Celebrity chef reveals worst food mistakes you are making at breakfast

It’s often considered “the most important meal of the day”, but eating the wrong food for breakfast might be the culprit to bad health.

These are the worst food mistakes you’re making at breakfast. Picture: iStock

It is often considered “the most important meal of the day”, but eating the wrong breakfast could impact one’s well-being.

Unknowingly, terrible food choices may cause weight gain and serious health issues.

Celebrity chef and nutritionist Bridget Foliaki-Davis told news.com.au the worst mistakes you can make with your morning appetite.

“One of the worst things that I see is people starting their day with a lot of highly refined carbohydrates,” the 49-year-old explained.

“They’re starting their day with a sugar bomb literally going off in their body.

“They’re starting their day with cereal, which tends to be really high in sugar and starches [such as hash browns] and gluten.

“They’re leaving for work and in some cases, leaving for school with sugar levels so high, they’re pre-diabetic.”

Eating the wrong breakfast could impact your wellbeing. Picture: iStock

The mother-of-three said having these foods for breakfast gives you low energy.

“Having a sugar explosion, we’re getting a lot of glucose circulating in the body,” she said.

“When that happens, we get the sugar spike. We get this steep rise in blood glucose from all the sugar and starch that we’ve just eaten.

“But what goes up, must come down and then we come crashing down.

“Then an hour or hour and a half later, we’re back looking for more food to get us back on that high again.

“The sugar highs and then the following lows cause us to start looking for other sugary foods to get us back up on that high again.”

Having foods like cereal causes a “sugar explosion”. Picture: Thinkstock

Celebrity chef and nutritionist Bridget Foliaki-Davis. Picture: Supplied

The New Zealand-born cook and food writer said the ideal breakfast should consist of fibre, protein and a bit of healthy fats.

“Protein is going to help to keep you feeling full so will the fibre and you’re going to be giving your body just nutrient-dense food and that’s what your body wants,” she said.

“It wants nutrients and wants things that it can use to fuel itself so it can get through the day without going crashing and highs and crashing again.”

Ms Foliaki-Davis recommended eating vegetables for the morning meal as it gives you fibre and protein.

She also suggested consuming healthy fats such as avocado, nuts, seeds and salmon.

The ideal breakfast should consist of healthy fats such as avocado.

The award-winning chef – who once famously cooked her “best eggs in the world” for Oprah Winfrey – has overcome significant life challenges.

Ms Foliaki-Davis’ weight spiralled after she suffered a miscarriage.

At her heaviest, she weighed 94kg after she turned to food and alcohol to cope with the loss of her unborn child seven years ago.

She had health issues, including obesity, fatty liver disease and pre-diabetes, which stalled her career and led to her suffering from alcoholism and depression.

After hitting rock bottom, the renowned cook embarked on a journey of self-discovery and healing. In just six months, she lost 35kg and kept it off for over six years.

The Sydney-based mum developed a unique no-exercise, food-based approach to weight management, gut health and mental stability.

In just six months, the renowned cook lost 35kg. Picture: Supplied

As well as writing her digital recipe books, Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen, Ms Foliaki-Davis created 28-Day Boost Camp, an online gut health program which has seen thousands of people successfully lose weight and get healthy through learning how to shop, how to cook and how to eat.

The weight loss program was created during Covid lockdowns when the foodie gained 7kg and didn’t want “to go backwards” on her weight.

“I was getting a little bit worried that if I kept on doing what I was doing, I might put back on the 35kg [I lost],” she said.

“[The boost camp] was created because I realised this amazing community online who love all my healthy recipes and cookbooks, but there were people who were struggling.

“I was one of those people who was struggling to have a bit of direction and wanted structure.

“I realised when it comes to healthy food, a lot of people think they’re eating healthy, but actually, they’re not eating as healthy as they probably should be for their body.

“I wanted to make sure that it was nutritionally balanced and optimising their journey.”

The chef's digital recipe book, Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen. Picture: Supplied

Aussie grandmother Janelle Pratten jokingly called Ms Foliaki-Davis her “kick up the butt buddy” and credits the professional chef for her weight loss.

The 64-year-old, from Newcastle, tipped the scales at 140kg in 2021. She had multiple health conditions, including high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, fatty liver and mobility issues where she had to install a lift in her house as she was unable to walk upstairs.

Having tried a number of diets in the past, Ms Pratten heard about 28 Day Boost Camp from a friend who told her to check the cook’s Facebook page.

The mother-of-five bought one of Ms Foliaki-Davis’ cookbooks and attended her first boost camp where she “failed dismally”.

“Wrong time of the year to start a boost camp, really, on Christmas,” she jokingly said.

“There were lots of things on so you couldn’t sort of concentrate and it was a completely different way of looking at things.

“It was just the wrong time of the year. I probably wasn’t in the right headspace for it.”

Aussie grandmother Janelle Pratten tipped the scales at 140kg in 2021. Picture: Supplied

It wasn’t until a deep one-on-one meeting with the celebrity chef that Ms Pratten experienced a wake-up call that sparked her weight loss.

“Some reason she [Bridget] got through to me where the doctors couldn’t. I spent a whole hour in tears,” she said.

“It [the conversation] was about how you look after yourself. In my case, I wasn’t looking after myself.

“I also have an almost 94-year-old mother who has Alzheimer’s. She’s in a nursing home and I was actually going through all the process of getting her assessed and everything so I had lots of stress going on from that as well.

“Then Bridget sort of said look, ‘how can you look after anyone else if you don’t look after yourself?’”

After attending 26 boost camps, the grandmother-of-11 lost an incredible 66kg.

Three years since her weight loss journey, Ms Pratten’s health issues have improved.

She sleeps better, her blood sugar is normal, she is taking less blood pressure medication, and she walks up and down the stairs multiple times a day.

Her lift is now used to take the washing basket down or put groceries in it.

Ms Pratten said she would highly recommend Ms Foliaki-Davis’ boost camps and “100 per cent” happy since her health has changed.

“I don’t stress as much anymore. My attitude and my mindset has changed completely,” she said.

“I like moving every day. I’m doing more things, I’m more active.”

“I’m just so much happier within myself. It’s just been the absolute best thing that I’ve ever done.”

After attending 26 boost camps, the grandmother-of-11 lost 66kg. Picture: Supplied

Ms Foliaki-Davis said hearing stories like Ms Pratten’s weight loss journey is overwhelming.

“One of the most beautiful things that I can witness in my day is when someone will come on and share their testimonial about how bootcamp has changed their life.

“I get overwhelmed by the difference that we’re making in people’s lives and I don’t take anything for granted.

“I’m really careful that I’m giving out the right information. I’m putting together a program that is sustainable and it works because people’s lives are changing, and they’re changing for the better.

“And now I’m helping people lose over 60 kilos and completely reversing all of their health conditions. It’s amazing.”

The New Zealand-born cook developed a unique no-exercise, food-based approach to weight management. Picture: Supplied

Ms Foliaki-Davis’ advice for anyone who wants to lose weight and change their eating habits is to set some goals.

“I say to people, when you envision that weight loss, whether it be five kilos or 10 or 50 or whatever it is that you want to lose,” she said.

“Imagine how you’re going to feel when you get to that weight, what you’re going do, where you’re going go, what you’re going wear. We tie into this emotionally so that’s always the first step.

“And then once they’ve got that goal in mind, come see me and we’ll do a 28-day boost camp together.

“I’ll give you the meal plans and the recipes and then you just trust the process and follow the meal plan.”