Choosing what to eat for breakfast is one of the first decisions you’ll make each day, so start off right by making a healthy choice. Some breakfast staples like pancakes and eggs can be prepared healthfully, but it’s also easy to load these dishes with fat and too many calories, particularly when you’re eating out or snacking on prepackaged dishes. Fruit, grains and wheat are filling, nutritious and satisfying.
Whole Grains vs. Wheat
The terms “whole grain” and “whole wheat” are bandied about in ads for health foods, but you might not be completely clear on the differences between the two. Foods that include whole grains are made with all three parts of the grain seed -- the endosperm, germ and bran. Barley, oats and wheat are all examples of types of grains. Whole wheat refers to a type of flour that is made using all of three parts of a wheat-grain seed. By contrast, white flour is made from only the endosperm of the wheat and doesn’t include the fiber of the bran and germ.
Breakfast Ideas
Just because you’re limiting your breakfast ingredients to fruit, grain and wheat doesn’t mean your options are limited. Eat whole-grain toast topped with jam and sliced bananas, or stir fresh or frozen blueberries into whole wheat pancake mix and arrange sliced peaches on top. You’ll also find cereals on your grocery-store shelves made from little more than whole grains. If you like to cook, try making your own bran muffins using whole-wheat flour and applesauce, or create homemade granola bars using whole-grain cereal, oats, nuts and your favorite dried fruit.
Choosing Ingredients
Feel free to use frozen fruit if you don’t have any fresh fruit but be careful to read the labels whenever you’re using any packaged fruit. The only ingredient listed should be the fruit itself; if there’s any type of sugar or syrup added, pick a different fruit. When it comes to choosing whole grains, again, let the ingredient label be your guide. According to the Whole Grains Council, look for words like “whole grains,” “whole wheat,” “oats” and “wheat berries” on ingredient labels. Foods made with “wheat flour” or “enriched flour” don’t include whole grains, so they won’t contain as much nutritional value.
Fighting Hunger
Since fruit, grains and wheat are all carbohydrates, you’ll digest them more quickly than you will protein, which could leave you hungry again a few hours after breakfast. Beware of midmorning hunger pains, since they may tempt you to visit a vending machine for junk food. Add a bit of protein to your breakfast -- eat a hard-boiled egg or a cup of low-fat yogurt -- or prepare for the munchies by carrying healthful snacks with you. Keep whole-grain pretzels or a container of applesauce in your bag, just in case.
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