When you get up, the last thing you want to do is cook breakfast. Heck, you might not even want to eat it. If you lack appetite in the early hours, you’re certainly not alone.
But no one is saying you have to roll out of bed, flip on the stovetop, and get cracking. If you want to take your time in the morning, go right ahead. That extended fast might even offer some benefits like fat loss and improved blood sugar.
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Before too long, however, you’re likely to get peckish. And when you do, the food choices you make to start your day can influence how you’ll feel in the coming hours and years. They can either be your fuel or facilitate a significant crash.
Reaching for healthy fats, whole proteins, and whole grains can help you stay full for longer, boost productivity, and improve physical health. A healthy breakfast is associated with a lower risk for atherosclerosis, smaller waistlines, and better glucose metabolism.
Breakfast can also satisfy your appetite and prevent snacking later in the day.
Of course, food choice plays a significant role in whether you’ll experience those benefits. An easy rule to remember is that if it looks like dessert, you should stay away. Muffins, Danishes, sweetened yogurt, donuts, and frozen waffles don’t offer any of breakfast’s benefits.
Rather, they can put you at risk.
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Instead, try going for options like plain yogurt with berries and walnuts; an egg/egg white omelet with peppers, onion, and spinach with a side of whole-grain toast, or a bowl of whole-grain oats with berries.
Some experts suggest breakfast should clock in at around 500 calories and offer 7–10 grams of fiber. Fiber has several benefits, including heart health, digestion, satiety, and gut health. Breakfast presents an excellent opportunity to help you reach daily fiber targets.
So, leave the processed food behind and focus on a nutrient-dense breakfast featuring fruit, nuts, whole grains, proteins, and fiber. Doing so can make your day, and life, a heck of a lot easier… and healthier.
Devon Andre has been involved in the health and dietary supplement industry for a number of years. Devon has written extensively for Bel Marra Health. He has a Bachelor of Forensic Science from the University of Windsor, and went on to complete a Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh. Devon is keenly aware of trends and new developments in the area of health and wellness. He embraces an active lifestyle combining diet, exercise and healthy choices. By working to inform readers of the options available to them, he hopes to improve their health and quality of life.
