How to Make the Perfect PCOS Breakfast (Plus 10 Recipes) (2024)

With PCOS, breakfast is often one of the biggest challenges! Most of my clients don’t have enough time in the mornings or don’t feel hungry.

But eating breakfast is important for women with PCOS. Eating breakfast can help manage PCOS cravings and blood sugar.

If you struggle to eat breakfast with PCOS, keep reading. We’ll go over why breakfast is so important. Then I’ll share my formula for a perfect PCOS breakfast. Finally, I’ll share a few recipes for PCOS-friendly breakfast with you.

I’m a Latina dietitian. Most of my clients are Latinas who want to beat their PCOS symptoms, but still enjoy Latino foods. So in that spirit, most of the recipes I’ll share today are Latino foods (but anyone can enjoy them!).

Let’s dive in!

Why breakfast matters

You may have heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And when it comes to PCOS, there is some truth to this!

New research suggests that eating a bigger breakfast (and smaller dinner) may help improve insulin sensitivity and reduce androgens (1).

Other research shows that women with PCOS are more likely to skip breakfast than people without PCOS (2).

Why you might struggle with breakfast

Well over half my clients start out skipping breakfast. Why? There’s emerging evidence that people with PCOS may be more likely to have sleep disturbances.

This could be due to sleep conditions like sleep apnea, or simply being night owls! (3, 4, 5)

In my professional experience, it’s common for women with PCOS to identify as night owls! This makes it tough to feel well rested in the mornings if you work a traditional work schedule.

In this case, it can be tough to have the energy to wake up early and make a full breakfast!

Also, being a night owl is associated with not feeling hungry in the morning, and skipping meals more often (6, 7).

But even if you love mornings, you may still struggle to eat breakfast just because of your schedule!

How to build a healthy breakfast for PCOS

Breakfast isn’t too different from the rest of your PCOS diet. Just follow these simple steps to start your day with a PCOS-friendly meal!

Step 1. Choose a high-fiber carb

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to skip carbs for PCOS. It is important, though, to choose a carb that is also a good source of fiber.

This helps slow down how quickly your blood sugar rises and falls, and reduces insulin resistance in the long run (8).

Here are some high fiber carbohydrates to include in your breakfast:

• Corn tortillas: Read my review of the healthiest (and tastiest) tortilla options!
• Oats
• Potato or sweet potato
• Whole wheat bread
• Plantains
• Rice and beans: Adding beans to rice can lower the glycemic index (how quickly it increases your blood sugar)
• Fresh or frozen fruit. Just note that fruit juice would not have the same benefit because the fiber is removed.

Step 2: Add protein

The next step is to add a source of protein. There’s no official recommendation for how much protein is best for PCOS.However, my clients get the best results when they add at least 20 grams of protein in the morning.

The benefits you’ll get from adding protein to your breakfast include reduced appetite and cravings throughout the day (7). Adding protein will also improve the blood sugar response to the meal (9, 10).

Here are some good protein choices for breakfast:

• Beans
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Greek yogurt
• Nut butter (peanut, almond, or even sunflower seed)
• Ground turkey
• Nuts and seeds (peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pepitas, and more)
• Protein powder

Step 3: Add healthy fats

Unsaturated fats are anti-inflammatory, which may be especially important for PCOS (11, 12).

Good unsaturated fat choices for breakfast include:

• Avocado
• Olive oil
• Nuts and seeds

Among unsaturated fats, the most beneficial for PCOS are omega-3 fats (13). Good sources of omega-3 fats for breakfast include:

• Chia seeds
• Flaxseeds
• Walnuts
• Salmon or tuna

Optional step 4: add vegetables

This step is optional, because if you like a sweet breakfast it can be hard to do. But if you can, adding non-starchy vegetables to breakfast can help add even more fiber and vitamins to your meal.

This will keep you full, help balance your blood sugar, and further combat inflammation.

Vegetables that work well at breakfast include:

• Tomato (including salsa)
• Avocado
• Onion and garlic
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Mushrooms
• Bell peppers
• Jalapeño

(wondering why I called tomatoes a vegetable? Botanically, tomatoes are fruit but in the nutrition world we group them with vegetables because of their nutrient content!)

Breakfast ideas for PCOS

1. Banana licuado: This licuado adds extra protein for a complete breakfast.
   
2. Avocado toast with eggs (pan tostado con aguacate). Bonus points if you add pico de gallo!
3. Chilaquiles: You can choose chilaquiles with eggs or chicken! My favorite is with scrambled eggs.
4. Rice and beans: Rice and beans are Latino breakfast staples. You can always use whatever leftover rice and beans you have, but I also recommend this gallo pinto recipe.
5. Huevos ahogados: Simmering eggs in a tomato salsa adds both flavor and plenty of antioxidants. Serve with corn tortillas.
6. Breakfast tacos: The simplest version of a breakfast taco is just scrambled eggs and salsa in a tortilla. But you can also experiment with more complex recipes like this one.
7. Agua de chia. Agua de chia alone isn’t enough for breakfast. But it can easily add an extra boost of protein to the rest of your meal. I like to pair agua de chia with peanut butter oatmeal.
   
8. Scrambled eggs with nopales: An easy way to add extra vegetables to your eggs! Serve with corn tortillas.
9. Leftover soup or stew: eating leftovers for dinner is an underrated PCOS life-hack! Any leftover soup or stew will provide protein and veggies. But you can’t go wrong with this simple chicken soup.
10. Bionicos (Mexican yogurt bowls): make with greek yogurt for a more PCOS-friendly version.

FAQs:

Conclusion

Eating breakfast is important for managing PCOS. Eating breakfast helps stabilize your blood sugar. Additionally, it makes it easier to follow a PCOS-friendly meal plan, because it decreases cravings.

The trouble is it’s common for people with PCOS not to feel hungry in the morning.

Remember it’s important to eat something, but the overall size of your breakfast can vary.

Pretty much anything can be part of PCOS-friendly breakfast, just remember to follow my 4 simple steps. Choose a high fiber carb, add protein, add healthy fats, and add veggies (this last part is optional!).

I help Latinas navigate PCOS while embracing our favorite cultural foods. Need help getting started with your PCOS-friendly Latino meals? Download my Latino foods for PCOS checklist.

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