Cynara Troon wasn’t always a morning person. For years, breakfast was something she skipped or rushed through, usually with a coffee in one hand and a granola bar in the other.
But after a family history of heart disease caught up with her—her mother had a minor heart attack at 58—Cynara began rethinking her entire approach to wellness. The first place she started? Her breakfast plate.
“I wanted to make choices that supported my heart long-term,” she says. “But I didn’t want to feel like I was eating cardboard every morning.”
Having been vegan for over a year already, she knew how to get creative. But now she needed breakfasts that were not only plant-based but low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and free from refined sugars.
She started experimenting with warm bowls of steel-cut oats topped with chia seeds and fresh fruit, heart-healthy smoothies with spinach and flaxseed, and even savory options like tofu scrambles with turmeric and kale.
The shift wasn’t instant. Some mornings were more rushed than others, and she had to learn to prep ahead. But she noticed something: not only did she feel fuller longer, but her blood pressure began to stabilize, and her cholesterol levels improved within a few months. The real surprise, though, was the emotional change.
“Slowing down in the morning, making something good for myself—it became more than just about heart health,” Cynara reflects. “It became a ritual of self-respect.”
