You may have heard about the importance of breakfast, a source of debate for many years that never seems to be settled. If you know you love your brekkie, you may want to make sure it’s healthy enough in the context of a balanced diet. You may also need some ideas that are quick, if you’re one of those who are constantly on the move or struggle to find time for the most basic tasks.
In this article, we present you with some ideas by the American Heart Association (AHA). Before continuing, though, please keep in mind that they are meant for general purposes only and you should not take it as any form of medical advice or rely on them to substitute it. Always talk to your doctor or registered dietitian in order to assess your personal situation before making any major changes to your diet or lifestyle, so you can introduce them in a way that is safe for your body and mind.
Tips for sticking to a healthy breakfast
Although many people believe breakfast will hamper their weight loss journey, the truth is this doesn’t have to be the case. In the end, everything will depend on what kinds of food you put on your plate for brekkie. According to the American Heart Foundation, there are actually some studies showing that those who skip this meal are more likely to be overweight, suffer from diabetes, heart disease or cholesterol and follow some unhealthy habits, like smoking or not being physically active. Depending on their diet, these people may not get the recommended amounts of the important nutrients all of us need. If the diet is unhealthy, they may be eating more calories than recommended throughout the rest of the day, along with foods high in added sugars.
In the end, it’s all about your lifestyle and diet choices, so it’s up to decide whether to have breakfast or not, based on these factors. The bottom line is breakfast is not unhealthy per se. However, incorporating it into your daily routine may be hard if you don’t feel like eating as you wake up or don’t like cooking. In this case, the AHA lists a few tips that will help you integrate breakfast in your life as one more habit.
- Depending on how much time you have, you could spend some time in the kitchen making some simple preparations that will help you establish a relationship with food and the processes that lead to it. This can be unattainable during week days, but you can see it as a Sunday morning plan to enjoy with your family or partner. In this regard, the AHA suggests you cook some simple appetising things like muffins, instead from getting them from your usual coffee shop. They will be healthier, as long as they include healthy ingredients like wholegrain flour, fruits and vegetables, or perhaps some nuts.
- Go for wholegrain flours rather than refined ones: for example an English muffin or waffle to spread nut butter or low-fat cottage cheese. You can also top this with sliced pieces of fruit for example
- As for dairy, you can enjoy low-fats versions of yogurt, which always goes well with most foods, nuts, whole grain oat, etc.
How to eat well when you’re in a rush
However, despite wanting to enjoy a good breakfast, many people are simply not able to find the time, as our modern life is very demanding and lots of people don’t even have the standard breakfast, sitting at a table. For those who need quick solutions to suit such a lifestyle, when commuting or resting for a quick break, the AHA also has some advice:
To start with, there’s also the most obvious and logical piece of advice: to save time, you should prepare everything in advance. We already told you about homemade muffins, a healthy alternative to that energy bar or the usual muffin from the coffee shop, because you’re in control about the ingredients and the amount of sugar that goes in. You can cook some foods in advance so you skip this part of the process —often the most time-consuming—, boiling eggs and storing them in the fridge, for example. That way you’ll only have to slice a few tomatoes or an avocado for a nice topping on a wholemeal toast.
Speaking of wholegrain, the AHA also suggests making instant oatmeal. Wholegrain oatmeal will keep you full for many hours, but instead of turning to industrial oatmeal with lots of sugars, go for packets of wholegrain oatmeal and take a look at the nutrition label for further reference about sugar and other nutrients that are present.
Finally, there’s also the option to make a homemade smoothie, which helps you eat more food easily and is a very versatile format that allows you to try several combinations, using frozen fruit, low-fat milk and 100% fruit juice. Keep in mind that blending is a process that releases more sugar in those fruits, however, so you could also take some fruit with you wherever you go.
