By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
Brunch is the ultimate weekend ritual - a chance to catch up with friends, sip coffee and indulge in delicious food. For many of us, it can also be a trap of hidden sugars, oversized portions and ‘health halo’ dishes that leave you feeling sluggish instead of satisfied.
Veronika Larisova, Exercise Physiologist, Nutritionist and co-founder of Chief Nutrition, has some advice for making brunch both fun and nourishing.
"Brunch is a social, fun occasion which usually ends up with most of us letting our guard down and eating too much because of sharing meals and grazing, treating ourselves with foods we normally don’t eat or falling into the trap of ‘health halo’ in the form of smoothie bowls and ‘healthy’ muffins,” she says.
Here’s how to brunch smarter without missing out on flavour:
Protein First, Sugar Later
When scanning a brunch menu, Veronika suggests looking for protein-packed options that aren’t fried. "Look for eggs, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, or hot smoked salmon and pair them with veggies or fruit and healthy fats.
"Protein is more satiating, keeps you fuller for longer and doesn’t trigger sugar cravings. Carb-heavy dishes do the exact opposite, plus they are likely to leave you feeling lethargic due to blood sugar fluctuations.”
Her ideal brunch is: "A vegetable bowl or salad with two poached eggs, avocado and a sprinkle of nuts and seeds, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil.”
Menus can also give subtle hints. Look for words like grilled, baked, poached, roasted, fresh, seasonal and grass-fed. Avoid dishes described as fried, battered, creamy, loaded, bottomless, stuffed or smothered.
Smart Swaps for Brunch Classics
Even your favourite brunch staples can be made healthier with a few tweaks. Pancakes? Swap white flour for almond flour and add Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese to boost protein. Fried eggs? Go poached or boiled to cut back on added oil. Toast? Seeded sourdough or rye with avocado or eggs will keep you fuller for longer.
Foods that seem healthy can also be sneaky calorie bombs. Smoothie bowls, for example, are often made from several servings of fruit plus nut butter and other toppings. Veronika suggests ordering a small size, sharing, or adding protein powder or yoghurt to balance it.
When it comes to avocado toast, stick to one slice, add protein and go easy on extras like feta, dukkah or oily spreads.
Portion Control Made Easy
Brunch is social, but portion control is key. Veronika recommends the ‘one plate rule’: serve yourself onto one plate rather than grazing endlessly.
"Fill most of your plate with protein and vegetables first and taste the dishes you really want in small amounts. Eating slowly and savouring also helps prevent overdoing it. Paying attention to what you are eating and how much of it is the best strategy, rather than mindlessly grazing while talking.”
When catering to dietary needs, coeliac Veronika understands the struggles first hand and opts for swaps rather than restricts. For example, gluten-free bread instead of white rolls. Veggie fritters instead of pancakes (confirm ingredients with the Chef). If in doubt, egg and veggie dishes. For dairy-free diners, plant-based milk and vegan options abound, but watch out for added sugar and emulsifiers.
Brunch at Home
For diners who prefer to brunch like a pro at home, Veronika’s favourites include zucchini and cottage cheese fritters with poached eggs and rocket, protein pancakes with eggs, whey protein and cottage cheese topped with berries and labneh and breakfast bowls with sautéed greens, avocado, kimchi and poached eggs.
Her one small change for a big nutritional impact is to add vegetables and protein on your plate to get more satiated, fuller for longer and to avoid cravings and sluggishness. "Your figure will thank you too,” she adds.
Veronika’s This or That
- Coffee or green juice? Coffee! Black or piccolo. Coffee is healthy; it increases mental alertness and contains beneficial compounds such as polyphenols. It’s the additions that make coffee unhealthy, such as sugary milk alternatives and syrups. Green juices are mainly just concentrated sugar that will give you sugar cravings soon after drinking it.
- Eggs: poached vs scrambled? Always poached. Scrambled eggs are typically made with oil and cream.
- Is avocado toast overrated or still golden? Still golden, but add some protein to it, such as a poached egg or two.
One brunch item you wish people would stop ordering…and one you wish they’d try more?
Stop ordering gigantic pseudo-healthy muffins. Nothing healthy about them. On the other hand, meat and eggs are a power breakfast full of protein, filling, nourishing and cravings curbing.
