Short answer: Eggs, full-cream dairy, oily fish, quality meats, and low-carb leftovers all work. Most of these breakfasts land between 1–8g net carbs. (On South African labels, remember that “Glycaemic Carbohydrate” is already your net carbs).
You don’t need special grain-based “breakfast food” to Bant. Quality protein plus healthy natural fats keep you satiated for hours, stabilising blood sugar and eliminating mid-morning energy crashes. Skip toast, oats, and fruit juice.
Breakfast table — net carbs and prep time
Figures from USDA FoodData Central. Home cooking varies, so treat these as close estimates.
| Breakfast | Serve | Net carbs | Prep time | Carb band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon + 2 eggs in butter | 2 rashers + 2 eggs | 1.2g | 10 min | Low-carb |
| Cheese + mushroom omelette | 3-egg omelette, 30g cheese | 2.5g | 10 min | Low-carb |
| Full-cream Greek yoghurt + berries | 175g yoghurt + 50g strawberries | 9.5g | 3 min | Medium-carb |
| Chia pudding with coconut milk | 30g chia + 120ml coconut milk | 3.0g | 5 min + overnight | Medium-carb |
| Smoked mackerel + ½ avo | 100g mackerel + ½ avo | 1.8g | 5 min | Low-carb |
| Leftovers (clean boerewors + cabbage) | 100g boerewors + 100g cabbage | 4.0g | 8 min reheat | Low-carb |
| Bulletproof coffee (butter + coconut oil) | 1 mug | 0g | 5 min | Low-carb |
Labels change, so check your bacon, yoghurt and coconut milk.
Why these keep you going
Bacon and eggs is still the king for a reason. Two eggs give you about 12g protein, bacon adds fat and salt, and there’s almost no carb to spike you. It takes ten minutes in one pan. Buy bacon with no added sugar or honey cure — most streaky bacon from Checkers and Pick n Pay lists sugar, but under 1g per two rashers is fine. If you’re sensitive to pork, swap in leftover boerewors.
A proper omelette beats scrambled eggs when you’re starving. Three eggs, a knob of butter, 30g cheddar and a handful of sliced mushrooms. The cheese and butter push the fat up, so you stay full longer than with plain egg white nonsense. Add spinach or peppers if you’ve got them, but count an extra 1–2g net carbs per handful.
Full-cream Greek yoghurt with berries is your no-cook option. Use plain double-cream yoghurt — Lancewood, Fair Cape or Woolworths double cream — not “Greek-style” low-fat, which often has added starch. Half a cup of strawberries adds about 3.5g net. I log it in Banting Buddy so the 9–10g total doesn’t push me over for the day. Blueberries run higher at about 7g per 50g, so keep the portion small.
Chia pudding sounds fussy but it’s just overnight oats without the oats. Mix 30g chia seeds with 120ml full-fat coconut milk, leave it in the fridge, top with a few raspberries in the morning. The fibre does the heavy lifting: 30g chia has about 12g total carbs but 10g fibre, leaving only 2g net plus what’s in the milk. It keeps you full because it swells and slows everything down.
Smoked mackerel and avo is my favourite when eggs bore me. A 100g pack of smoked mackerel from Woolworths or Pick n Pay plus half an avo needs no cooking and gives you salty fat plus omega-3s. Check the mackerel label for sweet glaze — plain smoked or peppered is safest. See how many carbs in avocado if you eat a whole one.
A quick note on bulletproof coffee
Coffee with butter and coconut oil has zero carbs and it kills morning hunger for a lot of people. It works because it’s basically a cup of fat — about 250 calories with no protein. That can carry you to lunch, but it isn’t a meal. If you’re training, doing manual work, or you get shaky, eat eggs instead. And don’t add honey, sugar or “Banting” condensed milk. Then it’s just dessert coffee.
Leftovers deserve more love. Cold roast chicken, Bobotie filling without the rice, or fried boerewors with cabbage reheats in eight minutes and beats any cereal. Cook a little extra at supper on purpose.
Related questions
Checking labels in the aisle?
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General information only, not medical advice. If you take medication for diabetes or blood pressure, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat, because low-carb eating can change medication needs.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central. Last updated 2026-09-19. For background on carbs and fibre see USDA FoodData Central.
General information only, not medical advice. If you take medication for diabetes or blood pressure, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat. Last updated: 2026-09-19. Sources listed on each page.