{"id":881315,"date":"2026-09-03T00:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T00:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/881315\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T00:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T00:26:14","slug":"all-day-energy-what-are-the-best-foods-to-eat-first-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/881315\/","title":{"rendered":"All day energy: What are the best foods to eat first thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dietitian and physiologist Orla Walsh joined Anna Geary on RT\u00c9 Radio 1 to discuss the best foods to fuel our bodies with. Listen back here.<\/a><\/p>\n

The old saying goes: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”. But according to dietitian Orla Walsh, we should be enjoying full plates at every meal.<\/p>\n

Although everybody is different, in general terms, Walsh says that our breakfasts should be just as filling and diverse as our lunches and dinners<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

To begin with, she suggests opting for a high-fibre, high-protein, carbohydrate-filled start to the day.<\/p>\n

“When we wake up in the morning, the carbohydrate stores in our liver are quite low, and our body would prefer if we replenished them,” the dietitian explains.<\/p>\n

A bowl of porridge with milk and perhaps a dollop of yoghurt, a mix of fruit (the fruit should fill half the bowl) and a sprinkle of nuts and seeds.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, you could have eggs on wholegrain bread, with tomatoes and mushrooms cooked in olive oil.<\/p>\n

The main thing is to ensure you have carbohydrates, fats, fibre and protein on your plate.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you have little ones in the house who refuse to eat breakfast, the dietitian recommends getting them up a little bit earlier and getting them outside for five to ten minutes if possible.<\/p>\n

“When our sleep hormone remains high in our system, we need it to drop before our digestive hormones can come up,” she explains.<\/p>\n

“I would start small and get them into the habit,” she suggests. “Maybe start small with the likes of a yoghurt. Then, maybe in a week’s time, add a banana. Then add some granola. Then add some chopped nuts.”<\/p>\n

As for busy adults, if you can’t stomach a big meal first thing, but want something in your system before heading to the gym, Walsh recommends a large glass of orange juice or a banana.<\/p>\n

\"healthy<\/p>\n

If you can’t stomach a big breakfast and find yourself reaching for snacks throughout the day, Walsh says you should assess your body’s needs.<\/p>\n

“Good nutrition is asking yourself: What have I just done, and what am I about to do?” she explains.<\/p>\n

If you can tailor your food to the energy needed throughout the day, you’ll likely find yourself fueled in the appropriate way.<\/p>\n

If you’re getting hungry while sitting at a desk, for example, you should opt for a handful of nuts or some hummus and veg to keep your healthy fats high.<\/p>\n

If you’re getting ready to go for a run, though, you’re better off eating some carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, Walsh suggests opting for a high-carb, low-protein option that can be digested quickly, such as a handful of jellies or a cereal bar.<\/p>\n

The dietitian is quick to note, however, that these are appropriate if you find yourself hungry an hour before a run, but she would not recommend them as part of your day-to-day diet.<\/p>\n

\"Young<\/p>\n

When it comes to staying fueled throughout the day, Walsh says that hydration is essential.<\/p>\n

A mistake that many people make is forgetting about water during the day and trying to make up for it in the evening, which leads to late-night bathroom visits.<\/p>\n

“Front-load the day with fluids,” she says, noting that women need about 2 litres of water, while men should aim for 2.5 litres a day.<\/p>\n

“If you’re a sweatier person, you could very well need more,” she adds.<\/p>\n

To find out more about healthy eating habits, listen back to the full interview here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dietitian and physiologist Orla Walsh joined Anna Geary on RT\u00c9 Radio 1 to discuss the best foods to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":881316,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,84,395],"class_list":["post-881315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}