To make breakfast not only tasty but also healthy, you don’t have to completely revise your menu. Even small changes in your diet can make your first meal more balanced. The following 6 tips will help you with this.
Skip the butter
The classic butter sandwich can be made a little healthier by swapping the butter for half an avocado. This way, you can add healthy fats and plenty of fiber to your breakfast, which will keep you energized for longer. Avocados are also a great source of potassium, magnesium, and some B vitamins, which also help keep your energy levels high.
Add nuts to your breakfast
Do you prefer to have cereal for breakfast? Most cereals contain refined carbohydrates, which means you won’t feel full for long. To keep hunger pangs at bay until lunch, choose cereals that are high in fiber—at least 5 grams per serving—and add some healthy fats to your breakfast box, like a handful of your favorite nuts.
Replace juice with whole fruit
A glass of juice for breakfast, even freshly squeezed, is not the best idea. It would be much healthier to add whole fruit to your menu. Juice, of course, can provide you with valuable vitamins and minerals, but it lacks fiber, which will help provide you with energy for the entire morning. In the process of juicing, it will end up in the trash, but it could stabilize blood sugar levels and thus prolong the feeling of satiety.
Choose whole grain bread
Another less obvious source of fiber is whole grain bread. When choosing a breakfast loaf, remember that most white breads contain less than one gram of fiber per slice, while quality whole grain breads can contain three to five grams of fiber per serving. Another benefit of fiber is that it slows down the digestion of food, helping to release energy more gradually rather than immediately after eating. This helps keep your blood sugar levels stable, preventing energy crashes.
Add protein to your porridge
Instant oatmeal may create the illusion of a healthy breakfast, but you will predictably run out of energy long before lunch. To avoid feeling exhausted a couple of hours after breakfast, maintain a balance: you just need to supplement the porridge with enough proteins and fats. Greek yogurt, eggs or low-fat cottage cheese are ideal additions. In addition, it would be a good idea to read the ingredients of the porridge. It is better to add dried fruits yourself than to put up with flavorings and other “chemicals”.
Use superfoods
Eating so-called superfoods shouldn’t become an obsession, but they’re a great way to add variety to your morning routine. Add ground flax or chia seeds to your Greek yogurt or smoothie. The latter have the edge in terms of nutritional content. But both are packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and can help improve your digestion, cardiovascular health, and even cognitive health.