ZOE expert Tim Spector explains the breakfast swap that transformed his mornings

Tim Spector, who founded the health app ZOE, says he used to always have the same breakfast but realised it was not the best way to start the day after doing some blood tests

A ZOE nutritionist has ditched one staple breakfast item after deeming it a "terrible way to start the day".

Gut health expert Tim Spector used to kick off his mornings with muesli, low-fat milk, a brew, and orange juice. But he noticed a mid-morning energy crash at around 11am.

Working with ZOE led Tim to realise his go-to breakfast was causing him a "massive sugar spike". This revelation prompted him to overhaul his morning eating habits to maintain steady energy levels throughout the day.

While chatting on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, Tim shared insights about his dietary changes: "As a doctor I should know better and yet I have changed two of my meals completely. So I've gone from having muesli with low-fat milk and an orange juice and a cup of tea because when I started doing these tests with ZOE, I found that gave me a massive sugar spike - it was a terrible way to start the day and I got these dips around 11 o'clock - to a high full-fat yoghurt, nuts, seeds, a few berries."

He now avoids orange juice, labelling it as decidedly unhealthy, and opts for plenty of black coffee which he discovers is beneficial to his health: "I never have orange juice, that's a really unhealthy drink for anybody, and I have lots of black coffee, which I now know is good for me. So that's totally different.".

According to the experts at ZOE, frequent large blood sugar spikes post-meals could increase vulnerability to numerous ailments, such as heart disease. Moreover, fluctuations in blood sugar levels are said to be linked to increased hunger during the day.

ZOE suggests that breakfast foods high in fibre can help you feel "fuller for longer" throughout the day. Options include porridge sprinkled with a handful of nuts, plain or natural yoghurt topped with berries, homemade granola or fruits.

Alternatively, consider foods high in protein, gut-friendly dishes, and complex carbohydrates like whole grain toast topped with avocado. Tim, who founded ZOE, also changed his lunchtime routine.

During his time as a doctor, he often opted for a convenient lunch, oblivious to its impact on his blood sugar levels. He shared: "I changed my lunch, for at least 10 or 15 years I was having a hospital lunch, which used to be in the canteen and then it was Marks and Spencer's, I got a healthy looking sandwich with brown bread and sweetcorn and tuna with a smoothie, and that gave me a massive sugar spike. I wouldn't have known that."

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