5 Fertility-Friendly Breakfast Recipes for Busy Mornings
Breakfast is often the most forgotten meal of the day, and one of the most important on your fertility journey. Providing your body with sustained energy throughout the morning not only supports your mood and focus, but helps regulate blood sugar control, androgen balance, and is a sneaky way to add in fertility boosting vitamins and minerals.
Balancing blood sugar, estrogen levels, and oxidative stress is vital to supporting women with PMOS, endometriosis, amenorrhea, and other endocrine or inflammatory conditions. Bodies love consistency, so by stabilizing your intake throughout the day, you can support the natural cycles that keep you healthy and prepare us for pregnancy.
But where should you start? For many individuals, the biggest hurdle to breakfast is time. Rushing out the door or long commutes can make the idea of breakfast feel like an extra burden. That's where quick and easy, pre-prepped or pre-packaged meals come to the rescue. A key idea to remember: it doesn’t have to be fancy to be impactful!
5-Minute Microwave Egg Cups for a Protein-Packed Morning
What you’ll need:
2 eggs
Butter or oil
1-2 TB of toppings (cheese, diced vegetables, etc.)
1 english muffin
Microwave safe mug
Pot holders or oven mit
The process:
Grease a microwave safe mug with butter or oil
Crack in eggs, and whisk thoroughly
Microwave for 30 seconds. Using pot holders, remove your mug from the microwave, stir, add in toppings, stir again.
Microwave at 30 second intervals until the eggs are done. ** Be sure to watch the microwave as the eggs can expand and overflow
Serve eggs on an English muffin.
Pro tip: Add avocado or additional protein such as pre-cooked sausage or deli meat to really spruce up this breakfast!
The benefits:
Egg yolks are the richest source of choline in our diet! Choline is a B vitamin-like compound that works alongside folate to prevent neural tube defects and support brain development in the very early weeks of pregnancy.
Research shows that higher intakes of choline leading up to pregnancy are optimal for supporting baby’s growth and development. Eggs also include vitamin D and high quality protein which are essential for fertility.
Make-Ahead Vanilla Cinnamon Chia Seed Pudding (10-Minute Prep)
What you’ll need:
¼ cup chia seeds
1 cup milk
1 cup full-fat greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
Pinch of cinnamon + salt
Jar or tupperware with lid
The process:
Combine milk, yogurt, vanilla extract and honey in a bowl and whisk or stir until combined.
Stir in cinnamon and salt.
Add chia seeds and mix again until fully combined.
Pour mixture into 1-2 containers with lids. Place in the fridge overnight. Can be stored for up to 3 days.
Pro tip: Add fruit or nut butter to spice up this breakfast!
The benefits:
Chia seeds are known for their soluble fiber content, along with omega-3’s and antioxidants. Soluble fiber helps stabilize blood glucose and insulin response, helping to reduce downstream effects on androgen production. Omega-3’s and antioxidants also help to regulate androgens and hormone levels related to fertility.
5-Minute Grab-and-Go Yogurt Bowl for Fertility Support
What you’ll need:
Single serving full fat greek yogurt cup (flavored or unflavored)
1-2 fruits (bananas are the quickest to grab without needing to rinse!)
1-2 brazil nuts or a handful of sunflower seeds
Single serving packet of nut butter
The process:
Assemble yogurt bowl in yogurt cup container by adding fruit, nuts, and nut butter. (In a hurry, or just don’t like washing extra dishes? Bananas can be sliced easily with your spoon!)
Can be assembled at home or once arrived at work.
Pro tip: Make this more robust by grabbing a piece of toast or granola/protein/date bar on the side.
The benefits:
Full-fat yogurt provides fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D, K) as well as high-quality protein and calcium for bone and reproductive health. Research suggests that full-fat dairy products may be more supportive for fertility compared to their low-fat counterparts.
Brazil nuts are a rich source of selenium which is essential for thyroid health, detoxification related to inflammation, and immune function. They help to reduce levels of oxidative stress in the body, directly improving egg quality (especially important if you are pursuing IVF), while also improving estrogen metabolism. Sunflower seeds also contain selenium, but in lower quantities.
Veggie and Quinoa Egg Bake: A Make-Ahead Fertility Breakfast
What you’ll need:
8-12 eggs
1 cup spinach, diced red bell pepper, diced yellow bell pepper, and chopped broccoli (choose 1-2 or all depending on preference)
2 chopped chicken sausages
½ cup shredded cheese
½ tsp salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
1 cup pre-made quinoa from microwave package
Baking dish or muffin tin
The process:
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a pan over medium heat, saute vegetables and chicken sausage until cooked. Set aside to cool.
Heat pre-cooked quinoa in the microwave in a glass or ceramic bowl* and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs.
Add cooled veggie and chicken sausage mixture, cheese, quinoa, and seasoning to eggs and combine.
Grease a baking dish or muffin pan. Place egg mixture into a pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cut and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave before consuming.
Pro tip: You can also portion egg bake into tortillas for an easy breakfast burrito on the go. Store these in the freezer and reheat in the microwave before consuming.
The benefits:
Leafy greens such as spinach are packed with folate, a B vitamin critical for DNA synthesis and early fetal development. Getting folate through food, in addition to supplementation, helps prepare the body for pregnancy.
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli are packed with compounds that help the liver metabolize estrogen efficiently. For individuals with hormonal imbalances or conditions like PMOS or endometriosis, cruciferous veggies can be especially supportive.
Quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids to support protein synthesis and subsequent egg development. It is also a rich source of zinc and magnesium, nutrients vital for ovulation, hormone balance, and reducing inflammation.
*Why do we recommend heating the quinoa out of the package? Heating items in plastic increases the amount of endocrine disruptors someone is exposed to, so here at BNT we always recommend removing food from plastic containers before heating.
10-Minute Antioxidant-Rich Microwave Pancake Bowl
What you’ll need:
¼ cup pancake mix
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
½ banana
1 egg
1 tbsp greek yogurt
½ cup blueberries, raspberries or strawberries
Microwave safe bowl
The process:
Mash your banana using a fork in a microwave safe bowl.
Add egg and yogurt, mixing until smooth.
Add pancake mix and stir.
Microwave for 2-4 minutes, checking regularly for the pancake to be cooked all the way through (especially in the middle).
Pro tip: Top with maple syrup, fruit, nut butter, or nuts!
The benefits:
Brightly colored produce like blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are full of antioxidants that protect eggs from oxidative stress. Eating a “rainbow” ensures you’re covering a wide spectrum of fertility-supporting phytonutrients.
Ground flax seeds are a great source of lignans, helping to support estrogen balance for regular menstruation.
If you try any of these recipes, we’d love to hear how you enjoyed them! And if you are looking for fertility nutrition support, reach out to one of our Dietitians.