The cause of that after-lunch slump is often your breakfast. It's all about blood sugar swings: your blood sugar shoots up and then drops just as sharply.

Breakfasts like bananas, sweet waffles, cake, lollies, fruit smoothies, juice or a white roll with processed meat contain simple carbs and fructose that are absorbed quickly. This causes a sharp rise in blood glucose, and your pancreas releases a lot of insulin to move that sugar into your cells.

The result? Blood sugar swings all day long.

After the morning peak, right around lunchtime, your blood sugar dips. You feel it as an energy slump, sleepiness and fatigue. Cortisol tries to compensate, and you get brain fog and irritability. Your body wants quick energy, so you reach for another coffee and a pastry or some chocolate.

Eating like this regularly is linked to weight gain and a higher risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

The good news: this is easy to change.

How?

• Make breakfast savoury, not sweet.
• Prioritise protein, fibre and healthy fats. Choose berries over other fruit (they're lower GI).
• If you really want fruit or dessert, have it after your main meal so your blood sugar doesn't spike.

Simply swapping a sweet breakfast for a savoury one makes a noticeable difference to your energy through the day.

What do you usually have for breakfast?

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General information only, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, please talk to your GP.