3 Tips For More Hormone-Friendly Breakfasts (& What Not To Do)

If you find yourself on the "hormonal balance" side of TikTok, you'll notice that a significant chunk of content surrounds one thing: balanced breakfasts. You see, the morning meal is actually crucial for all-day hormonal balance—breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all.

Chicago-based registered dietitian Maggie Michalczyk, R.D., previously told mbg that the best breakfasts are the most balanced. 

Naturally balanced meals contain protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates. For breakfast, look for foods like eggs, Greek yogurt, berries, nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil, to name a few staples. 

A plain fruit smoothie may taste great on a hot summer day, but it's not necessarily the best option for hormone balance. See, many fruits like pineapple and mango (two popular smoothie additions) contain a whole lot of sugar. While there's nothing wrong with that, it's a good idea to pair them with proteins and fats (remember, balance is key). 

For those aiming for hormone balance in the context of healthier skin, you may even add a scoop of collagen powder to the mix.

They're especially helpful during menopause (a famous hormonal shift), as you experience a 30% drop in collagen in the first five years of menopause, with a 2% dip every year after that. Just look for hydrolyzed collagen peptides, as they're the easiest to digest. 

Not everyone is a breakfast person, and that's OK. However, research shows that this first meal may be more important than you think in terms of hormone balance.

Compared to eating a balanced breakfast, skipping breakfast has been shown to increase hunger1 and the desire to eat. What's more, skipping breakfast could throw levels of certain hormones out of whack.

In fact, one review found that eating breakfast actually raises levels of certain hormones like GLP-1 and PYY, which are responsible for controlling food intake2.