5 Tips For a Healthier Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gets your metabolism going and can provide long term energy that will help you concentrate and feel full until midday. But breakfast is also the meal that many people skip or skimp on, choosing to consume highly sugary foods (such as many breakfast cereals) or start the day with only a few mouthfuls of food.
The good news is a better breakfast doesn’t have to be hard to make! We've rounded up five tips for eating a healthy breakfast every day, no matter what your schedule looks like.
1. Start your day with protein.
You need to start your day with a breakfast that will give you energy for hours to come. All the simple carbohydrates in sugary breakfast cereals are the opposite of what you want. It is much better to start your morning with a protein-rich meal, like an egg on whole grain toast, plain yoghurt with fresh berries and just a little bit of honey, or a peanut butter smoothie.
You’ll notice we left bacon and sausage off that short list. While both of these classic breakfast foods are sources of protein, that also have a lot of sodium and nitrates, which can increase risks of high blood pressure and cancer, respectively. It’s not bad to indulge in these tasty treats occasionally, but don’t make them part of your daily morning ritual.
2. Choose whole grains.
Whole grains are rich in fiber (the most important element in a digestion-friendly diet), protein, and complex carbohydrates, which are a good source of long-lasting energy.
If you love cereal, choose a fiber-rich, whole grain cereal. Always look at the ingredients to see how far up on the list you see sugar or other sweeteners, like high fructose corn syrup. Most cereals have sugar, but you want to make sure it is not a primary ingredient. To see how much you’re getting in a serving, you can look at added sugar content on the nutritional graph.
Other whole grain options include oatmeal and toast (and especially good bread choices include seeds in addition to whole grains).
3. Add fruit and/or veggies.
Fruit is often associated with breakfast, and it is an excellent part of a delicious breakfast. Fruit is a good source of antioxidants and vitamins. Berries are great. So are kiwis, bananas, oranges, and apples.
Veggies are less frequently included as part of breakfast, but they are one of the most important foods to eat every day because that are rich in vitamins, fiber, and phytonutrients. So, it’s good to include veggies whenever you get the chance.
It is easy to include veggies like spinach and kale if you whip up an omelet or scrambled eggs. You can also think outside the box with your hash browns: try throwing in sweet potatoes, kale, acorn squash, or zucchini. And, of course, a salad for breakfast is always a delightful choice.
4. Drink water or a smoothie, not juice.
Juice is full of sugar, which can spike your blood sugar and then leave you feeling exhausted later. If you must drink juice, dilute it with water. Water or milk (including plant-based milks) are also better choices than juice.
Smoothies, while they can be sweet, provide blended versions of whole fruits and vegetables, meaning that the sugars in the fruit are balanced with fiber, which helps to slow down your body’s uptake of the sugar in digestion. You can also add protein powders to your smoothies so that they pack an extra punch of long term energy.
5. Make your own coffee and tea.
Most of us want some form of caffeine in the morning, and tea and coffee are certainly the go-to options. But, more and more frequently, we have been choosing to buy fancy tea and coffee drinks at the café on the way to work. Many of those drinks come loaded with sugar and cholesterol.
Frappuccinos and macchiatos are some of the worst offenders, but even many lattes have sugary powders thrown in. Don’t be fooled by the inclusion of matcha or the substitution of plant milk for dairy; most café drinks are not healthy options.
It’s much better to brew your own cup of tea or coffee at home. That way, you know exactly what’s in it. And you’ll find you save a lot of money over the course of a month! If you must put sugar in your tea or coffee, use it sparingly, and don’t assume calorie-free substitutes are better options.
If you get used to it, high-quality black tea and coffee are actually quite delightful.
At Natura.Punkt, we know it’s hard to eat healthy all the time. Ultimately, your dietary health is about balance. So, we want to make it easy for you to choose healthy options for snacks and as supplements to your meals.
The good news is a better breakfast doesn’t have to be hard to make! We've rounded up five tips for eating a healthy breakfast every day, no matter what your schedule looks like.
1. Start your day with protein.
You need to start your day with a breakfast that will give you energy for hours to come. All the simple carbohydrates in sugary breakfast cereals are the opposite of what you want. It is much better to start your morning with a protein-rich meal, like an egg on whole grain toast, plain yoghurt with fresh berries and just a little bit of honey, or a peanut butter smoothie.
You’ll notice we left bacon and sausage off that short list. While both of these classic breakfast foods are sources of protein, that also have a lot of sodium and nitrates, which can increase risks of high blood pressure and cancer, respectively. It’s not bad to indulge in these tasty treats occasionally, but don’t make them part of your daily morning ritual.
2. Choose whole grains.
Whole grains are rich in fiber (the most important element in a digestion-friendly diet), protein, and complex carbohydrates, which are a good source of long-lasting energy.
If you love cereal, choose a fiber-rich, whole grain cereal. Always look at the ingredients to see how far up on the list you see sugar or other sweeteners, like high fructose corn syrup. Most cereals have sugar, but you want to make sure it is not a primary ingredient. To see how much you’re getting in a serving, you can look at added sugar content on the nutritional graph.
Other whole grain options include oatmeal and toast (and especially good bread choices include seeds in addition to whole grains).
3. Add fruit and/or veggies.
Fruit is often associated with breakfast, and it is an excellent part of a delicious breakfast. Fruit is a good source of antioxidants and vitamins. Berries are great. So are kiwis, bananas, oranges, and apples.
Veggies are less frequently included as part of breakfast, but they are one of the most important foods to eat every day because that are rich in vitamins, fiber, and phytonutrients. So, it’s good to include veggies whenever you get the chance.
It is easy to include veggies like spinach and kale if you whip up an omelet or scrambled eggs. You can also think outside the box with your hash browns: try throwing in sweet potatoes, kale, acorn squash, or zucchini. And, of course, a salad for breakfast is always a delightful choice.
4. Drink water or a smoothie, not juice.
Juice is full of sugar, which can spike your blood sugar and then leave you feeling exhausted later. If you must drink juice, dilute it with water. Water or milk (including plant-based milks) are also better choices than juice.
Smoothies, while they can be sweet, provide blended versions of whole fruits and vegetables, meaning that the sugars in the fruit are balanced with fiber, which helps to slow down your body’s uptake of the sugar in digestion. You can also add protein powders to your smoothies so that they pack an extra punch of long term energy.
5. Make your own coffee and tea.
Most of us want some form of caffeine in the morning, and tea and coffee are certainly the go-to options. But, more and more frequently, we have been choosing to buy fancy tea and coffee drinks at the café on the way to work. Many of those drinks come loaded with sugar and cholesterol.
Frappuccinos and macchiatos are some of the worst offenders, but even many lattes have sugary powders thrown in. Don’t be fooled by the inclusion of matcha or the substitution of plant milk for dairy; most café drinks are not healthy options.
It’s much better to brew your own cup of tea or coffee at home. That way, you know exactly what’s in it. And you’ll find you save a lot of money over the course of a month! If you must put sugar in your tea or coffee, use it sparingly, and don’t assume calorie-free substitutes are better options.
If you get used to it, high-quality black tea and coffee are actually quite delightful.
At Natura.Punkt, we know it’s hard to eat healthy all the time. Ultimately, your dietary health is about balance. So, we want to make it easy for you to choose healthy options for snacks and as supplements to your meals.