer for 8-10 minutes at 350, or bake in an over for 10-12 minutes at 425. The custard should be pretty firm when it’s done.

ADHD and glucose-friendly toppings:

• Ham & cheddar
• Peach slices & pomegranate seeds
• Almond butter & raspberries 
• Turkey & Swiss

Sweet Potato Protein Waffles

Another make-ahead recipe you probably haven’t tried yet: sweet potato protein waffles! Full recipe linked here. Next time you make sweet potato for dinner, make a little extra for this fun breakfast idea. 

Basically you combine mashed sweet potato, butter, eggs, oat flour, and protein powder for a filling breakfast even toddlers will approve. Make a whole bunch for quick, easy breakfasts throughout the week!

Classic French Toast

Another sneaky way to get protein, fat, fiber, and carbs all in one meal is with classic French toast. I make mine the easy way, with whatever sliced bread I have on hand. 

The key is to let the bread really soak up the egg and milk mixture. Top with nut butter and a handful of berries and you’re good to go. You can also make a big batch and simply throw in the toaster oven when you’re pressed for time throughout the week.

Oat “Pancakes”

My kids gobble these up and they are perfectly glucose- and ADHD-friendly! Simply mash bananas, then add oats, eggs,  cinnamon, salt, almond butter, and blueberries. Use butter or coconut oil and cook for 2 minutes on each side on medium-low heat.

The ingredients don’t have to be exact, we mostly just wing it! But if you want an exact recipe, try this:

• 4 mashed bananas
• 1 cup of steel cut oats
• 6 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients then cook on a heated, buttered pan for about 2-4 minutes each side (depending on how big you make the pancakes).

Leftover or prepped-ahead pancakes can be cooled, then transferred to a resealable bag to freeze. To reheat, simply toss in a toaster oven. Easy peasy!

Viva México! 🇲🇽 

Heat up some leftover rice and beans with some scrambled eggs and add a side of frozen or fresh mango for a glucose-steady breakfast. You’ve got your protein from the eggs and beans, the carbs from the rice and mango, the fat from the eggs (and butter if you use it to cook!), and the fiber from the mango. 

Eat to prep ahead: simply make extra rice and beans for dinner and enjoy again for breakfasts throughout the week. Use frozen mango to save time on chopping and waiting for them to ripen.

Supercharge this meal: Use black rice instead of white rice for a bit more protein (9 g vs. 6 g), more fiber, more antioxidants, vitamin E, and iron!

Important tip: Always opt for fresh or frozen mango over dried! When you remove the water, the sugar stays, and the result is a less satiating food. There’s 15 times more sugar in 100 grams of dried mango than in 100 grams of fresh/frozen whole mango. Put it this way: when you eat dried fruits, you often don’t realize how much you’re eating, but it’s tough to eat more than 1 whole mango, amiright?! 

Listen, I know dried fruit is convenient and obviously way better than processed or packaged options, but opt for whole fruits as much as possible. Just something to keep in mind. Frozen is often just as convenient!

Acai-You Later

It’s good to opt for savory over sweet breakfasts whenever you can to avoid glucose spikes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good smoothie! You just have to dress it up a bit. Try this recipe:

• ½ cup frozen acai (about 50 grams or half a packet of the most common options)
• ½ cup frozen raspberries
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder – I love Kion protein powder, it’s the highest quality protein I’ve found.
• Water or raw milk
• Pinch of salt 

The key is to balance out the sugar from the acai with plenty of fiber, healthy fats, and protein.

Bro Pudding

Here's a breakfast idea for the “bros” – just kidding, it's for everyone — mix yogurt with 1-2 scoops of your favorite protein powder. Top with almond butter, chia or flax seeds, chopped nuts for crunch, and frozen blueberries or raspberries. Best part: It takes 3 minutes to throw together and is packed with protein.

The Breakfast Taco

If you haven’t caught my drift, scrambled eggs are pretty darn amazing. But you know what makes them even better? When they’re portable! I love using the Siete almond flour tortillas for extra fat, fiber, and protein. Sliced gouda cheese and tomatoes take this to the next level.

Leftovers

Yes. I went there. Some people might balk at this, but you CAN have leftovers for breakfast if you’re in a time crunch, people! Pass me that chicken noodle soup, that black bean burger, or that Korean BBQ any day! Who says there have to be designated foods for every meal? Make your own rules (as long as you stick to the stable glucose rule 😉). As far as easy breakfast ideas go, this one's a win in my book.

All this food talk is making me hungry. I’m signing off and about to go make myself some breakkie!