My Healthy Starts Blog: Real Food Breakfasts Without Gluten, Dairy, or Gimmicks

Delicious, simple & healthy

This isn’t about cutting things out, it’s just eating differently, enjoying food and keeping off the pills.

I often speak to people who find themselves suddenly needing to change the way they eat — whether it’s because of a health condition, a new intolerance, lose weight or a desire to feel better. Sometimes that means adding flaxseed or flaxseed oil for therapeutic reasons; other times it’s about cutting out saturated fat, sugar, gluten, or dairy altogether.

20 years of creating new breakfasts

I’ve been living this way for over twenty years — avoiding saturated fat, gluten, and dairy, and cutting out most sugar and oats too. The health benefits have been so transformative that I’ve never looked back. I didn’t get into buying the usual gluten-free or dairy-free replacements — they were expensive, hard to find, and often full of ingredients I didn’t want. Instead, I started creating my own alternatives. Flaxseed makes great alternatives. 

It’s been a fun and fascinating journey of experimenting in the kitchen. I don’t have much spare time or patience, so everything I make has to be quick — but it also has to taste great and be good for me. The results? Affordable, real food that helps me feel my best, maintain a healthy weight, and even impress my doctor with excellent blood test results.

That’s why I’ve decided to start sharing my breakfast ideas here. My goal is to offer quick, easy, budget-friendly recipes that are truly nourishing — no gimmicks, no ultra-processed substitutions. Just simple meals that work for real life.

I’ll be posting regular updates with the breakfasts I make, with explanations about why I choose the ingredients I use, along with tips to adapt them to your tastes and dietary needs. I hope these ideas make your mornings a little easier — and a lot healthier.

23rd April 2025: Rhubarb and Berries with Ground Golden Flaxseed

This was so good! It sounds simple but it couldn’t be healthier and the result was divine. I love rhubarb with ground flaxseed, the berries add healthful antioxidants and look pretty too.  The ground flaxseed transforms rhubarb, made it very filling and fended off the hunger pangs until a late lunch.

I used a good helping of Waitrose frozen berries, defrosted – a mix of blackberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries and strawberries, a generous helping of lightly stewed pink spring rhubarb (room temperature)  from a neighbour’s garden and two heaped tablespoons (25g) of Flax Farm Ground Gold Flaxseed. I added a few drops of liquid stevia extract but the ground flaxseed cuts through the acidity of the rhubarb so well I often eat it without sweetening it. I gave it a stir and left it a few minutes for the flax to soak up the juices to become lovely and creamy. You could add yoghurt or quark but it doesn’t really need it. This also makes a lovely dessert, healthier and tastier than crumble.