Now that it’s fall, the days are getting shorter and shorter and many of us are leaving the house when it is still dark out. Many girls I talk to say that it’s really hard to wake up early enough to sit down for breakfast this time of year. Instead, lots of girls are running out the door with food in hand (Pop Tarts), picking up food at a coffee shop (donut/muffin), getting fast food (egg and sausage on a croissant), or are stopping at a convenience store (chips and soda). Although these foods may taste good and fill you up for little while, they aren’t healthy breakfast choices and they’re definitely not PCOS-friendly. 

You’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Girls who eat breakfast do better in school, feel better, and have healthier weights than girls who skip breakfast. Even though having something for breakfast is better than having nothing, chips and soda isn’t exactly what the nutritionist ordered, especially for girls with PCOS! Eating a PCOS-friendly breakfast will get your day off to a healthy start and can keep you full and focused until lunch time.

So, what makes a breakfast PCOS-friendly? Protein and fiber. These two nutrients are super healthy, super filling, and are the foundation of a proper breakfast. Protein is found in lots of breakfast foods such as eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, nuts, milk, and cheese. Fiber is found in all fruits and in whole grains such as whole wheat toast, whole grain waffles, whole wheat English muffins, steel-cut oatmeal, or a high-fiber cold cereal. If you have time to eat something before you leave the house, try having a high-fiber cereal topped with berries and low fat milk or some whole grain waffles with Greek yogurt. Before you run out the door, make yourself whole wheat toast with peanut butter or grab a piece of fruit and a cheese stick. If you need to buy something along the way, go for a breakfast sandwich (egg and Canadian bacon on a whole wheat English muffin) or a latte (the milk counts!) with a banana. Try to avoid the convenience store breakfast since it’s a hard place to find something healthy… even for a nutritionist!

-Nutritionist Kendrin