Lifestyle guru and founder of Get The Gloss, Susannah Taylor reveals her favourite healthy breakfasts for 2017 

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Get The Gloss founder Susannah Taylor tried out the new M&S range of clever and deliciously good for you breakfast options

As the founder and editor-in-chief of hugely popular lifestyle website Get The Gloss, Susannah Taylor is perfectly placed to talk about health and lifestyle trends. 

A busy working mother of two, Susannah knows the importance of being able to grab a healthy breakfast.  Convenience and time are important to her, as is taste and nutrition.  But she doesn't have time to peel and arrange fruit into beautiful breakfast bowls!

M&S understands this too - they have created a clever and deliciously good for you new range of healthy breakfast options incorporating exciting and nutritious and ingredients. 

So Susannah, who splits her time between her family home in Oxfordshire and business meetings in London, was just the person to road-test the new M&S products, and give us some of her own ideas on how to start the day brilliantly. 

‘My own breakfast is quite varied,’ Susannah, 41, a former Vogue staffer, admits. ‘It depends whether I am going out, exercising or sitting at my desk.’ 

Susannah started the Get The Gloss website which she new runs with a team of seven

Super model ElleMacPherson (left) has written for Get The Gloss, while Body Coach Joe Wickes (right) provides bespoke recipes and advice 

‘I have gleaned so much off personal trainers and expert nutritionists over the years and I wouldn’t dream of not having breakfast.’

‘Carbohydrates are just so important. I have always eaten them, and they are essential before exercise, though you need to make sure you eat at least an hour before you work out.'

Susannah, whose Instagram has 31,000 followers, says: 'For many years and partly thanks to Instagram, the focus of eating seems to have been about getting a great body.

'But we also need to think about how we feel - in this crazy digital era where we can't sit for two minutes without looking at our phones,and with anxiety levels at an all-time high, people are realising how important it is to eat nutritious, nourishing food and how that can affect how we feel.'

Here are some of her best breakfasts to nourish body and mind: 

Perfectly peachy seeded porridge

We all know that porridge provides a great start to the day, and M&S' new range includes not only a super high fibre porridge, but also a clever range of super seed mixes which can be added to your breakfast for a nutrient blast!

Susannah tried out the Super Seeds and Goji Berry (£4, 200g), a cornucopia of golden flaxeed, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds plus goji berries.

She says: 'Carbohydrates are just so important. I have always eaten them and they are essential before exercise, though you need to make sure you eat at least an hour before you work out.

Susannah styled this breakfast with porridge spiked with Super Seeds & Goji Berry from M&S, fresh peaches and honey

M&S's new range also includes their Blueberry and Cranberry Great Grains  cereal 

'You have to fuel your body for the gym or you just won’t see the results you want.

'Porridge oats are a slow releasing form of energy so will keep you full until lunch, even better if they are extra fibre oats!

Tea is the new coffee

People have really over-indulged in the coffee trend. A little bit of caffeine is fine but too much really isn’t great. Plus people don’t realise the extra calories that more fancy coffees like mochas and lattes can contain.

Long gone are the days of only having the option of peppermint, chamomile and fruits of the forest blends!

Tea is definitely seeing a resurgence, especially different types of green tea and exotic infusions, as people are realising it is a lower calorie option as well having loads of extra health benefits. I am a huge fan of different teas and I drink loads of it throughout the day.

'I mixed mine here with milk (I'm not 'free' anything, so eat dairy, gluten and drink caffeine), and then heated it up.

'I then added fresh peaches for a hit of antioxidants, and a sprinkling of M&S's new Super Seeds and Goji berry mix which is high in fibre and contain Omega 3 Fatty acids which can be hugely beneficial for brain function.  It was so tasty!

'I enjoyed my porridge with a cup of M&S's Sweet Jasmine Pearl Green Tea.'

Apple and raspberry Bircher overnight oats

Bircher muesli is a Swiss invention dating back to 1900 which involves soaking oats overnight in juice and yoghurt and adding grated fruit.

M&S has two new Bircher mueslis, one with oats, barley and spelt plus apple and raspberry pieces and one with rolled oats, chopped dates and red quinoa, plus mixed seeds, cinnamon and coconut.

Susannah says: 'There is a real trend at the moment for 'overnight oats', which are oats soaked overnight and eaten cold with various toppings. 

Susannah combined M&S's new Apple and Rasberry Bircher muesli with almond milk and topped it with berries and flaxseeds

'These ones from M&S are seriously delicious. Containing oats, barley and spelt flakes as well as pieces of apple and raspberry they will keep blood sugar levels stable for longer throughout the morning. 

'The instructions  say to make it with apple juice, but if you're after a lower sugar alternative you can just soak them in almond milk over night for a creamy treat and topped them with berries which are lower in fructose than other more sugar-laden fruits.'

Low-sugar pimped Greek yoghurt bowl

This mix of low-sugar fruits, nuts and protein rich Greek yoghurt is Susannah's go-to breakfast 

Greek yoghurt has less sugar and more protein than regular yoghurt, making it a perfect breakfast choice if you're looking to boost your bones and stave off hunger til lunchtime.

Susannah says: 'This is my go-to super-fast breakfast at home. Greek yoghurt is a brilliant source of protein; rich in amino acids, it will also help repair muscles post workout.

'I've added pecans here for extra energy, as well as berries and passionfruit. Berries don't contain as much sugar as some fruits (although I wouldn't eat a whole punnet), and plain yoghurt is much better than flavoured yoghurt which can contain a lot of added sugar.

Mango and Quinoa Yoghurt Pot

Susannah says the new M&S new Mango & Quinoa Yoghurt Pot (£1.75 for 195g) is a perfect option for an on-the-go, high protein 

Why not try M&S's new Purple Tea & Blueberry Infusion, £3.00, is made with cultivar tea leaves from Kenya?

Fruit gives a nutrition boost at the start of the day, but it makes sense to pair it with some protein to stop hunger striking at 11am.

M&S has two new yoghurt pots made with high-protein quinoa plus mango or strawberry, and Susannah couldn't wait to dive into the mango one!

She says: 'People are learning from health professionals to move foods traditionally eaten at lunch to breakfast time. These are the foods that are packed with nutrients and quinoa is great as it doesn’t have much flavour on its own so is very versatile. It’s actually lovely sweet!

'Like many people, I often have to grab breakfast in a rush on my way to a meeting and this pot from M&S is something I'd grab if I don't have time to make breakfast at home.

'Quinoa is a seed that contains loads of protein and fibre. It's great to eat protein with every meal because protein helps build lean muscle in your body, and the more lean muscle you have the more you will burn fat. Win win!'

Buckwheat Pancakes with raspberry and vanilla coulis

Susannah makes her breakfast pancakes out of buckwheat which is full of phytonutrients and has a slightly nutty taste

'I tend to make pancakes out of buckwheat flour instead of white flour (my kids love the too). 

'Buckwheat is full of phytonutrients and has a slightly nutty taste and these feel like they keep me full for a long time so I don't feel starving an hour after eating them. 

'I have thrown in a load of blueberries, which, as everyone knows are packed with antioxidants and I have also created a very simple raspberry coulis which is blended raspberries, coconut water and a drop of vanilla essence. 

'All washed down with a cup of Earl Grey tea.'

Super speedy smoothie

As well as a great quick option for breakfast, this smoothie contains mood-boosting bananas 

You can't be five minutes on Instagram without seeing a smoothie or ten, often served in a jam jar.  But there's more to them than looking good on social media - smoothies are also a clever way to get a good dose of nutrients quickly and easily - no cutlery required!

Susannah says: 'If there's very little time for a proper breakfast, then I might make a smoothie. One of my favourites is ice cold almond milk with blueberries, banana, ground flax seeds and a teaspoon of almond butter.

'People are getting excited about ‘mood boosting’ foods, and bananas are high in tryptophan; an amino acid that can help improve sleep and reduce anxiety.

'But it's important not to just eat your normal diet and add smoothies on top. A smoothie should replace your breakfast or be used post workout to help your body recover from exercise.' 

Creamy vanilla chia pudding

Susannah soaked nutrient-dense chia seeds (Black & White Chia Seeds, £4 for 200g from M&S) overnight in almond milk and vanilla essence to make a creamy breakfast treat

Anyone who's read Christopher McDougall's Born to Run comes away in awe of chia seeds, the tiny wild seeds known as 'the running food' that fuelled Aztec warriors and, more recently, the Tarahumara barefoot runners to run a hundred miles at a time across Mexico.

Now available in a handy pack at M&S, Susannah used them as the basis of her healthy breakfast.

She says: 'Chia seeds have been around for a few hundred years but they've recently become huge on the western nutrition scene and they're definitely are not going anywhere!

'I love making chia puddings for breakfast - chia seeds are loaded with great nutrients from fibre to protein, good fats and Vitamin B1. Here I soaked them overnight in almond milk and added a few drops of good quality vanilla essence. I added more nuts for extra energy.

Spicy Omelette

Susannah loves eggs for breakfast - here she teams them with red onion and chillies

'I eat a lot of eggs - they are my go-to meal when I want something healthy but more filling (and for lunch times too). A nutritionist once told me that eggs are a complete meal in a shell,' Susannah says. 

'People are often looking for the latest 'superfood', but in my opinion that's what eggs are since they contain protein, healthy fats and many vitamins all in one. If I have time, I'll fry a bit of red onion, add some chilli to mix with the eggs before cooking. Salt and pepper essential.'

Cold pressed vegetable juices

Susannah tried out the Cold Pressed Beetroot and Ginger shot from M&S (£1.50 for 150ml), says: 'This was a really delicious wake-up shot of goodness!'

If you think you're doing well having a juice, think again!  Nowadays it'll about how your juice was extracted; or, to put it bluntly, was it cold-pressed?

M&S has a brilliant new range of cold-pressed juices with flavours including carrot and turmeric, 2017's hottest new ingredient loved for its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  It is also believed to help in the fight against dementia. 

M&S's new range includes Cold Pressed Beetroot Shot, Cold Pressed Carrot Shot (both £1.50/150ml), Cold Pressed Apple, Celery & Spinach Juice, as well as (not pictured) Cold Pressed Apple, Beetroot, & Celery Juice (both £2.25/250ml)

Susannah, who tried out the Cold Pressed Beetroot and Ginger shot from M&S (£1.50 for 150ml), says: 'This was a really delicious wake-up shot of goodness!  The popularity of cold pressed juices has risen as consumers become more aware of the processes used to produce their food, and juices that have been cold pressed are thought to retain more nutrients as they haven't had heat applied, which can destroy some of the nutrients. 

'When it comes to juices, the rule should be ‘one fruit and the rest vegetables’; people get it wrong by drinking loads of pure fruit juice, so these shots are perfect.'

Scrambled eggs and asparagus with pecorino 

Scrambled eggs with asparagus and pecorino is quick, easy and packed with nutrients

'Scrambled eggs are a very healthy, quick and inexpensive breakfast. The jury is out on how to make them (some say add milk, others say not to), but I make them my mother's way which is to add a dash of milk, a small knob of proper butter (grass-fed is best) and plenty of salt and pepper. 

'I also added asparagus which is loaded with nutrients, vitamins and fibre, and topped it with a little grated pecorino cheese. I don't believe you have to be dairy-free to be healthy, and this is a healthy breakfast which also tastes like a treat.'

The new range of healthy breakfast options is instore at M&S now.