For most of my life, I barely ate breakfast.
My day would usually begin with coffee and cigarettes, and that combination would suppress my appetite for hours. That is obviously a bad habit for many reasons, but it is not the main focus of this post.
Over the years, I experimented with many different breakfasts.
I tried eating a plain pork steak with a good tomato and some olive oil. The idea was to get some protein and add something fresh, but it never felt like what my body actually wanted in the morning.
A greasy Bulgarian banitsa or a döner was much easier for my appetite to accept. The problem was that these meals contained a lot of carbohydrates, made me sleepy and often ruined my productivity for the rest of the day.
I also tried starting the day with fruit or salads. They sometimes irritated my stomach, and I became hungry again much too quickly. At least for me, that did not feel like the right way to begin the day.
Eventually, I found a very simple breakfast that works better for me than anything else I have tried so far.
My Breakfast
First, I eat one boiled egg on its own.
Then, in a bowl, I add:
- Three tablespoons of oats
- Boiling water
- One tablespoon of honey
- Sometimes half a banana
- Two or three tablespoons of Bulgarian yogurt
I pour boiling water over the oats and leave them to soften for around 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of oats.
After a while, I add the honey. Sometimes I also mash half a banana thoroughly so that it becomes part of the mixture. Once everything has cooled down enough, I add the yogurt.
The actual preparation takes less than five minutes, and eating it takes about the same amount of time.
Why It Works for Me
After this breakfast, I usually do not feel hungry for the next three to six hours. More importantly, my energy feels stable instead of rising quickly and then crashing.
For me, the combination of the boiled egg and the oat mixture is important.
Without the egg, I do not feel fully satisfied and become hungry again fairly soon. If I eat only the egg, it feels almost as though I have eaten nothing at all. When I combine the two, however, the breakfast feels complete and keeps me full for much longer.
The egg adds protein and makes the meal more substantial. The oats provide slower, more sustained energy and help keep me satisfied. The honey and banana add sweetness and quicker energy.
The yogurt is not there only for taste and texture. It also contributes to the feeling of fullness and adds some protein and fat, depending on the amount and its fat content.
I have also noticed that oats have a positive effect on my digestion because of the fibre they contain. I prefer to let them soften properly before eating them, and I try to drink enough water throughout the day.
Recently, I heard from people I know who work in the medical sector that, in some cases, eating oats regularly over a long period may be associated with problems such as intestinal twisting. I have not researched whether there is any proven connection, so I do not treat this as a medical fact. It is simply something I was told and wanted to mention.
In general, I think it makes sense to pay attention to how a particular food affects your body and to speak with a doctor if you experience pain or unusual symptoms.
This is not nutritional or medical advice, and I am not claiming that this breakfast is ideal for everyone. It is simply the best breakfast I have found for myself so far.
It is inexpensive, quick to prepare, easy to eat and gives me the type of energy I want at the beginning of the day.
For something so simple, it has changed my mornings—and often the rest of my day—in a surprisingly positive way.