A lot of significance is placed on breakfast, as it is often described as the most important meal of the day. Although food may not be the first thing on your mind when you wake up in the morning, eating breakfast is the foundation of a productive day, and no, coffee alone is not classified as a healthy and nutritious breakfast. A few general suggestions can help make it easier for you to eat breakfast on the go and take the guesswork out of deciding what foods to eat and what foods to skip.
Importance of Breakfast
One of the major roles of breakfast is to refuel your body after a period of sleep. The term breakfast literally means to break the fast that occurs during the time that you sleep. A healthy and nutritious breakfast provides you with calories that give you energy to get through your morning. According to MayoClinic.com, people who eat breakfast usually have better concentration and increased productivity during the morning hours than people who skip breakfast. People who eat breakfast also have an easier time controlling their weight, although dieters often make the mistake of regularly skipping breakfast. Eating breakfast also helps ensure that you meet your daily vitamin and mineral needs. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health notes that people who skip breakfast are unlikely to meet their nutrient needs on a daily basis.
Breakfast Basics
Although there are many options when it comes to putting together a nutritious breakfast, the foundation of a healthy breakfast is generally the same. A healthy breakfast should include whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy and a fruit or vegetable, or both. This combination of foods not only provides you with a variety of vitamins and minerals, but also ensures that you remain full for a longer period of time. Examples of whole-grain choices include whole-wheat cereals, oatmeal and a whole-grain roll or small bagel. You can obtain lean protein from peanut butter, eggs or lean meats. Low-fat dairy choices can include low-fat yogurt, skim milk or cottage cheese. Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables are often the best choices, but you can also meet your fruit or vegetable recommendation from fruit or vegetable juice. If choosing fruit juice, make sure that it contains 100 percent juice and no added sugar. Vegetable juices should contain 100 percent vegetable juice with no added sodium.
Planning for Breakfast
One of the most common reasons for skipping breakfast is a lack of time in the morning. If this is your excuse, planning ahead is an important tool. An easy way to ensure that you have enough time to eat breakfast is to set your alarm 15 to 20 minutes earlier than you usually do. If you are in love with that snooze button, however, this may not be plausible for you. Other ways to plan ahead include preparing a to-go breakfast the night before, just as you would pack a lunch. You can also set up anything you need for breakfast, such as cereal bowls, blenders, toasters or pots and pans the night before to save yourself time in the morning. You can also make an entire breakfast the night before and simply heat it up in the morning.
Considerations
If you cannot find the time to sit down for breakfast, make sure that you have a lot of convenient breakfast foods in the house. Stocking up on fruits, portable yogurts or low-fat bran muffins can make it easier to grab breakfast on the way out of the door. You can also make your own trail mix with nuts, dried fruits and whole-grain cereal and package it in single servings. If eggs are your breakfast of choice, hard-boiling them can make them portable.
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