4Leaf Breakfast Ideas

Beginning with breakfast, almost all of the meals in every category will score at the 4Leaf level–deriving at least 80% of their calories from whole plants. That fact is what sets our collection of 100% plant-based recipes apart from all others. Remember, “vegan” is not necessarily healthy–unless it is mostly WHOLE plants.

Many say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That being said, in order to have the best chance of having a 4Leaf Day (over 80% from whole plants), breakfast is a great place to start.

That said, I created my own “go-to” breakfast with a combination of grain and fresh fruit. I begin my soaking my grains in a mixture of cold water and any plant-based milk while I cut up a mixture of fresh fruit. I have been using Quaker Oats (Old Fashioned) since 2002, but have recently found a mixed-grain product from Trader Joe’s that has only whole grains in the ingredient list.

Some people enjoy eating nothing but fruit in the morning and I am one of those people. But many years ago, I learned that if I only ate fresh fruit, that I would be hungry again in less than two hours. After experimenting, I have come up with a breakfast that works for me.

Experiment until you create a breakfast that you LOVE. Take the time to experiment with different ideas until you create a true 4Leaf breakfast to start your day.

My go-to breakfast is one of what I refer to as my “444” meals. I always have one ready within four minutes.

Below is a link to my “444” breakfast, a hearty, tasty breakfast that has at least ten grams of fiber, delivers over 90% of its calories from whole plants and costs me less than four bucks.

• Sailors Daily Oatmeal The amazing thing about this meal is that it can be eaten cold–a tip I learned years ago from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Now that I am eating it cold, I doubt that I will ever eat the hot porridge-type version again, with the exception of an occasional bowl of oatmeal at Starbucks. The number of versions of my Sailors Daily Oatmeal are limitless, depending on the kinds of fresh fruit on hand.

For many breakfast options (with great color pictures), visit our CookBooks page on this site. The first recipe below is for my wonderful breakfast that I eat almost every single day.–J. Morris Hicks