Tips for Eating a Healthy Breakfast

There’s a saying that one should eat breakfast like a King! Remember your nutritionist or doctor telling you to have a heavy breakfast and it is the most important meal of the day? Research studies have shown there are multiple benefits of eating a well-balanced and nutritious breakfast.

We know making a healthy and well-balanced breakfast every morning is overwhelming. But there are many easy-to-make and quick breakfast recipes that can take care of your nutrition intake while making the breakfast preparation effortless. So, if you want to kickstart your day with momentum, here are some tips and recommendations for eating a healthy meal in the morning.

Why is Breakfast Important?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because of good reasons. Eating a healthy, nutritious, and well-balanced meal in the morning provides fuel for your body’s major activities and maintains proper brain functioning. Besides, what you eat in the morning affects your entire day’s activities and energy levels.

What is the Best Breakfast Food?

A full breakfast can also help regulate hunger, thus providing a sense of satiety and reducing your hunger pangs throughout the day. For kids, having a healthy breakfast is associated with better academic performance and reduces sudden snacking urges, thus reducing the risks of obesity.

However, ensure that your breakfast should include good servings of fruits and vegetables to add adequate amounts of minerals, vitamins, and other essential nutrients. And limit the intake of sugary foods, pastries, and professed cereals as they add little nutritional value.

Also, it’s recommended to avoid eating bacon and sausage regularly, which are often preferred as breakfast meats. These meats are high in saturated fats and may also increase the risks of heart disease and some cancers.

Here are some ideas for healthy and balanced breakfast recipes.

â-    Oatmeal with flax or chia seeds and fruits, such as blueberries.
â-    Whole wheat toast with avocado, eggs, sliced tomato, and pesto.
â-    Whole wheat toast with banana and peanut butter.
â-    Tofu scrambles with fruits and vegetables.
â-    Whole wheat crêpes with fruits, plain yogurt (with less or no sugar added), and some honey.

The idea is to include unprocessed and whole foods from each of the five nutritional food groups: grains, protein foods, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Include as many proteinaceous foods as possible, such as yogurts, nuts, eggs, seeds, or legumes.

Have foods rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, including whole grains and whole fruits and vegetables. These weight loss breakfast recipes will make you feel full for a longer time, thus reducing unnecessary cravings and preventing obesity due to over-eating.

Some Easy and Quick Breakfast Recipes You Should Try!

The morning hours are busy with all the rush before office hours or getting ready for college or school. We understand it’s quite a task to plan and prepare full, healthy meals in the morning with tons of other things to do. Therefore, to make your task easier, here are some simple and quick-to-make healthy breakfast recipes for yourself and your family.

â-    Scrambled Eggs

We all know how quick and easy it is to make scrambled eggs. To add more nutritional value to it, you can top it with fruits, meat, and whole-grain toast. While cooking the eggs, you can add some veggies, including onions, tomatoes, and jalapeños. It is also one of the most favorite breakfast recipes for kids as they enjoy it.

â-    Porridge/Oatmeal

To make a bowl of delicious and nutritious porridge, follow one of these instant breakfast recipes.

Recipe 1

-    Ingredients

a)    50g porridge oats
b)    350 ml of milk or water, or a mixture of both
c)    Greek yogurt, thinned with little milk for garnish
d)    Clear honey for topping

-    Method

a)    Take 50g porridge oats in a saucepan and add 350 ml of milk or water to it. Next, add salt to taste.
b)    Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer it for 4–5 minutes. Make sure to stir it from time to time. Watch carefully to prevent the contents from sticking to the pan’s bottom.
c)    Alternatively, you can microwave the mixture by taking all the ingredients in the same quantities in a microwave-proof container. Microwave it on High for 5 minutes while stirring halfway through.
d)    After the dish is cooked (either on the stove or in the microwave), let it stand for 2 minutes before serving.
e)    Finally, plate your yummy and healthy porridge oats into a bowl and spread a tablespoon of Greek yogurt, thinned with some milk, on the top. You can also drizzle and garnish the healthy-looking bowl with clear honey.

Recipe 2

-    Ingredients

a)    1 cup rolled oats
b)    2 ½ cups water
c)    2 bananas, sliced
d)    1 teaspoon salt
e)    1 tablespoon white sugar
f)    1 pinch of ground cinnamon
g)    ½ cup of cold milk (optional)

-    Method

a)    In a saucepan, take oats, water, salt, and sugar in the above-mentioned quantities. Add to it sliced bananas and ground cinnamon.
b)    Bring the mixture to a boil and cook it at a simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Keep stirring frequently.
c)    Serve it in bowls, and top it with a splash of cold milk.

â-    Poha

If you are looking for some “healthy breakfast recipes Indian”, then there’s no better option than poha. Poha is flattened rice that Indians often eat for breakfast and is especially popular in Maharashtra. This healthy and quick recipe has many variations and is mixed with different ingredients, such as onions, potatoes, green chilies, etc.

Depending on the taste and personal preferences of different states, poha may also come in spice variations, such as mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves, and coriander leaves. You can also add some roasted peanuts to make it extra crunchy and proteinaceous.

â-    South Indian Recipes

Talking of easy Indian breakfast recipes, how can we miss out on the yummy and nutritional South Indian dishes? Idlis are the most popular and healthy South Indian breakfast recipes, usually served with coconut chutney and sambar. These soft and fluffy idlis are not just tasty but are extremely nutritious too.

Another popular and healthy South Indian breakfast dish is Masala Dosa. It comes in multiple variations, such as plain dosa, onion dosa, set dosa, cheese dosa, adai dosa, egg dosa, etc. Since dosa-making is a long process, you can skip the masala part and keep it simple by having plain dosa, also known as sada dosa. Dosa is also served with coconut chutney, potato masala, and sambar.

â-    Beans and Legumes

Beans, lentils, and peas are healthy options for legumes that are the most nutritious and versatile. Besides, legumes are high in fiber and low in fat. Some popular legumes include chickpeas, black beans, green peas, peanuts, kidney beans (also known as rajma in Hindi), black-eyed peas, and more.

Below is a five bean salad recipe, which is one of the most nutritive and simple veg breakfast recipes, comprising 4-5 mixed beans.

Ingredients

a)    Bean salad mix containing five beans (you can get a packet of mixed beans in the market)
b)    Salt and pepper
c)    Honey
d)    White wine vinegar
e)    Garlic cloves, pressed
f)    Coriander leaves, chopped
g)    Red onion, chopped
h)    Dijon mustard
i)    Extra virgin olive oil

Method

a)    Rinse and strain the bean mix and place them in a salad bowl. Add chopped onions and coriander leaves to it.
b)    In a small bowl, mix honey, olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar, and garlic. Give it a good whisk.
c)    Add dressing over the mixture and stir.

You are good to go! Enjoy your nutritious bean salad bowl.

5 Nutritionist-Approved Tips to Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Here are some recommendations and tips from health experts and nutritionists to prepare healthy and easy breakfast recipes.

1.    Keep It Simple

By simple, we mean making a quick and easy breakfast meal, and not just sipping on a cup of tea or coffee and skipping breakfast altogether! Never make the mistake of skipping this vital meal, as it determines your energy and mood levels throughout the day. Skipping breakfast causes our blood sugar levels to fall, which results in situations like feeling moody, irritable, fatigued, confused, lightheaded, and hence, unable to concentrate on work.

Even though it’s tempting to skip breakfast while in a hurry, thinking you will have something on the way. But that is not healthy. Stick to eating healthy homemade simple breakfast recipes in the morning hours and avoid the intake of processed and unhealthy street foods for breakfast.

Start the day with a nourishing and healthy meal by preparing a grab-and-go breakfast if you are a busy work professional. For example, a whole grain meal, like oatmeal with banana and yogurt/milk, can get the job done. Or, a simple brown bread toast with peanut butter or a banana sandwich can be a nutritious and cost-effective breakfast option. Plus, these are simple and quick to make without requiring much cooking.

If time is a challenge, you can pre-pack or pre-prepare half of these recipes the night before. Although these simple recipes can be made in minutes by simply mixing a few ingredients, you can plan your meals ahead to avoid the morning rush.

2.    Choose Whole Grains

Opt for whole grains and avoid refined grains, such as cereals and muffins, with processed or enriched wheat flour. Whole grains help to maximize the fiber content of your meal, thus stabilizing your body’s sugar levels and keeping you full for long periods. Furthermore, fiber-rich foods can help to maintain gut health and cholesterol levels.

Look for the official Whole Grain Stamp on the packaging while shopping for whole grains. You may come across numerous brands claiming they offer whole grains, but it may not always be true. Apart from checking out the official Whole Grain Stamp, you can also scan the nutrition label and look for ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats, brown rice, flax, rye, and barley flour.

Remember that labels with “unbleached wheat flour”, “enriched wheat flour”, or “fortified wheat flour” are not considered whole grains. That’s because these products undergo refining processes, which strip them of some vital nutrients.

3.    Control the Sweet Tooth!

Keep the sweet and sugary stuff away from the breakfast table as far as possible. Think twice before starting your day with a heavy dose of sugar. Nutritionists believe sugars are empty calories that provide no nutritional value of vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Indeed, your body will use some of the sugars to produce energy, but the remaining will be of no use, causing unnecessary weight gain.

By having sugary foods in your breakfast, your blood sugar levels will increase, causing fatigue, anxiety, headaches, irritability, and affected concentration. This won’t be a good thing when you are trying to focus on a meeting, presentation, or other important work. Moreover, studies have proven that when blood sugar levels increase, there is an increased urge for high-carb meals, leading to a cycle of binge eating.

4.    Don’t Forget the Protein!

Include a rich protein source in your breakfast. Diet breakfast recipes must include good portions of protein-rich foods, such as eggs, cottage cheese, avocado toast, and an English muffin topped with almond butter. Another great way to boost the protein content of your breakfast is by adding protein powder to your smoothies, oats, pancakes, and homemade waffles.

Remember this golden mantra. Carbs are quick fuels, and having too many refined carbs can increase your cravings by causing blood sugars to spike. On the other hand, proteins can keep you full longer and are also required for carrying out multiple functions, such as building lean muscle, reducing muscle loss, regulating a healthy weight, and recovering faster after an injury or pain from prolonged exercise.

However, that doesn’t mean you will avoid carbohydrates altogether because our body needs them to produce glucose and convert it to energy. Try to keep a good balance between carbs and proteins.

5.    Include an Antioxidant

Our earth is getting polluted year after year, and we are continuously getting exposed to harmful pollutants. Antioxidants can protect your body from pollution and defend your body from harmful biochemical changes often caused by stress. For instance, blueberries, beetroot juice, avocado toast, mango smoothie bow, and overnight oats with chia seeds and strawberries.

A diet rich in antioxidants may decrease the risks of developing multiple diseases and health conditions, such as heart disease and some cancers. That’s because antioxidants help reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress and neutralize the free radicals in your body. So, include more food sources rich in vitamins C and E, which are considered natural antioxidants.

Conclusion

To conclude, we hope these easy-to-make and healthy Indian breakfast recipes can help you solve the problem of preparing or cooking full-fledged meals in the morning, especially when you have to rush to your workplace. So, let’s include more nutrients in our breakfast and maintain a well-balanced diet chart, as advised by your nutritionist or dietician.