A dietitian has said the popular meal has ‘all the red flags’ of being very unhealthyNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)
10:57, 23 Jul 2025
The meal is hugely popular in the UK but is very bad for your health
A dietitian says a popular UK breakfast has ‘all the red flags’ and is more unhealthy than eating a dinner kebab or a cheeseburger for your first meal of the day – and is in fact the worst breakfast in the world. A team of researchers from Feel Gut, a UK based lab specialising in gut microbiome testing have measured every single ingredient in the 20 most consumed traditional dishes globally and found that the Full English Breakfast is the unhealthiest of them all.
The new study aimed to shed light on how traditional meals from around the world stack up against modern gut‑health and public‑health benchmarks. The UK’s delicacy ticks nearly every box for things that harm our health and even contains 208% more ultra-processed foods than the global average, with the pork sausage being singled out as the worst ingredient in the list.
Feel Gut has published the first comprehensive head-to-head ranking of the world’s 20 most‑popular traditional national dishes for their impact on our overall health. It drew data from verified global nutritional databases to analyse every single ingredient within a meal specifically measuring, calories, fat, fibre, sodium, sugar, number of UPF’s, artificial additives and fermented foods.
The study found USA’s Cheeseburger and Fries and Turkey’s Doner Kebab are considered healthier alternatives to the Full English and the Full English Breakfast contains six ultra-processed ingredients, versus an average of 1.6 in the other 19 dishes, 280% more UPFs than the global average.
At 1,279 kcal, the Full English packs in 95% more calories than the 673 kcal average of other traditional dishes worldwide. With the highest UPF count and calorie load of all 20, the Full English ranks last in health scoring
The pork sausage has been scored as the most harmful ingredient in the list due to its UPF classification, saturated fats, sodium content and additives. The Full English packs 3,141 mg of sodium, 204% more than the 1,031 mg average of the other 19 dishes.
65% more sugar than the 5.2 g average globally—despite being a “savoury” breakfast staple
Specialist Registered Dietitian, Sarah Morton said: “The Full English Breakfast includes nearly every red flag that we track across foods and ingredients. This analysis sheds light on just how nutritionally imbalanced many of our most beloved traditional dishes can be especially when it comes to ultra-processed ingredients, excess saturated fat, sodium, and low fibre content. These are not just minor dietary concerns; they’re major contributors to long-term health risks like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory conditions.
“The goal isn’t to remove cultural foods from our plates, but to bring greater awareness to their composition, and consider simple adjustments to make the dish overall better for our health.”
Feel Gut developed a gut‑friendly reboot of the classic Full English Breakfast which cuts calories by 500, ultra‑processed ingredients down from 6 to 2 and reduces sodium intake while boosting fibre and live cultures. The ‘Mostly English, swaps pork sausage for turkey sausage and includes trimmed and grilled back bacon, a poached egg, wholegrain toast, homemade baked beans and spinach and kimchi instead of grilled tomatoes and mushrooms.
The league table