Eating breakfast is a perfect opportunity to get a healthy dose of several key nutrients including fiber, protein, and calcium. It can also be a good time to bond with your family and touch base before heading out for the day. While there has been a recent debate about the merits of eating breakfast for weight loss, it is agreed that children should eat breakfast. If you are not hungry first thing in the morning, it’s ok to wait till mid-morning.
What you choose for breakfast is important for improving your health, and the right breakfast may keep you feeling full and help you eat less later in the day.
Here are five simple tips that I use with clients to help build a healthy breakfast.
1. Include a healthy protein rich food.
Including a serving of protein rich food will help keep you full. A few great choices are low-fat Greek yogurt (yes, Greek yogurt is packed with protein), eggs, egg whites, or tofu scramble. Nut butters such as almond butter or peanut butter are also great options so long as you practice portion control (a walnut in its shell is approximately 2 tablespoons worth). Low-fat milk and cheese are also good options.
2. Include a serving of fruit.
Eating a serving of fruit in the morning is a great way to get a dose of fiber, vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C and potassium. Choose a fruit in season that you enjoy. A cup of berries or melon in season is a great choice. An apple or pear is portable if you want to bring it with you. An orange or half grapefruit is another great option. Whole fruit is preferred over juice. The fruit is higher in fiber and lower in calories. And it takes time to chew so you will eat slowly and recognize that you are eating.
3. Include a whole-grain you enjoy.
So many people are skipping carbs, in particular, healthy grains, in an effort to lose weight. Grains and carbs are not the villain. While I would recommend skipping the donuts, coffee cake, and bagels, or saving these foods for a special occasion, a bowl of oatmeal or a slice of whole wheat or sprouted grain bread is a great choice to include for your morning meal. Other examples of healthy whole grains are: whole grain breakfast cereal (with at least 3 grams of fiber and less than 5 grams added sugar), brown rice cakes, a whole grain English muffin or pita, or brown rice crackers.
4. Sit down and enjoy!
As I always tell clients, eat mindfully and eat sitting down. When you eat on the go, you tend not even to remember that you are eating. It’s almost as if you rationalize to yourself “the calories don’t count when you eat standing.” But, as you know, calories do count regardless of whether you eat them standing or sitting. Better to sit down and enjoy a bowl of whole grain cereal than to eat a “healthy sounding” energy bar on the run.
5. Eat slowly.
Along with sitting down and enjoying your breakfast comes eating slowly. When you eat slowly, you pay attention to what–and how much–you are eating, and you tend to eat less. Eating slowly also allows your body to register a feeling of satiation and fullness.
If you are in a rush or you are not a first-thing-in-the-morning eater, no worries. You do not need to eat breakfast as soon as you get up. ( I tend to be a mid-morning breakfast eater.) The important point is that you eat something within a few hours of waking up instead of waiting till 2 p.m. to get your first bite in.
Here are a few great breakfast options:
— A spinach and tomato omelet with a slice of whole grain toast and a half grapefruit.
— A low-fat Greek yogurt with blackberries, strawberries, and a handful of whole grain cereal.
— A whole grain English muffin with a schmear of almond butter and a pear.
— A bowl of oatmeal made with low-fat milk or unsweetened plant milk and topped with blueberries, chia seeds and chopped walnuts.
Enjoy. We would love to hear some of your favorite breakfast choices.
Video: Portion hacks for better health