Eating a healthy breakfast can help you be productive and concentrate during the day, keep your weight under control and give you the nutrients you need to stay healthy. A healthy breakfast should consist of a combination of whole grains, low-fat protein, low-fat dairy and fruits and vegetables.
Importance of Protein for Breakfast
Eating a high-protein breakfast helps you feel full for longer and eat fewer calories throughout the day, according to a study published in the journal "Nutrition Research" in 2010. Breakfasts higher in protein cause less ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, to be released. Choose a cereal with at least 3 g of protein per serving, and add low-fat milk to increase the protein of your breakfast by another 8 g.
Importance of Fiber for Breakfast
Try to find a cereal that contains at least 3 g to 5 g of fiber, including 1 g of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is the type that may lower your cholesterol and help control your blood glucose levels, while insoluble fiber adds bulk to your breakfast so it takes longer to eat and helps you feel full on fewer calories. Most people don't get enough fiber, so consuming fiber at breakfast helps you meet your recommended fiber intake of 25 to 38 g per day. Add fruit to your cereal to increase your fiber intake even more. A cup of raspberries contains 8 g of fiber and a banana has 3.1 g.
Choosing a Breakfast Cereal
Your cereal should have less than 120 calories, less than 2 g of saturated fat and 5 g or less of added sugars per serving. Whole grains should be near the top of the ingredients list, and sugars should not. This calorie level will keep your breakfast within the calorie range that will keep you full without providing excess energy to be stored as fat, once you add milk and fruit to your cereal. Sugar and saturated fat add calories without nutritional value, so avoid cereals with these nutrients. Compare the nutrition labels of the various cereals rather than relying on the front of the box for nutrition information. Avoid cereals that contain hydrogenated oils, chemical preservatives and artificial colors, recommends AskDrSears.com, as these ingredients may be linked to adverse health effects.
Considerations
Try different cereals high in protein and fiber to find out which you like the best. If you don't like a cereal, you won't eat it, no matter how nutritious it is. You can try mixing a healthier cereal with a less-healthy option until you get used to the less-sweet taste. Choosing a healthy cereal and eating it with fruit and low-fat milk gets your day off to a nutritious start, helping you to meet your recommended protein and fiber intake for the day while providing a variety of essential vitamins and minerals.
References
- AskDrSears.com: Choosing Cereal
- "Fitness"; The Healthiest Cold Cereals; September 2006
- "Nutrition Action Health Letter"; The Best and Worst Breakfasts; November 1999
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Breakfast: Quick, Flexible Options to Grab at Home; February 2011
- "Nutrition Research"; Consuming Eggs for Breakfast Influences Plasma Glucose and Ghrelin, While Reducing Energy Intake During the Next 24 Hours in Adult Men; J. Ratliff, et al.; February 2010
- MayoClinic.com; High-Fiber Foods; November 2009
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