It’s one of the nation’s favourite items in the spreads aisle
Neil Shaw Assistant Editor
11:45, 26 Jun 2025Updated 13:54, 26 Jun 2025
Fans of Nutella and other tasty chocolate spreads have been advised to avoid eating it at a particular time of day if they want to make healthier choices.
Top nutritionist Nichola Ludlam-Raine has warned against starting the day with chocolate spread, especially if it is spread on white toast. She believes this popular British breakfast is ‘carb heavy’, lacks fibre, protein and plant diversity, and is essentially just ‘sugar and oil’.
Nichola highlighted some unsettling facts about other beloved breakfast items too, revealing that a bowl of processed cereal can contain up to 14 teaspoons of sugar, while a bacon sandwich can pack in 16 grams of fat, reports Surrey Live.
The nutrition expert also offered some tasty and nutritious alternatives to kick-start your day, keep you satiated throughout the morning, and boost your energy and focus.
In collaboration with St. Dalfour, Nichola advised: “The biggest mistake I see people making is choosing a carb-heavy breakfast that lacks fibre, protein and plant diversity – for example, white bread with butter or chocolate spreads, and that’s it.
“As a dietitian, I recommend switching to sourdough or wholemeal bread, which offers more fibre, protein and has a lower GI – i.e. its energy is released more slowly, adding a nut butter for healthy fats and protein, and opting for a lower-sugar, higher-fruit-content fruit spread or jam.”
“Adding some fruit in the form of sliced banana or berries would be a bonus too.
“A great hack is to keep a ‘diversity jar’ of mixed seeds handy. I always suggest this to my patients – to sprinkle on toast, yoghurt, porridge and more.”
Recent research has shed light on the breakfast habits of Brits, revealing that 31 per cent still opt for a full English as their morning meal. Other popular choices include a simple bowl of cereal, scrambled eggs on toast, a bacon sandwich, and the ever-reliable porridge.
However, it seems health isn’t always at the forefront of people’s minds when choosing their breakfast, with a quarter rarely or never considering the nutritional value of their morning meal. Instead, convenience, speed, and familiarity are prioritised.
Nichola commented: “There’s no one-size-fits-all “perfect” breakfast, but generally, poorer choices tend to be those that are high in added sugars and low in fibre, such as many boxed sugar- or honey-coated cereals, white toast with sugary chocolate or biscuit spreads, and pastries, or high in saturated fat and low in plant-based nutrients like greasy fry-ups.
“But you don’t have to give these up altogether – why not adapt your next full English instead? Swap fried pork sausages for leaner, grilled protein like chicken or turkey sausages, or even eggs, and add grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, and sauteĢed spinach.
“Use wholegrain toast and cook with minimal added fat – reduced salt or sugar baked beans get a thumbs up from me too. Other favourite breakfasts you can adapt include porridge or overnight oats, wheat biscuits, and wholemeal toast – choosing how to top each of these can make all the difference.
“Avoid over-sweetening with sugar or syrups, choose jams or fruit spreads with a higher fruit content, and pair with nut butters or a sprinkling of seeds for healthy fats and plant points. Adding plain yoghurt, or serving kefir alongside, will help to boost the protein content for satiety too.
“This will help to avoid blood sugar spikes followed by dips – which can leave you feeling tired, irritable, and hungry again quite quickly.
“We should also ideally take the time to chew properly and avoid eating on the go – eating too quickly can impair digestion and may lead to feeling sluggish or overeating, as the body’s fullness signals take time to register.
“Where possible, aim to sit down and eat mindfully, even if just for a few minutes – and if in a rush, prepare a simple breakfast box with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit to grab on busy mornings.”