A balanced breakfast can improve your mental focus and encourage you to eat healthier throughout the day, notes MayoClinic.com. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggest that you should increase servings whole grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy products, and a balanced breakfast can help you reach these goals. No matter what kind of foods you like to eat, you can make a healthy, enjoyable breakfast.
Cereal
You can base a healthy breakfast around cereal. Cold cereal is ready to eat from the package, but if you have an extra minute or two, you could try a hot, quick-cooking cereal, such as instant oatmeal. MayoClinic.com suggests choosing a whole-grain cereal, such as whole wheat or oatmeal, and you can read the ingredients list to make sure that the first ingredient is a whole grain. You can also look for a cereal that is fortified with vitamins and minerals, has at least 3 to 5g dietary fiber and no more than 13g sugars per serving. Make your oatmeal with nonfat milk, or add milk to your cold cereal, for some calcium and high-quality protein. Fruit such as blueberries or strawberries, banana or apple slices slices or cut melon will help you meet the recommendation for healthy individuals on a 2,000-calorie diet to get at least two servings of fruit each day.
Smoothie
A smoothie with yogurt and fruit can provide calcium, vitamins, minerals and protein, and you can make an almost unlimited number of different smoothies by combining different ingredients. Use nonfat or reduced fat yogurt, and remember that fruit-flavored yogurts can be high in added sugars. For a thinner smoothie, you can use nonfat milk instead of yogurt, and if you are allergic to milk or cannot eat dairy products because you have lactose intolerance, you can use lactose-free soy yogurt instead of regular yogurt. Almost any kind of fresh or frozen fruit works well in a smoothie, and some possibilities are bananas, raspberries, strawberries, pineapple and mango. You can add peanut butter or flaxseed for healthy fats. If you do not have yogurt or fresh fruit on hand, consider a recipe such as the fruit smoothie from MayoClinic.com that uses fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt, fat-free milk and orange juice concentrate.
Breakfast Sandwich
If you want a high-protein breakfast, a breakfast sandwich may be the way to go. Start with a high-fiber bread, such as a whole-wheat English muffin or pita. You can also make a wrap using a whole-grain tortilla. For the filling, scrambled egg whites with olive oil provide protein and heart-healthy monounsaturated fat without too much cholesterol-raising saturated fat. Turkey breast or lean ham adds extra protein. Add some chopped green and red peppers, spinach, onions or tomatoes to get started on meeting your daily recommendations for vegetables. For some calcium, you can add some cheese such as Parmesan or mozzarella to your sandwich or wrap. Choose a low-fat or nonfat cheese to reduce the calories and saturated fat.
Member Comments