The phrase “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” has been spoken in the U.S. for more than 100 years, since Kellogg’s first used it as a marketing slogan to get people to eat more cereal. As a dietitian, I’m often skeptical of food marketing ploys, but this time, I agree. Breakfast is important—eating breakfast leads to better focus, mood, and energy throughout the day, and it’s also linked to decreased risk of diseases like diabetes and hypertension, according to research from 2021.

That’s not to say that the rest of your meals and snacks aren’t also important (they absolutely are), but breakfast plays a unique role, helping you break the fast from your night’s sleep and laying the foundation for your day ahead. In eating disorder recovery, the importance of breakfast is even greater, as it can help you reconnect with your body and meet recovery goals. However, breakfast is often one of the most difficult mealtimes for those with eating disorders. So, today we’ll look at why that is, delve deeper into why it’s critical to eat breakfast during recovery, and explore strategies from dietitians to help make it easier.

Why breakfast is so hard for those with eating disorders

All mealtimes can feel like a battleground in eating disorder recovery, but breakfast can sometimes feel especially challenging. “Not having strong hunger cues combined with a fear or trouble with eating in general makes breakfast more of a chore than an act of self-care,” says dietitian Jessica Villalvir, MS, RDN. “Mental and physical effort is necessary for a breakfast meal to happen, and often, it can feel easier to skip breakfast entirely.”

We’ll take a closer look at the different reasons why breakfast can feel tough in recovery:

Hunger and fullness cues might be suppressed

Eating disorders often cause hunger and fullness hormones (called ghrelin and leptin) to go haywire, which makes it difficult to feel your body’s cues. When you’re affected by an eating disorder, it’s often especially hard to eat a meal when you’re not feeling hunger, especially in the morning. “Breakfast can be a particularly difficult time to recognize hunger, because the body is already in a fasting state from sleeping,” Villalvir explains. Then, the eating disorder brain will often try to use lack of hunger as a reason to skip or restrict breakfast.

There might be negative associations

Research from 2023 shows that mealtime obstacles in eating disorder recovery include disordered ideas about “healthy” or “unhealthy” foods. Many classic breakfast foods, like bagels with cream cheese, pancakes and waffles with syrup, bread with butter, and bacon and sausage are typically (yet wrongfully) vilified by diet culture and are placed off limits by the eating disorder brain. In recovery, it can feel extremely difficult to start incorporating such fear foods, because the eating disorder makes them feel dangerous and threatening.

Additionally, dietitian Elizabeth Harris, MS, RDN says people struggling with eating disorders might associate eating breakfast with other factors that threaten the eating disorder, like increasing food intake, weight gain, or eating certain demonized food groups (like carbs).

The eating disorder voice could be louder at first

Mornings can be a vulnerable time. In my own recovery, I remember feeling like eating breakfast was “failing” at the beginning of the day, according to my eating disorder. If I listened to that eating disorder voice and skipped breakfast, it was then much harder to honor my recovery throughout the rest of the day. Many of my clients have also said they’re more likely to restrict meals and snacks later in the day if they started out skipping breakfast—like the eating disorder gets the power first thing in the morning, and then gets to keep it.

The eating disorder brain might also tell you that you haven’t had time to “earn” breakfast yet, either through exercise, restriction, or some other accomplishment that makes you “worthy” of eating. It’s also common for the eating disorder to convince you that you’re too busy to eat in the morning, and getting to school or work becomes an excuse not to eat breakfast.

Although such thoughts and explanations are wrong and unscientific, the eating disorder brain can be very loud and convincing. It’s like having a bully sitting with you at the table, trying to convince you of all the reasons why you’re a loser if you eat your pancakes.

Emotions might be more difficult in the morning

In my practice, many of my clients have found mornings to feel overwhelming and daunting with their entire days ahead of them. Plus, research from 2024 shows that some people may experience higher depressive and anxious moods in the mornings than other parts of the day. Such hard emotions can make restricting breakfast feel tempting, since restriction can temporarily bring numbing and distraction.

There may be a lack of safety or time

Some people in recovery may feel a lack of safety in the environment where they’re trying to eat their breakfasts. For example, one of my clients needed to eat breakfast at school alone, which felt unsafe for her nervous system. It wasn’t until she asked a friend to join her in a trusted teacher’s classroom that she was able to eat breakfast on a regular basis, because she felt comforted, connected, and supported by her friend and teacher. Additionally, it can feel too stressful and hurried to eat breakfast if there’s not enough time built into the morning.

The importance of breakfast—especially in recovery

Eating breakfast regularly is essential to feel your best, whether you’re in eating disorder recovery or not. “When your alarm goes off, your blood sugar—which powers your muscles and brain—is often at its lowest, and breakfast swoops in to replenish it and kick your energy level into high gear,” explains Equip lead dietitian Tanya Hargrave-Klein, MS, RDN. “Think of breakfast as your first shot at hitting all those essential vitamin, mineral, and nutrient goals for the day. Skip it, and you're fighting an uphill battle to get what your body needs before bedtime.” Villalvir adds that without breakfast, “you might feel extra exhausted and sleepy, and have brain fog and difficulty concentrating.”

These are compelling reasons for anyone to eat breakfast. However, breakfast becomes even more vital when you’re healing from an eating disorder. Here’s why:

Regular eating schedules help restore hunger cues and nutrient status

Although eating disorders can disrupt hunger and fullness hormones, eating meals regularly (including breakfast) can fortunately help regulate hormones and reconnect you to your body’s signals. This can sometimes feel scary at first, but ultimately helps make eating in general much easier.

Additionally, eating breakfast daily will help you meet your energy and nutrient needs and protect your recovery. “Skipping breakfast can easily lower your total daily food intake, creating an energy deficit,” says Hargrave-Klein. “That alone can be enough to reactivate the eating disorder.” Having breakfast can also support weight restoration, which is often necessary to reach full recovery.

Eating breakfast makes it easier to choose recovery later

It can sometimes feel difficult to choose recovery later in the day if you restricted or skipped breakfast earlier. “In recovery, breakfast is even more important because you are learning to build trust and safety with food and yourself,” Villalvir explains. “If you miss breakfast, it makes it harder to apply the skills and tools you’re learning in recovery and easier to fall back on old coping strategies.” Once you’ve nourished yourself at the start of your day, you’ve already weakened the eating disorder’s control over timing and permission to eat and increased your chances of making recovery-aligned decisions (like using a healthy coping tool instead of restricting) later.

Having breakfast can support your mental and emotional well-being

One 2024 research analysis suggests that people who routinely miss breakfast may have a heightened risk of depression and poorer concentration, and people who regularly eat it might have better mood and cognitive skills. Another study from 2025 shows skipping breakfast may be linked to lower mood and difficulties in young people, and lack of focus could be part of the reason. Since eating breakfast can contribute to a more stable mental and emotional state, it can also make eating disorder recovery feel a bit more attainable—it’s easier to journal, breathe, call a friend, or use another coping skill when you’re feeling more stable.

It promotes stability and structure for the day ahead

Starting your day with an adequate and balanced meal (including carbs, fats, and proteins) supports blood sugar regulation (which contributes to more sustained energy throughout the day) and increased physical, mental, and emotional stability. One 2025 study of teen girls showed that eating breakfast improves blood sugar stability later in the day, when compared to skipping it.

“In recovery, it’s important to establish a regular eating schedule, usually with three meals and two or three snacks per day, to provide a routine and structure around meals. This helps let your body know that food is available,” Harris says. She explains that integrating breakfast into your routine makes it less likely you’ll feel out of control around food at future meals, since your body won’t be in a deprivation state. “For those recovering from binge eating disorder in particular, eating consistent, well-balanced meals throughout the day, including breakfast, can help minimize binges later,” Harris adds.

Expert-backed tips to start eating breakfast in recovery

Now that we’ve covered the importance of breakfast in eating disorder recovery, here are some dietitian-backed strategies to help get you started:

Lean on mechanical eating if you don’t feel morning hunger

Mechanical eating, or eating by the clock, can be a helpful tool when you’re in the process of reconnecting to your body’s hunger cues. Hargrave-Klein recommends establishing a schedule: “Maintain a regular sleep and wake time so that breakfast occurs at the same time daily, making it a predictable part of your routine,” she says. Harris suggests setting an alarm to eat breakfast, just in case you need the external reminder.

Plan and prep ahead of time

If it feels hard to put meals together in the morning when you’re not feeling hungry, make it easier on yourself by taking a little time to meal prep ahead of time. “Prepare a larger batch of safe meals that can be grab-and-go,” Villalvir says. “This eliminates the need to think first thing in the morning before your brain is nourished.” However, if planning also feels like too much, Hargrave-Klein recommends leaning on convenient options like breakfast bars, smoothies, and last night’s dinner leftovers.

Work with a non-diet eating disorder dietitian

“It can be really helpful to meet with a dietitian who can help you identify and plan well-balanced meals that meet your energy and nutrient needs,” Harris says. One 2025 review shows that purposefully including meals and foods that people with eating disorders often avoid (like breakfast and breakfast foods) and working through them with support can be helpful. Your dietitian can help you come up with breakfast ideas that feel realistic for you to eat on a regular basis, and address any obstacles or self-destructive patterns that get in the way at breakfast time. Your dietitian may also eat breakfast with you (either in-person or virtually), and help you identify and challenge disordered beliefs from your eating disorder brain that get in the way of breakfast.

Have your coping tools ready to go first thing

Since the eating disorder brain can be quite the breakfast bully, it’s a good idea to have your go-to coping skills top of mind. Sometimes, journaling before or during breakfast can help, especially if you’re noticing loud eating disorder thoughts and difficult emotions. You can use a food journaling app like Recovery Record or a physical journal to write down what’s happening inside. Or, if distraction feels more supportive, try listening to a favorite song, reading a book, or watching your favorite morning show. Simple mindfulness techniques can also help make eating breakfast feel a bit easier, especially if you’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed. For example, you can try a few rounds of an extended exhale breath, by breathing in to the count of four and out to the count of six. Perhaps you find it helpful to develop a self-compassionate statement about breakfast, like, “This is really difficult and I am capable of eating my breakfast today.” If you’re not sure which coping tools will help the most, come up with a breakfast coping toolkit with your therapist.

Start with easier foods

Because eating disorders can turn many breakfast foods into fear foods, Hargrave-Klein recommends starting with the foods that feel safest to you, and avoiding foods that currently feel more challenging. Harris adds that a nutrient-dense shake or smoothie can also be incorporated temporarily if eating breakfast feels impossible. Once you’re in a regular breakfast groove, you can start to incorporate foods that feel more difficult (which is best done with the support and guidance of a dietitian). 

Help yourself feel safe enough to eat

Take inventory of your internal and external environments at breakfast time. Ask yourself questions like:

• “Do I have enough support?”
• “Do I need more time?”
• “Do I have a peaceful atmosphere to eat in?”

If you need more support, ask for help, whether it’s helping with preparing breakfast, eating together, or both. “Asking for help can be scary because you have to be vulnerable and rely on others, but taking the mental and physical load off breakfast will improve the chances of you eating,” Villalvir says. And Hargrave-Klein encourages eating the meal with a trusted support person, because it “can provide a helpful distraction, allowing you to focus on conversation rather than the act of eating.” Plus, a 2024 review shows that meal support may help improve eating disorder recovery outcomes.

If you need more time built into your morning for breakfast, work with your dietitian or therapist to help you make those adjustments. Maybe you need to get up slightly earlier, or make a plan to eat breakfast at work or school. If your environment is chaotic in the mornings and it makes it harder to eat, make adjustments, like playing relaxing music, eating in a different location, having a pet nearby, or bringing a calming object to the table (like a cozy blanket, a photo of your best friend, an affirmation written out, or a soothing essential oil).

Eating breakfast regularly is a necessary part of recovery, however several factors can make it difficult. “Remind yourself that what you’re doing is hard, and you are allowed to have feelings about stepping away from your eating disorder,” Villalvir encourages. By starting to eat breakfast daily, you’re providing your body and brain with the nutrients and energy they need to overcome your eating disorder and thrive. “You are doing what’s best for your body and mind in the moment,” Villalvir says.

Keep in mind that each breakfast you eat, you’re feeding new neural pathways to show your body and brain that having breakfast is safe, and it might even feel enjoyable in the future. So, take it one day and one breakfast at a time, and trust that someday you’ll be eating your pancakes without a second thought.