BREAKFAST IDEAS: HEALTHY, EASY, AND QUICK

The Most Important Meal.  Many of you have heard that breakfast is important, but do you know why?

1) Provides fuel for the first half of your day

2) Revs up your metabolism (like putting a log on the fire)

3) Sets the stage for healthy eating and other healthy choices

4) Helps maintain a healthy weight (people who eat breakfast weigh less)

5) Improves likelihood of meeting all daily nutritional needs

6) Models healthy habits for other family members (behavior is contagious!)

7) It can even improve work performance! (brains needs calories too.)

General Principles.  You may not be hungry for breakfast because your body is not used to getting fuel in the morning, or because you are eating too much at night and haven’t used those calories during sleeping hours.  Breakfast doesn’t have to be in the morning.  It is the meal you eat after you wake up from your longest sleep duration, no m atter what time that is.  And it doesn’t have to consist of “breakfast food.”  If you wake up and eat an evening meal with your family, that is your breakfast.  Breakfast is the meal you use to “break” the “fast” during sleep.

You should be eating something within 2 hours of waking up.  If you are not used to that, try something very small to start. If you are not hungry for breakfast, try to eat less at dinner, avoid snacking after dinner, or move your dinner to an earlier time, if possible. Ideally, breakfast should include fruits/vegetables , whole grains, protein, and healthy fats.  If you can’t accomplish all of that, at least be sure that you have some whole grains and protein.  See a few examples below.

Ideal Breakfast Ideas.  If you can make the time to sit down and eat a healthy breakfast, here are some ideas to get started.  Remember, you can also eat a meal that is more similar to dinner.  We will include some of those ideas in another blog post soon.

1.)  Loaded Oatmeal: add fresh fruit, such as berries, raisins and/or banana.  Use skim or soymilk and some chopped nuts.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sesame or flax seeds.
2)  Egg White Omelet:  Coat the pan with a touch of olive oil and add veggies like bell peppers, onion, mushroom and more.  Pair it with a slice of whole wheat toast with Smart Balance spread.
3)  Healthy Breakfast Burrito: instead of toast, wrap the egg white and veggies in a whole wheat tortilla with skim mozzarella, whole beans and salsa.
4)  Fruit and Yogurt Parfait: Use non-fat Greek yogurt and mix with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of granola.
5)  Green (or other color) Smoothie: Fresh fruit, a handful of leafy greens (or other veggie), skim or soymilk, and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter (or almond butter, sunflower butter, etc.)  See your last newsletter for the recipe!  You won’t even taste the veggies.
6)  Bagel:  Use half of a whole grain bagel and add hummus, lettuce and tomato, fat-free cream cheese with veggies, or natural peanut butter and banana slices.

Grab and Go Breakfast Ideas.  If you absolutely have to eat your breakfast in the car, on the train, or at your desk, don’t skip it completely or resort to junk food.  Here are some ideas that meet a few nutritional bases.  This is also a good place to start as you’re getting used to eating breakfast.

1)  Yogurt and Fresh Fruit.  Choose non-fat yogurt, plain or vanilla.  Try to avoid artificial sweeteners and high sugar options.  Easy fresh fruit can be an apple, peach, banana, pear, plum, etc.
2)  Fruit-and-Nut Trail Mix.  Without chocolate chips or candy pieces, trail mix is a nutrition powerhouse.  Stick to a couple of handfuls and pair it with a big bottle of water.  If you have high blood sugar or diabetes, be careful about too much dried fruit.
3)  Whole Food Bar.  A lot of granola bars are high in sugar and have no protein.  Go for a bar with at least 10g of protein and ingredients you can understand!  Some examples are Luna Bar, Vega Bar, Lara Bar, Good ‘N Natural, and Simply Bar.
4)  Pre-made “Loaded Pancake.”  Use a whole grain pancake mix, and swap out added ingredients, using applesauce instead of oil, and egg whites or egg beaters instead of whole eggs.  You can add fresh berries and chopped nuts for a balanced breakfast that you can eat with one hand.  Cook up a few in advance and grab on the way out the door.  No syrup or butter needed!
5)  Healthy PB&J.  Use 100% whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter and fruit preserves. 
6)  Stop on the Way.  Stop somewhere and grab one of our healthy choice recommendations from a recent post: On-the-Go Food Choices

A healthy breakfast is a great way to start the day, whenever your day begins.  Look for healthy lunch and dinner ideas coming soon!