Part of the 5-Week Starter Plan
These opening weeks focus on the easiest wins — better breakfasts and slow-release meals that flatten blood-sugar swings and keep you satisfied longer.

Week 1 — Start with Protein Mornings

Begin your reset with the simplest win: breakfast. As is covered in “better eating”, we want to smooth out spikes in blood glucose (“sugar”), and slowing down the entry food into the gut can be achived by eating protein and fibre.

Add this:

  • Dairy breakfasts — yoghurt, skyr, eggs, or cottage cheese.
  • Nuts, seeds, or berries for flavour and fibre.
  • Eggs are another great breakfast.

Get ready — shop once, make mornings easy:
Pick one of these starter combinations and keep the ingredients on hand.

Option A (dairy-based)

  • 1 tub low-fat Greek yoghurt or skyr
  • 1 bag frozen or fresh mixed berries
  • Sunflower seeds
  • A few plain almonds or walnuts
    → Scoop yoghurt into a bowl, add berries, sprinkle seeds and nuts. Two minutes, no cooking.

Option B (egg-based)

  • A box of eggs
  • 1 tomato, a few mushrooms, and a pinch of herbs
  • Optional: ½ cup baked beans
    → Boil or scramble eggs; add the veg and beans for fibre and colour.

Option C (protein-balanced porridge)

  • Rolled oats — ½ cup / 45 g
  • Milk (dairy or soy) instead of water
  • 2 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt stirred in after cooking
  • Chia or flax seeds
  • A pinch of cinnamon and fruit on top
    → Warm slowly 3–4 minutes; stir in yoghurt just before serving.
    → Same comfort and slow carbs, but balanced protein and fibre.

Cut out:

  • Sugary cereals and pastries.
  • Soda or energy drinks — limit to one per week; they’ll soon taste too sweet.

Notice: You may snack less and feel more alert through the morning.
Budget tip: Eggs and yoghurt deliver full protein for under €1 per serving.

Try these recipes:

After the first week, expand the the variation, adding new berries, spices and herbs.

Week 2 — Add a Pulse for Power

Pulses — beans, lentils, chickpeas — are the cheapest, easiest way to add protein and fibre while keeping you full for hours. They digest slowly and slow the absorption of other carbs, leading to a gentler glucose rise after meals. That means fewer mid-afternoon crashes, reduced calorie intake overall, and an earlier switch to burning stored fat between meals.

Add this:

  • Two pulse-focused meals this week, such as Tomato & Red Lentil Soup or Spiced Bean & Veg Wrap.
  • Small add-ins: Stir a handful of lentils or beans into favourites like spaghetti Bolognese, shepherd’s pie, tacos, or chilli. This bulks out the meal so you can reduce the amount of fast carbohydrate such as pasta, rice etc. — and often have enough left for lunch the next day.

Quick-flavour tip — skip jarred sauces:
You don’t need pre-made sauces. It’s just as quick to build your own base:

  • A drizzle of olive oil
  • A spoon of ready-crushed garlic
  • Onion and tomato (fresh or tinned)
  • A couple of teaspoons of herbs for pasta (oregano, basil), or spices for chili (ground cayenne, cumin, coriander and cinnamon).

That gives a lot more flavour as any jar — without added sugar, starch, or preservatives. Once you’ve done it twice, it’ll feel automatic.

Get ready — stock up once, cook multiple meals:
Keep a small shelf or box for pulses and spices. They last for months and form the backbone of cheap, filling meals.

Cupboard staples:

  • Red lentils (cook fast and thicken soups)
  • Brown or green lentils (hold shape for salads and stews)
  • Canned chickpeas and mixed beans (ready in seconds)
  • Chopped tomatoes (for base sauces and soups)
  • Onion, garlic, and olive oil
  • Spices: cumin, paprika, coriander, chilli, curry powder, smoked paprika
  • Herbs: parsley, thyme, or basil

Tip: Cook once, eat twice — make double portions of lentil soup, curry, or chilli. Freeze or save for lunch the next day.
Bonus: When you warm food again, resistant starch increases slightly, which helps blood-sugar control.

Tomato soup with added lentils makes a great lunch but alone can feels light. To round out lunch, add a small fruit salad (apple, grape, banana) — so it feels like a complete meal. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top: your gut loves it, and your taste buds will too. Better and cheaper than a dash to the local hamburger chain.

  • When eating out: If there’s a salad bar, grab a small starter plate with beans and fibre-rich veg such as carrot or cabbage.
    Dress it with a vinaigrette rather than creamy sauces like Rhode Island — the acidity helps moderate the glucose rise, and the olive-oil fat is the kind your body handles well.

Cut out:

  • Crisps, chips, and starchy snacks — swap for roasted chickpeas, air-popped popcorn, or veggie sticks with dip.

Notice: You’ll stay fuller for longer and the urge to snack an hour later will fade.
Budget tip: A €2 bag of lentils makes ten meals’ worth of protein — cheaper than a single pack of mince.

Continue to Part 2 — Building Momentum →