Breakfast can be a little tricky. It’s often victim to getting overlooked completely or rushed through (because #mornings), but it’s also incredibly important for your well-being.
Research has shown that brekkie can help get your body moving, fuel you through the rest of your day, and keep you from crashing. And, contrary to what you might think, in order to be beneficial the meal doesn’t need to be some extravagant spread that perfectly hits every food group.
To make sure you’re getting the most out of your first meal of the day, implement these tips, straight from the health experts.
Use these 5 methods to hack the most healthy breakfast.
1. Become a food-prep queen
You don’t have to prep all your meals—just start with breakfast. That way, when your mornings get all sorts of chaotic, it’s the one thing you won’t have to think about.
“The best way to really make sure you’re getting breakfast in is planning it the night before,” registered dietician Jennifer Markowitz told Cooking Light. “One of my all-time-favorite breakfasts—for myself and patients, too—is overnight oats. It’s such a simple thing that you can plan and make in a batch.”
2. Use a stepladder approach
If you’re having trouble figuring out what to eat for breakfast, keep things simple.”Start with just one food that you can incorporate into a breakfast or morning snack,” registered dietician Cynthia Sass said to Cooking Light. “It could be a small handful of nuts, like a quarter cup of almonds or pistachios, on its own completely.”
3. Try to include the winning trio
When it comes to creating a breakfast that keeps you satisfied, Markowitz said it’s a good idea to make sure it satisfies a few crucial guidelines.
“As with all meals, we should try to get a combo of protein, healthy fats, and fiber, which is the winning trio to help you feel full,” she said. “Seek out nuts and fruits, eggs, avocados, greens, and whole grains with fiber, and avoid packaged sugary cereals, nutrition bars, and protein shakes,” as some versions can be loaded with sugar and milk, she added.
4. Sneak veggies into everything
According to Sass, filling your breakfast with plenty of vegetables makes it easier to eat more servings of the healthy stuff throughout the day.
“Veggies can be incorporated into breakfast, whether it be an omelet, or a blended smoothie, or shredded zucchini or kale into a cup of oatmeal,” she said. “I tend to see that those who have a savory breakfast as compared to a sweet one will be more disinclined to dig into office snacks or become hungrier than usual before lunch, and veggies are a great way to enjoy a savory breakfast.”
5. Remember, all breakfasts are not created equally
When it comes to breakfast, quality is super important—and unfortunately that means those sugary breakfast pastries are usually no-gos.
“In my opinion, the quality of the breakfast you’re eating makes a huge difference,” Sass said. “Five hundred calories from a packaged blueberry muffin compared to 500 calories of oats, blueberries, and cinnamon is processed differently. A calorie isn’t just a calorie; the quality of what you’re eating makes a big difference in terms of how your body responds and what it does with those calories.”
You need to try this turmeric pumpkin quinoa oatmeal, stat. Or go for these 10 other healthy breakfast options you’ll be excited to wake up to.
Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter
Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.
Got it, you've been added to our email list.
