Just like any other meal, your breakfast should be balanced. This means that it must contain a healthy balance of protein, fiber and healthy fat. Fiber is important for digestive health, while healthy fats provide the body with anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
Protein, in turn, is needed not only to maintain muscle mass, but also so that you do not feel hunger between meals.
Nutritionists unanimously argue that breakfast is the most important part of a person’s diet. How to have breakfast for beauty and health, read in our material.
How to cook a balanced breakfast, here are some tips to help make the main meal as useful as possible.
- Avoid foods with added sugar.
- Limit your intake of processed high-sodium meat products.
- Stay away from refined carbohydrates (white bread, pastries, and sweet juices).
- Be careful with the so-called “healthy” juices and smoothies that you buy at the store, as some may contain sugar or artificial flavors.
- Set an alarm 30 minutes earlier so you have time to prepare a healthy breakfast.
Do not skip breakfast. The best Ukrainian and Western nutritionists are trumpeting about this. It is believed that if you regularly eat healthy foods, your lifestyle can already be called healthy. The ideal time for breakfast is from 7 to 9 in the morning.
During this period of time, the body digests food best. It is also pleasant that morning is the only time of the day when you can especially not think about calories. Everything you eat in the morning will be spent on generating energy.
Sources of Protein for a Healthy Breakfast
Speaking of protein for breakfast, the first thing that comes to mind is the eggs. Indeed, one egg contains about 6 grams of protein.
However, such a breakfast is not suitable for everyone, and it can quickly get bored, so keep alternatives:
- Pasta made from nuts or seeds. In 2 tablespoons of such a paste contains about 7 or 8 grams of protein. Spread it over whole-grain toasts, add slices of fresh apple, or mix with warm oatmeal to give it a nutty flavor.
- Legumes All bean varieties are rich in fiber and protein. Add some beans to the omelet or make a paste from it and spread it on toasts, garnished with chopped vegetables or avocados. Only half a cup of cooked beans contains 7.5 grams of fiber and protein.
- Tofu If you do not eat eggs, then try hard tofu. Add some salt, pepper and turmeric to it. Then fry this mixture in a pan with a small amount of heart-healthy olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Healthy breakfast is ready!
- Milk. Soy or cow milk contains about 8 grams of protein per cup. Just drink a glass of milk or add it to whole grain cereal or oatmeal to saturate your breakfast with healthy protein.
- Yogurt. Yogurt, especially Greek, is rich in protein and probiotics. Greek yogurt contains twice as much protein as regular. Choose a brand that contains less than 10 grams of sugar per serving in 150 g.
Sources of fiber for a healthy breakfast
Here are some high fiber foods that are great for breakfast:
- Whole grain toasts. Choose bread that contains at least 3 grams of fiber per slice. Beware of white wheat bread, as it is too processed and often contains a lot of sugar. Spread toast with peanut butter, or make egg and avocado sandwiches.
- Vegetables (tomatoes or peppers). You can add spinach, diced peppers, onions and / or tomatoes to the omelet, or make salsa from all these vegetables.
- Fruit. Fruits low in sugar – strawberries, oranges, or blueberries – are perfect as a sweet and fiber-rich addition to any morning meal.
- Legumes As mentioned earlier, beans are an excellent source of protein, but no less useful fiber.
- Seeds Add chia seeds to yogurt, oatmeal, or cereal to eat more fiber at breakfast. Chia seeds contain about 5.5 g of fiber per tablespoon.
Sources of Fat for a Healthy Breakfast
The last piece of the puzzle is healthy fat. Here are some tasty ways to add healthy fats to a balanced breakfast.
Please note that some of these products are also on the list of protein sources, which makes them universal and doubly useful.
- Avocado. Cut avocados and put on toast or just eat with a spoon at breakfast to get healthy fats.
- Olive oil. Cook eggs, tofu or vegetables in olive oil.
- Smoked salmon. Put smoked salmon on whole grain toast to add omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. 30 g contains only 33 calories, but as much as 5 grams of protein and almost one gram of unsaturated fat.
- The eggs. As mentioned earlier, eggs are a source of nutritious protein, but they also contain omega-3 fatty acids.
- Nuts. 30 g of nuts (peanuts, almonds, or walnuts) contain less than 200 calories, but about 6 g of protein and 2 g of fiber, as well as omega-3 fatty acids and plant sterols, which are good for heart health. Sprinkle oatmeal with them or eat separately to start your day with good.
- Seeds Chia, flax and sunflower seeds are just some of the seeds that are good for the heart. Sprinkle a few seeds with whole-grain toasts, add them to the smoothie, or eat a little biscuit with nuts.
