What To Eat For Breakfast When Dieting

Eating breakfast is one of the most important habits to form when dieting. According to a study published in 2002 in "Obesity Research," 78 percent of successful weight loss maintainers consumed breakfast at least four days per week. While the exact mechanism is not known, breakfast eaters do tend to consume fewer calories throughout the day as well as less fat. Consuming the right breakfast improves the nutrient content of your overall diet, making it easier to meet daily requirements for vitamins and minerals. Eating breakfast also gives you energy to start your day, improves mental alertness and helps decrease feelings of hunger throughout the day. Start building a nutritious and low-calorie breakfast by making a variety of choices from different food groups, including grains, fruits, vegetables, milk or milk products, and meats.

Grains

Whole grain cereals and breads are complex carbohydrates that provide the body with energy. Choose from a wide variety of high-fiber, fortified cereals. They are nutrient dense and loaded with fiber, which helps increase feelings of fullness. Breakfast breads, like toast, bagels, English muffins or a corn tortilla, also make a nutritious choice. Consider oatmeal and other hot cereals for a quick, easy and economical option. Limit simple carbohydrate choices like doughnuts, pastries, sweet cereals, biscuits or croissants. These high-sugar, high-fat foods provide excess calories with minimal nutrients.

Meat

Adding meat provides the body with protein, a nutrient essential for building and repairing tissue. Adding a protein source to breakfast helps you starve off feelings of hunger because protein, like fats, takes longer for the body to digest. Emphasize lean choices, like reduced-fat cheese and low-fat cottage cheese, Canadian bacon or moderate amounts of peanut butter. Eggs, a breakfast staple, are easy to prepare and a nutritious choice that can be mixed into a burrito, a pita or simple eaten along with a piece of toast. If cholesterol is a concern, limit eggs to no more than four per week or consume only the egg white. Other smart lean meat selections include tofu, legumes, or turkey and chicken.

Fruit and Vegetables

Jump-start your fruit and vegetable intake by incorporating them into the morning meal. Top cereal with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sliced peaches or a banana. Keep fruits washed and readily available, making them an easier and more likely choice. Mix up a smoothie with fruit, low-fat milk or yogurt for a refreshing and tasty option. Toss chopped tomatoes, bell peppers or an onion into an omelet or breakfast burrito for added flavor and variety.

Milk

Milk, cheese and yogurt are protein-rich sources of calcium. Adding these foods to breakfast brings you closer to meeting daily requirements for calcium, a mineral linked to weight control. According to the Dairy Council of California, those consuming greater amounts of dairy foods tend to weigh less than those consuming less dairy. Opt for skim or 1 percent milk and low-fat or fat-free yogurt. Try light yogurt for a low-fat and low-sugar option. Lactose-intolerant individuals or those who don't like milk can try soy or lactaid milk and incorporate calcium-rich foods into their diet.

Oils

Moderate amounts of fats are necessary even when dieting. Fats provide the body with essential fatty acids and facilitate the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Focus on using small amounts of healthy fats like monounsaturated, olive and canola oil, and polyunsaturated, corn, sunflower, safflower or corn oil. Balance your meal by incorporating small amounts of margarine and reduced-fat cream cheese for breakfast breads.