Dietitian Hsiao Wei-lin warns that pairing starchy breakfast foods with sweet drinks can drive up sugar and sodium intake while leaving meals short on fibre and protein.
Dietitian Hsiao Wei-lin has highlighted a familiar morning problem: breakfast combinations that look convenient but can quietly load the body with sugar, salt and refined starch while offering very little fibre. Writing on social media, Hsiao warned that many popular choices can push blood glucose up quickly, especially when a starchy dish is paired with a sweet drink rather than a protein- or fibre-rich side.
Among the examples Hsiao cited were bread with fruit juice, radish cake with rice milk, and iron-plate noodles with milk tea. He noted that bread and juice can be a particularly poor trade-off because liquid fruit removes much of the fibre that would normally slow sugar absorption. He also pointed out that radish cake served with rice milk can amount to two starches in one meal, while Cantonese-style radish cake already carries a meaningful sodium load before soy sauce is added. He added that bacon egg pancakes with hash browns and plain rice porridge with pickles or gluten-based sides can be especially unhelpful for anyone trying to keep salt and energy intake steady.
That advice fits with broader nutrition guidance from Healthline, Harvard Health and the Cleveland Clinic, which all stress that many breakfast foods are built around refined carbohydrates and added sugars rather than fibre and protein. Harvard Health says a better cereal, for example, should be made from whole grains and contain at least 5 grams of fibre while staying low in sugar; Healthline likewise recommends choosing breakfast options that keep added sugar low and fibre high. The common thread is simple: when breakfast is mostly liquid sugar and white starch, blood sugar tends to rise faster and hunger often returns sooner.
Hsiao also warned against another common habit: skipping breakfast entirely and then overeating at lunch. His practical suggestion is not to overhaul every part of the meal at once, but to start with the easiest change. Swapping sugary drinks for unsweetened tea, coffee, milk or water can make a noticeable difference, because it cuts one of the biggest sources of hidden sugar without forcing people to give up the foods they already know and enjoy.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
