No more excuses. A healthy breakfast can be ready in no time, with the right ideas! Here are some suggestions you must try!
During the morning we are busy and in a hurry, breakfast falls low on our priority list. Does it have to be that way?
A healthy breakfast only takes a few minutes and those few minutes will really change the course of your day. If you do not have time to eat before leaving the house, there are many ideas for a healthy breakfast that can be eaten at work or even on the way to work, and which we will present to you here.
Why Is Breakfast Important?
A body without a healthy breakfast is the same as a car without petrol!
Nutritionists advise that breakfast should be eaten within two hours after waking up and that this meal should provide 20-35% of the daily calorie intake.
When you wake up, your blood sugar is usually low. Breakfast restores sugar levels, an essential carbohydrate needed for normal muscle and brain function. Many studies have shown that breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels as well as make us happier because it improves mood and also reduces stress levels.
In addition to providing energy, a healthy breakfast is a good source of important nutrients, such as calcium, iron, and B vitamins, as well as protein and fiber. The body needs these essential nutrients and research shows that if they are not ingested during breakfast, they are less likely to be replenished later during the day. Fruits and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals and therefore should be eaten for breakfast, at least just a banana or a glass of fruit juice. Breakfast also has long-term health benefits such as reducing obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
A Healthy Breakfast Is Good For a Slim Figure
Research shows that those who eat breakfast are slimmer than those who do not. When foods with protein and fiber are eaten in the morning, the appetite is kept under control throughout the day. If we skip breakfast, we are more likely to reach for sweets and fatty snacks in the middle of the morning, or that meals during the day will be very caloric and abundant.
Of course, having a healthy breakfast does not guarantee that you will lose weight. Breakfast helps to avoid overeating during the day, with several smaller and regular meals a day, metabolism is accelerated, and thus gaining weight is prevented. So, when you don’t eat breakfast, the organism saves energy and nutrients, makes reserves instead of burning calories, and disturbs and slows down metabolism. This means that if you are on a diet, skipping meals, especially breakfast, will not help you.
Hurry Is Not an Excuse Not to Have Breakfast
A fast-paced lifestyle has led to 38% of women skipping breakfast. However, lately, there is more and more talk about a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet, and one of the first and basic rules of a healthy diet is a healthy breakfast.
The most common excuse for skipping this meal is the lack of time for breakfast in the morning. However, experts do not agree with that excuse. If you do not have a lot of time in the morning, it will be enough to make a better organisation or to wake up only 10-15 minutes earlier, because you need very little time to prepare a simple healthy breakfast.
Your choice should not be pastries or donuts, although it is easiest to enter the first bakery in the morning and solve the “problem” of breakfast so quickly. Even leftovers from last night’s dinner are a better idea.
Why Am I Not Hungry In the Morning?
Another common excuse not to eat breakfast is because we are not hungry in the morning. When the body is used to not eating in the morning, it stores energy and nutrients, makes reserves instead of burning calories, and slows down metabolism. That’s why, if you’re on a diet, skipping meals, especially breakfast, won’t help you. And since reserves are being created, we are not hungry in the morning.
Therefore, we must first get the body used to breakfast. After a while, the morning appetite will naturally increase and in the morning we will be hungry. And when we start to eat breakfast, we will start eating less during the day, including unhealthy snacks.
Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big meal. What is important is that it is a combination of foods that contain carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Carbohydrates will give you energy right away, and protein will give it to you later. Salt, fat, and too many calories should be avoided.
The Healthiest Foods for Breakfast
The lack of ideas for healthy breakfast often leads to bad choices from the early morning, which are then reflected in the meals during the rest of the day. We have selected the best foods for the beginning of the day, which you can combine and prepare in different ways.
Greek Yogurt Is a Great Idea for a Morning Meal
This light, creamy yogurt is full of calcium and protein, it will feed you and keep you full throughout the morning. Different variants of this yogurt can be bought in stores. However, it is best to choose plain, low-fat Greek yogurt and add a little fruit of your choice.
Eggs Are a Great Choice to Start the Day
Until recently rejected as a bad food due to high cholesterol, eggs are now re-accepted as a healthy source of protein and nutrients, such as vitamin D, B12, calcium.
Research has shown that cholesterol in our diet has less of an effect on blood cholesterol levels than previously thought. Due to a large amount of protein, eggs are great for eating, especially for breakfast, and according to nutritionists, one of the most nutritious foods.
When you add easy preparation to all this, it is clear why they are a favorite food for many, especially young people.
There is no lack of ideas for a healthy breakfast with eggs because eggs can be prepared in several ways. The healthiest ones are definitely boiled. They can be combined with various foods, so they are often found for breakfast in sandwiches, salads, with vegetables, fruits, or yogurt, as the main food or addition to others. With an egg diet, you can also lose weight.
Wheat Germ and Wholemeal Bread as the Basis of a Healthy Breakfast
A little wheat germ will do a lot for your health. Just two tablespoons give about 15% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin E and 10% of folic acid. Vitamin E is often very underrepresented in the human diet, so this is a good way to add it to the diet, especially in people who do not eat a lot of nutritious foods or seeds.
It is easy to include wheat germ in almost every meal, even breakfast: sprinkle it over cereals, mix it with yogurt, or add it to smoothies.
Carbohydrates are the basis of every breakfast, but the type of carbohydrates that is chosen is also important. The simple rule is that the healthiest bread is made from whole grains of wheat and other whole grains. Whether they are found in bread, toast or you will make muffins from them, it doesn’t matter. What is important is that these foods contain more fiber and nutrients than those made from refined white flour.
When it comes to wheat, we must mention that wheatgrass is also excellent.
Fruit as a Healthy Breakfast and a Few Ideas
There is nothing that, like bananas for breakfast, will reduce the craving for sweets. They are one of the best sources of starch, healthy carbohydrates that will keep you full for a long time. The banana should be peeled, chopped, and added to cereals or oatmeal, which will thus get a natural sweetness so that they do not need additional sugar.
Thanks to potassium, an electrolyte that lowers blood pressure, bananas are a particularly good choice for people with hypertension. Want to lose weight? There’s a banana diet!
Watermelon for a Sweet Start of the Day
Watermelon is a great fruit for morning hydration. What is less known is that this juicy fruit is among the best sources of lycopene, which is found in red fruits and vegetables, and which is important for eyesight, heart health, and cancer prevention. Best of all, though, is that watermelon contains few calories. For healthy breakfast, you can combine it with yogurt and other fruits, but it is best combined with eggs. Although it sounds weird, give it a try, I was thrilled with this combination!
Kiwi for a Healthy Breakfast
Kiwi is a fruit that has almost as much vitamin C as an orange. It is rich in potassium and copper and contains more fiber than bananas, so it is a very good digestive aid. Kiwi is usually slightly sour, so if you like a sweeter taste, try mixing it with strawberries and bananas in a smoothie or fruit salad.
Blueberries, Strawberries, and Raspberries for a Delicious Morning
You can buy them fresh in season, and out of season, you can find them frozen with the same nutritional value. They are perfect as an addition to cereals or yogurt or mixed in a smoothie, for those who like a quick breakfast. In addition, they are very healthy. Blueberries have a positive effect on memory and motor skills, as well as blood pressure and metabolism. They also have fewer calories than many other types of fruit, so you can eat them without worrying about your waistline.
One cup of strawberries contains the full recommended daily dose of vitamin C, along with large amounts of folic acid and fiber. Like blueberries, strawberries are good for the heart, while raspberries are good for bones and rich in fiber, as well as vitamin C.
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice Is Always a Good Choice for a Healthy Breakfast
This juice is a widely known, popular (and delicious) drink that is drunk in the morning. In addition to the richness of vitamins, this juice is great for weight loss, and its regular use is associated with a reduced risk of osteoporosis, depression, and some types of cancer. It is recommended to drink freshly squeezed juice immediately after preparation. As much as you love it, stick to one glass a day, nutritionists advise. This juice has a lot of calories and sugar and should not replace fruits in the diet.
Coffee and Tea
Coffee is not just for waking you up faster. This antioxidant is associated with a lower risk of several diseases (such as diabetes and some types of cancer). Of course, I’m talking about coffee without sugar and whipped cream, and if you really have to, add a little skim milk.
Not a coffee lover? Tea has a pretty impressive list of health benefits. It has less caffeine, so it hydrates the body more efficiently than coffee, and it is also a rich source of antioxidants and stimulates immunity, prevents heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Although every tea is healthy, green tea can be said to be the healthiest of all.
Oatmeal for Healthy Breakfast
Oatmeal contains a lot of fiber and is a very good choice for a healthy breakfast. It has been proven to lower cholesterol when used regularly. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. When shopping, you should avoid flavored varieties, which can contain a lot of sugar. Instead, sweeten your oat bran with milk and a little honey and sprinkle with fruit and nuts.
Ideas for a Healthy Breakfast at Home and at Work
When we are at home, and especially when we are in a hurry to work, breakfast ideas are an important prerequisite to finish it quickly, and eat healthy.
That’s why we’ve picked out some of the best and fastest healthy breakfast ideas for you.
Scrambled Eggs With Spinach and Wholemeal Toast
Preparation: 7 minutes.
Beat 2 eggs and 4 tablespoons of semi-skimmed milk (and if you like add 1 pinch of black pepper) and fry as scrambled eggs on little oil. Serve eggs on 2 slices of wholemeal toast with a handful (about 40g) of spinach. To taste, you can sprinkle them with little scallions. You can finely chop the spinach and add it to the eggs before frying.
If you don’t get to eat at home, you can make this healthy breakfast as a sandwich and take it to work.
Turkey or Salmon Sandwich
Preparation: 5 minutes.
Cut the wholemeal bun in half. Coat one half with low-fat cream cheese. Put a piece of turkey breast or smoked salmon over and squeeze a little lemon over it. Cover with lettuce and / or tomato and the other half of the bun.
Macaroni With Tuna
Preparation: 10 minutes.
Cook 100g of (wholemeal) pasta. Take one small can of tuna in olive oil, put it into a bowl (not drained, with oil) and mash with a fork, add one sliced onion, chop a few olives, pickles, and cherry tomatoes. Strain the macaroni and combine it with the tuna mixture. This macaroni can be eaten hot or cold, with the addition of more vegetables to taste.
If you are not a fan of tuna, you can replace it with chicken or eat pasta without meat, only with vegetables with the addition of boiled egg, mozzarella, or diced feta cheese.
Seasonal Salad
Preparation: 5 minutes.
Wash vegetables of your choice (e.g. 1 carrot, 3 radishes, 4-5 lettuce leaves, 1 onion) and chop well. Mix the vegetables in a glass bowl with a lid, add 1-2 tablespoons of flax seeds, season with the juice of half a lemon and a little salt. Cover the bowl and the salad is ready to take it to work and have an ideal healthy breakfast. Along with the salad, eat a piece of toast or wholemeal bread.
From vegetables, depending on the taste and season, you can also put tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, and even some fruits, e.g. apple, pear, watermelon, melon, grapes, as well as cheese cubes. I love it when it’s colorful! The salad can be prepared in the evening and left in the refrigerator.
Rice With Chicken
Preparation: 10 minutes.
Cook a cup of wholemeal rice and vegetables as desired (chopped carrot, some peas, sweet corn, red beans ) and cool down a little. Add a piece of grilled diced chicken and cooked vegetables to the rice. Mix half a glass of sour milk with half a teaspoon of mustard and pour over the mixture with rice. And here you can use different vegetables, even fresh.
Fruit Smoothie With Yogurt
Preparation: 5 minutes.
Take one banana, 140 g of frozen berries or forest fruit, 40 g of low-fat yogurt, and about 3 oz (100 ml) of orange juice. Put the banana and berries in a blender and stir until you get a smooth mixture. Then add yogurt and, if desired, orange juice, depending on the desired density and the amount you want to make.
Muesli With Yogurt or Milk
Preparation: 3 minutes.
Muesli from the supermarket are full of sugar, so it is better to combine cereals yourself. Buy 100 g of oat, barley, and rye flakes, and 200 g of ground flax (it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and is good for digestion, you can add 1-2 teaspoons to each breakfast). Mix everything in one jar. This amount will be enough for 4-5 breakfasts. Pour cereal into a plate, mix with yogurt or milk, and wait for 15 minutes. Eat with one banana or a handful of berries. You can also add raisins, hazelnuts, walnuts…
Sweet Oat Bran
Here, too, the combinations are almost limitless, and this breakfast, in addition to being nutritious, gives energy and starts the metabolism, is quick and easy to prepare, so it is convenient to prepare in the office as well.
