Most older New Zealanders are breakfast people. In the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey, 81% of people aged 51 to 70 and 96% of those over 70 said they ate breakfast every day, far more than younger adults.
What goes on the plate matters as much as whether it’s eaten. The LiLACS NZ study of people in their 80s found breakfast was the meal lightest on protein. Women averaged 10.1 g of protein at breakfast and men 13 g, against 23.3 g and 34.2 g at dinner, and about a third of both had a low protein intake overall.
So the first meal of the day is where many of us have the most room to improve. Here’s what the research says about the best thing to have first, and 10 foods and drinks worth starting the day with.
The best thing to eat first
If there’s one answer, it’s protein. Have an egg, yoghurt or something similar first, and leave the toast, cereal or juice until the end of the meal.
The evidence for eating in that order comes from a group of small trials at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. In a 2015 study of 11 people with type 2 diabetes, eating vegetables and protein before carbohydrate after an overnight fast cut the rise in blood glucose by 73% compared with eating the carbohydrate first. A 2017 randomised trial of 16 people with type 2 diabetes found glucose peaks were 53% to 54% lower when carbohydrate came last.
Those trials were small and mostly involved people with diabetes, so the results don’t automatically carry over to everyone. A longer 16-week trial of 45 people with prediabetes found no difference in weight or long-term blood sugar between groups, though 72% of those asked to eat protein and vegetables first said it was easy to keep up. It’s a simple habit with little downside.
For older readers there’s a second reason to lead with protein. The Ministry of Health’s Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Older People say protein needs rise with age, and recommend 57 g a day for women over 70 and 81 g for men. A breakfast with a decent serve of protein makes those numbers easier to reach.
The muscle-building case is less settled. A 2026 review of seven trials in 305 adults aged over 60 found that adding protein in the morning may not improve muscle mass, strength or physical performance, though its authors said the evidence was very uncertain. In a Japanese study of 701 people aged 60 to 83, those whose breakfast had higher-quality protein were less likely to develop weakness, but that study was observational.
What about coffee first? A University of Bath study found that when healthy young adults drank strong black coffee, about 300 mg of caffeine, 30 minutes before a sugary drink after a broken night’s sleep, their blood glucose rose more than it did without the coffee. The researchers concluded that a strong coffee before breakfast can reduce glucose tolerance, so it makes sense to have your coffee with or after food rather than on its own.
And water? Despite the popular advice, there’s no trial showing a glass of water first thing does more good than water drunk later. Good hydration still matters more as we age, though, and a glass on waking is an easy way to get started.
10 good things to have in the morning
1. A glass of water. The Ministry’s older people’s guidelines say older adults can be at greater risk of dehydration because the thirst mechanism may weaken with age, and common medicines such as diuretics and laxatives add to fluid loss.
They suggest about 2.1 litres of fluid a day for women over 51 and 2.6 litres for men. Tea, coffee and milk all count towards that.
2. Eggs. An egg or two is the easiest way to lift breakfast protein. In a US trial of 30 overweight women aged 25 to 60, an egg breakfast left them fuller than a bagel breakfast, and they ate less in the hours afterwards.
Older appetites hold up well to a protein breakfast, too. An Adelaide study found a protein drink before breakfast suppressed appetite less in men with an average age of 75 than in younger men.
3. Plain yoghurt. Yoghurt brings protein and calcium together. Women over 51 need 1,300 mg of calcium a day, according to the Ministry’s guidelines, but the usual intake for women aged 65 to 74 in the 2008/09 survey was 684 mg.
A 150 g pottle counts as one serving of milk products, and the guidelines prefer reduced or low-fat options.
4. Porridge. Oats contain beta-glucan, a soluble fibre, and the food standards code shared by Australia and New Zealand allows a health claim linking beta-glucan from oats or barley to blood cholesterol. A review of 28 trials found 3 g or more of oat beta-glucan a day lowered LDL, the “bad” cholesterol, by 0.25 mmol/L.
Porridge also fills you up. In a US trial of 48 adults, oatmeal led to a bigger increase in fullness than the top-selling ready-to-eat breakfast cereal.
5. Wholegrain toast. A major 2019 review led by the University of Otago and published in The Lancet looked at 185 studies and 58 trials. People who ate the most fibre had a 15% to 30% lower risk of death from all causes and from heart disease than those who ate the least, and the benefit was greatest at 25 g to 29 g of fibre a day. Wholegrains showed similar results.
Have the toast after the egg, not before it. The Ministry’s guidelines also describe fibre-rich foods as an effective way to prevent and treat constipation.
6. Two kiwifruit. A trial across New Zealand, Japan and Italy found two green kiwifruit a day added at least 1.5 complete bowel movements a week for people with constipation. Zespri was the principal sponsor.
University of Otago research has also tested gold kiwifruit. In a Zespri-funded trial of 167 young adults with low vitamin C, two SunGold kiwifruit a day reduced fatigue and improved wellbeing within two weeks. A smaller Christchurch study of 20 adults aged 31 to 84 found the same two-a-day habit restored adequate vitamin C levels in about 80% of them.
7. An apple. A study of 1,456 Western Australian women aged 70 to 85, followed for 15 years, found those who ate more than 100 g of apple a day (about one apple) had a lower risk of death over that time than those who ate almost none. It shows an association rather than proof.
8. Berries. A US study of more than 16,000 women aged 70 and over found those who ate the most blueberries and strawberries had slower cognitive decline. The researchers estimated berries appeared to delay cognitive ageing by up to two and a half years, though the study was observational.
9. Coffee. A large US study of more than 400,000 people aged 50 to 71, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012, found coffee drinkers had a lower risk of death over 13 years. Its authors said they couldn’t tell whether coffee was the cause.
The Ministry’s guidelines suggest keeping caffeine to about 300 mg a day, roughly one large long black, three cappuccinos or four cups of plunger coffee. Have it with your breakfast rather than before it.
10. A cup of tea. The same guidelines put six cups of tea at about 300 mg of caffeine, so tea goes further for anyone watching their intake. Like coffee, it’s best early in the day, since a sleep study found 400 mg of caffeine taken six hours before bed still disrupted sleep.
Putting it together
Coffee drinkers who get reflux often blame the morning cup, but the evidence is mixed. A 2026 analysis of 40 studies found coffee was linked to a small increase in reflux, of unclear clinical importance, while an earlier review of 15 studies found no significant link. If coffee bothers you, having it with food is an easy change to try.
Breakfast also seems to go with better health more generally. A 2024 analysis of nine studies covering 242,095 people linked skipping breakfast with a 27% higher risk of death, but its authors rated the evidence as very low certainty. People who skip breakfast may differ in other ways, so it’s a reason to keep eating breakfast rather than proof that breakfast itself protects you.
A breakfast that ticks most of the list might be a glass of water, a boiled egg or a bowl of yoghurt with berries, then porridge or wholegrain toast, with a coffee or tea alongside. Eat the protein first and save the toast for last.
Anyone with diabetes, on medication or following a special diet should talk to their GP before making big changes.
