Psychiatrist Daniel Amen, with a substantial TikTok following of over three million users under the handle @docamen, has revealed what he deems the worst breakfast choices for mental health.
Boasting his own clinic and podcast, Amen regularly shares insights on various mental health topics, from anxiety to neurodiversity.
In a recent TikTok video, he highlighted certain breakfast foods to avoid, claiming they can detrimentally affect your brain’s function and performance, reports Surrey Live.
In his enlightening clip, Amen remarked: “The worst foods to start your day; sugar and foods that quickly turn to sugar and then throw in a little caffeine.
“This is what people do, it is like pop tarts, doughnuts, sugar cereals, pastries, oatmeal.
“And foods that spike your blood sugar and then your pancreas sees it and then 45 minutes later your brain is walking in mud. But think about it, this is what we do to kids.
“We give them something quick, sugar cereals plus orange juice and spikes their blood sugar and then they go to school and can’t think because their brain is in mud and they are like ‘focus’ and they can’t and so people think let’s give them a stimulant.
“You should give them eggs in the morning instead.”
The NHS advises opting for unsweetened cereals at breakfast time, noting: “Choose unsweetened wholegrain breakfast cereals that are not frosted, or coated with chocolate or honey.”
Additionally, despite differing from Dr Amen’s stance, they endorse eggs as an excellent way to kickstart the day and even offer recipes for oatmeal and fruit-based breakfasts which do include natural sugars.
