Zoe founder shares one breakfast food he cut out entirely - and why you should too

Tim Spector
-Credit: (Image: Zoe)


A ZOE nutritionist has revealed he cut one breakfast food out of his diet because it was a “terrible way to start the day”.

Renowned gut health expert Tim Spector says he used to start each morning with a bowl of muesli, low-fat milk, a cup of tea, and orange juice. However, he found himself feeling as though he was “dipping” around 11am.

After starting to do work with ZOE, Tim discovered his breakfast was giving him a “massive sugar spike”. It led him to switching up his morning routine to help get through the day.

READ MORE: Professor Tim Spector's superfood tip lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and reduces dementia risk

Speaking on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast, he said: “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.

“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.”

Muesli
Tim Spector said he used to have a bowl of muesli for breakfast (stock) -Credit:Kilito Chan/Getty Images

According to ZOE, if you have regular large blood sugar spikes after eating you could be more susceptible to a range of diseases, including heart disease. It says people who experience blood sugar spikes and dips are more inclined to feel hungry throughout the day.

ZOE says eating breakfast foods that are high in fibre will help keep you feeling “fuller for longer” throughout the day. These include porridge topped with a handful of nuts, plain or natural yoghurt with berries, homemade granola or fruits.

Alternatively, foods that are high in protein, gut-friendly dishes, and complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain toast topped with avocado, could be considered. Tim meanwhile says he also switched up his lunchtime routine after founding ZOE.

When working as a doctor, he says he found himself opting for a more convenient lunch, unaware of the implications on his blood sugar. He explained: “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.”