Calm The Cravings: Cortisol-Balancing Breakfast Bowl Recipe

Emma Lisa
May 5, 2025
11 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Nourishing your body first thing in the morning is made so easy with this a healthy, high protein banana kiwi breakfast bowl recipe. Not only delicious, it's quick and easy meal prep, and jam-packed with natural sweetness and appetite reducing protein, making it the perfect calming way to lower cortisol and start your day. Ready to make it? Grab a banana, some kiwi and your favourite yoghurt and let make it together!

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Cortisol-balancing breakfast bowl with banana, kiwi, Greek yogurt and chia seeds. — BREAKFAST RECIPE: Calm The Cravings: Cortisol-Balancing Breakfast Bowl Recipe | Eat Nourish Glow

Nourishing your body first thing in the morning goes a long way when you’re trying to calm cravings and support balanced cortisol. This easy breakfast bowl brings together calming, blood-sugar stabilising protein, magnesium-rich fruit and fibre to help steady energy, tame stress-driven hunger and support your nervous system and all in under 5 minutes.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

craving calm (not spikes): protein + fibre helps steady blood sugar, taming cravings
cortisol-supportive choices: kiwi and banana provide vitamin C + magnesium, two nutrients that regulate stress hormones like cortisol
quick + prep-friendly: breakfast that feels intentional, not rushed, even on chaotic mornings
customisable: swap the toppings or yoghurt bases depending on your taste and goals

Calm The Cravings

How A High-Protein Breakfast Supports Cortisol Balance

This High Protein Banana Kiwi Breakfast Bowl comes from my Clean Eating Cookbook, and while it’s delicious and refreshing, that’s not what makes it breakfast gold. What makes this bowl so nutritious is the combination of protein, fibre and cortisol-calming nutrients. This is exactly what your body needs in the morning to steady your blood sugar, reduce cravings and support hormonal balance.

Protein-based Meals Matter

If you haven’t tried adding protein to your yoghurt before, consider this your gentle nudge. This simple habit can quietly boost your mornings, not through restriction, but by nourishment. Adding a scoop of quality protein helps to stabilise blood sugar, reduce stress-driven cravings and support hormone balance leaving you fuelled with grounded energy and focus all morning. And it does this without effort or complexity.

Muscle Maintenance For Women Over 40

If you’re approaching your 40s, steady protein is non-negotiable. As we age, you naturally lose muscle mass, and this process accelerates after 40. Muscle isn’t just about strength or appearance, a protein-rich diet plays a significant role for your metabolism, insulin sensitivity and overall resilience. Starting your day with adequate protein helps to preserve lean muscle mass, supports metabolic health and maintain strength and tone. Whether you exercise regularly or not, your body still needs this support.

Feel Fuller For Longer + Support Metabolism

Protein digests more slowly than refined carbohydrates, which means you'll stay fuller for longer after a high-protein feed. That translates to fewer mid-morning cravings, steadier energy and better blood sugar balance. Protein also has a higher thermic effect than carbs or fats, meaning your body uses more energy to digest it. So enjoying a protein-rich breakfast is one of the simplest ways to support your metabolism without diet or doing anything extreme.

Protein + Hormones = Calm, Not Chaos

For women in their 40s and beyond, hormonal shifts are real. Hello peri-menopause. Protein provides the amino acids your body needs to build and regulate hormones, stabilise insulin and support cortisol (your stress hormone). When you skip breakfast or rely on coffee to get you going, or starting the day with quick carbs it can push your cortisol levels higher and set you up for hard energy crashes and mood swings later on. Protein is one of the most gentle, effective and natural hormone balancers you can prioritise daily.

Mental Clarity & Focus

As I mentioned energy crashes above, a protein-rich breakfast doesn’t just nourish your body, it fuels your brain. Protein supplies essential amino acids needed to create neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. These influence your mood, ability to focus, emotion and motivation, and your mental clarity. If brain fog has been a problem for you in during this season of life, a nourishing, protein-balanced breakfast is one of the simplest ways you can feel clearer, calmer and more focused... without relying on caffeine or sugary foods.

Reset Your Appetite For The Entire Day

Good, happy days start with calm, nutritionally intentional mornings. Start your morning off with a well-balanced, protein-rich meal that signals safety and stability to your body. A nutrient-dense, protein breakfast encourages better appetite regulation and food choices later in the day and will help reduce the desire for sugary snacks mid-afternoon. Instead of triggering energy storage and cravings, fuel right from that start. Women who prioritise protein at breakfast consistently report being able to stick to their nutrition goals, not through willpower, but because their body feels calmer and well-nourished.

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Why This Recipe Works

Craving + Cortisol Reset Recipe

Around here, we nourish, never restrict. Food is an ally, and we use it intentionally to heal, restore and balance the body. This tasty cortisol lowering recipe is built on the foundation that whole food ingredients builds harmony within to better support hormones, satisfy your appetite and naturally reset your nervous system. This is because true wellness isn't about deprivation. It's about purposely choosing foods that actually serve you. This breakfast bowl supports calm, steady energy by combining:

clean protein from probiotic-rich yoghurt and whey or vegan protein powder
dietary fibre from nutritious fruit
whole-food carbohydrates from banana
micronutrients that support the stress response

Bananas are rich in magnesium, a mineral needed for nervous system regulation. In this recipe they are purposely combined with tangy kiwi for it's vitamin C, which supports your adrenal function and helps regulate cortisol. Together, these simple ingredients help stabilise blood sugar levels, support the adrenals and reduce stress signalling. This combo works to keep your food and sugar cravings in check later in the day. It isn’t about control, it’s about creating a calm that your body can trust.

Key Ingredients Used

How To Make It

This high protein banana kiwi breakfast bowl recipe is the perfect quick and easy meal for getting out the door fast on those hectic days. All you need to make it is a few key ingredients together in a small, serving bowl and enjoy. The fabulous thing about this recipe though, is that you can re-create it any number of ways simply by varying the fruit, nuts, seeds, and other ingredients. Here's the key ingredients:

chia seeds: densely nutritious, an excellent plantbased source of clean protein and dietary fibre
Greek yogurt: is a natural source of clean protein and also probiotics
kiwi: is a source of essential vitamin-C (a collagen builder), and dietary fibre if you keep the skin on
semi-green banana: an excellent high-fibre ingredient, provides fibre plus natural pre-biotics
protein powder: whey or vegan (pea/brown rice) adds a 30-60g serving just by dumping in a scoop to the yoghurt

Food Sensitivities

Dairy Allergies or Intolerance?

You can still enjoy this cortisol-lowering banana kiwi breakfast bowl (and my other recipes), just by experimenting with coconut, cashew, soy or other non-dairy yoghurts to find one that provides you with the best tasty and consistency. Personally, I find a nice, unsweetened coconut yoghurt or soy to be the best dairy-free option, just watch out for any added sugars. And, if you are a whiz in the kitchen, you can even consider making your own yoghurt at home.

I Have PCOS, Is This Recipe Is Good For Me?

Balancing your blood sugar is super important to your well-being as someone diagnosed with PCOS. And yes, you can definitely enjoy high-protein recipe (my other recipes) by focusing on using low carb, high fibre fruits like blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, and healthy fats from nut butter, almonds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Choose a clean, whey or vegan protein powder that is very low in sugar (less than 3g per serving), and focus on creating yoghurt bowl recipes that build off the healthy fats and protein. This'll help keep your blood sugar levels in check.

Just a footnote; if you choose to add dairy-based protein, always go for an organic, grass-fed whey base. And if you are mostly plant-based like myself, opt for a vegan version that includes both pea and brown rice proteins to create the full amino chain. I love using Nutra Organics Clean Protein in Creamy Vanilla flavour for this. It's is a delicious, gut friendly, complete, plant protein blend to help you build, tone and repair muscle. This brand has 23.5g of vegan sourced protein and only 2.6 carbs, 0.2g sugar per serving before you even add in the wholesome ingredients suggested above. Winning!

Shop Nutrition Essentials

Banana Kiwi Breakfast Bowl Recipe

Calm The Cravings & Lower Cortisol

This is the kind of recipe that changes your morning routine. Simple, nourishing, and designed to work with your body, not against it. Whether you enjoy it as breakfast, a post-workout refuel, or an afternoon reset, this Craving + Cortisol Reset Bowl delivers all-morning energy, hormone balance, and genuine satisfaction. Ready in minutes. Worth savouring slowly.

RECIPE

Ingredients

1/3 cup Greek yoghurt, plain, unsweetened
1 scoop Vanilla flavoured protein, whey or vegan based (30g of protein)
1/2 banana, semi-green (higher in prebiotics)
1/4 cup fresh kiwi, organic
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 scoop The Gut Co REPAIR {gut + skin} or your favourite probiotics

Cooking Instructions

First, cut the banana into wheels as thick or thinly as you like, than dice up the kiwi. I prefer to leave the skin on (being Aussie and all), but you can choose to remove it for a less chewy taste. Add the yoghurt to a small dessert bowl, Greek or use dairy-free. Stir in the probiotics and protein powder of choice until well combined. Then top the protein yoghurt with fruit and chia seeds to complete the dish. Enjoyed best with a cup of peppermint or fennel tea shortly afterwards to help hydrate and support the higher fibre intake. This recipe is super filling, calming and just plain delicious.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a ⭐ star rating with your feedback in the 📝 comments.

The Recipe Variations

Make 5 Nutritious Recipes Out Of One

This Calm The Cravings breakfast bowl is intentionally simple, but it’s also beautifully flexible. These recipe variations keep the same blood-sugar-steady, cortisol-supportive foundation while letting you adapt the bowl to your taste, change of season or dietary needs.

Berry Calm Bowl: swap kiwi for a handful of blueberries or raspberries rich in antioxidants and fibre, supporting insulin balance and helping to reduce oxidative stress linked to elevated cortisol.

Creamy Almond Comfort Bowl: stir 1 tablespoon of almond butter through the yoghurt; healthy fats slow digestion even further, keeping you fuller for longer and supporting a calmer nervous system.

Tropical Magnesium Boost: use mango and add an extra tablespoon of chia seeds for magnesium and fibre, nutrients that help relax muscles and support stress regulation.

Vanilla Cinnamon Stability Bowl: 1 tsp cinnamon helps support blood sugar balance, making this a beautiful option if cravings tend to hit mid-morning.

Green Calm Morning Bowl: baby spinach, blends easily and adds magnesium, folate and chlorophyll, all supportive nutrients during periods of stress.

How To Use These Variations

Enjoy Recipes On Repeat

I am big advocate for simplifying nutrition for my clients and readers, and love making recipes that can be varied to make healthy meals you can use on repeat. No boredom, just tasty goodness you can look forward to enjoying every week. You can easily vary the recipe of this bowl daily, rotating variations depending on your current cravings, stress levels, energy needs or the season for the freshest produce. The key is keeping the protein + fibre foundation, which helps your body feel safe, nourished and steady, never restricted.

⟶ Tips For Best Results

Well-Balanced Protein: the secret to this recipe's calming effects is in a good quality protein and Greek or vegan yoghurt. Read the nutrition labels to source the best ingredients and find low sugar options. If this always confuses you, read my nutrition post on How To Read Nutrition Labels For Clean Eating for easy tips.

Less Is More: when you balance your macros well, you don't need a big feed to feel satiated, well-nourished or revived. This serving is purposely kept small, however the nutrition is maxed to leave you feeling full, hormones balanced and cravings dialled down for hours.

Batch Prep: save time and decision fatigue of what's for breakfast by making up a few jars of this recipe for the week. I love using glass jars for this, and will prep 4 in advance with various flavours to keep things interesting and vary the nutrition.

Shop The Recipe

Favourite Appliances: Wolstead Yoghurt Maker for the creamiest homemade blends.
Serving Bowls: Coconut Bowls for Insta-worthy bowls and Glass Jars for meal prep.
Must-have Ingredients: NutriOrganics Protein, Mayner's Nut Butters, and Chia Seeds
Optional Supplements: The Gut Co FEED & REPAIR {gut + skin}

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of yoghurt is best for high-protein breakfast bowls?

I recommend looking for plain, unsweetened Greek-style yoghurt, as this type of yoghurt is typically naturally higher in protein and lower in sugar. Unsweetened varieties are ideal for low carb diets or weight loss. You can add your own sweetener of choice and wholefood toppings to make it flavourful.

Can I make this dairy-free?

Absolutely! Simply swap out the dairy yoghurt for a plant-based yoghurt made from almond, coconut, or soy. Look for quality vegan brands that do not include any added protein; you can add your own. Store-bought protein yoghurt often has hidden sugars and filler, so go for plain and stir in your favourite protein powder at home. It's much cheaper too. Mix in a spoonful of hemp seeds or vegan protein powder to boost the macros.

What can I add to boost the protein even more?

Hit your high protein macros for the day by adding wholefood ingredients like chia seeds, hemp hearts, nut butter, or a scoop of clean whey or vegan protein powder. Even crumbled nuts, nut butters, or grain-free granola can give your bowl more staying power and a protein boost.

Are yoghurt bowls a good option for weight loss?

Yes, high-protein yoghurt bowls are great for satiety, meaning you’ll stay fuller for longer and be less likely to snack between meals. Just watch your portion sizes and avoid too many or sugary toppings.

Can I meal prep yoghurt bowls ahead of time?

Absolutely! Portion a 1/4 cup serving of plain or homemade protein yoghurt into sealable glass jars or meal prep containers until you're ready to eat. Then, just add fresh toppings Alternatively, you can stir in high fibre chia seeds or rolled oats for an overnight yoghurt pudding, and add toppings like fresh or frozen berries, nut butter or chia jam for a super healthy grab-and-go breakfast.

I’d love to know if you try this calming recipe and what delicious combinations you create in your own kitchen! Share your favourite blends in the comments below, tap the chat button to send me an update, or come join our Eat Nourish Glow Facebook Community to post your smoothie photos and get inspired by others on the same healthy journey.