Terrific Toast Toppings!

Here are some of my all-time favourite toast toppings I eat over and over! I hope you find some new combos to love as well :)

1. Crunchy Peanut Butter & Marmite

If you are a peanut butter and marmite fan, this is the perfect combination for you! The crunchiness of the peanuts with the saltiness of the marmite is just incredible! Peanut butter is also a good source of protein and marmite is a good source of vitamin B12. Getting enough vitamin B12 is incredibly important as vitamin B12 is essential for producing healthy red blood cells, repairing DNA and ensuring proper nerve function. These are some of the most important functions of the body as it ensures we have enough energy and good cognitive function. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, vitamin B12 is sometimes hard to get enough of as it is primarily found in animal products, so this is an option you can start to incorporate into your diet!

2. Avocado with wasabi and soya sauce

Wasabi and soya sauce is a classic Japanese combination that pairs super well with avocado. Mash one ripe avocado and add a dash of soya sauce and about a 0.7cm length of wasabi from the tube. (To know if an avocado is ripe, gently push the avocado near the bottom. If it gives way slightly under your finger, it is ripe! If it is still rock hard, leave it for a few days, and if it gives way too easily, it is over-ripe and may have black spots and not look so appetising.) This mashed avocado is perfect to enjoy with toast, pancakes, rice or crackers!

3. Almond butter and blackcurrant jam

Sweet and tangy and yet also nutty and earthy, this is the perfect combination for when you want to excite your taste buds! In my mind, I like to think that the sugar in the blackcurrant jam is balanced by the fats and protein in the nut butter, giving me both a sugar rush and slow release energy. Almonds are a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps to protect the skin from free radicals whilst blackcurrants are a good source of vitamin C, another antioxidant that is known to help keep the immune system healthy. As a comparison, blackcurrants typically have 3-4 times more vitamin C compared to the same weight of oranges, so they really are a superfood!

4. Pesto, avocado, cheddar cheese & spinach

This is a wonderful savoury toast or sandwich idea! Four ingredients with complementing flavours are matched together to get a range of textures and tastes. You have healthy fats from the pine nuts in the pesto and protein from the cheese. Both avocadoes and spinach contain lutein, a phytochemical that helps to protect damage to the eyes by free radicals. Avocadoes are also a good source of vitamin B6. There is research to suggest that vitamin B6 is important for metabolism as well as mood regulation. All of this combined with a slice of wholegrain bread makes for a very balanced and nutritious meal!

5. Peanut butter, banana, cinnamon & crystallised ginger

Did you know that bananas contain the amino acid tryptophan, which encourages the brain to produce serotonin, the feel-good hormone? For tryptophan to be transported to the brain properly, the body also required carbohydrates. In this case, those carbohydrates are gained from the bread itself! The added ginger also helps to improve digestion whilst the peanut butter helps to prevent a blood sugar spike as it has a very low glycaemic index.

If you are eating these for breakfast, they also pair really well with a yoghurt bowl! You can get some yoghurt bowl ideas here! Yoghurt Bowl Ideas