A balanced and healthy breakfast is an important meal for everyone, so, if you are trying to change up your normal routine, and you want to add some nutritious breakfast foods to your meal plans, then look no further.
Having a balanced breakfast filled with healthy foods to eat in the morning will set you up for the day and offer a whole host of health benefits such as maintaining a good blood sugar level and supporting digestive health.
You don’t have to go all out cooking for your breakfast each morning, but it depends on what you want and how much time you have to prepare.
If you have been finding it hard to incorporate healthy fats and nutritious foods into your breakfast meal, then you are in luck as we will be going over the best way to have a well-rounded breakfast that will not only make you feel good inside but make you look healthier too.
What Does a Balanced and Healthy Morning Meal Look Like?
When it comes to the first meal of the day, you need to focus on protein-rich foods, carbohydrates that have enough fiber in them, and healthy fat.
Any sugars that you have should come in the form of fresh fruit such as fresh berries that have a lot of antioxidants and vitamins such as vitamin C.
What Should You Look Out For?
You may think that you are already eating a healthy breakfast that has all the nutrients you want, although you may think this, you have to look out for added sugar in cereal and other breakfast foods that have been advertised as being ‘healthy’.
Granola, bagels, oatmeal, cereal bars, juice, coffee, etc., can all have added sugar in them, especially if they come straight from a pack and are not fresh.
Go for unsweetened products, as well as non-dairy options (unsweetened almond milk), to add to your foods and morning beverage when you start eating.
Try and keep your sugar amount below 10g.
How Can Protein and Vegetables Help?
A healthy breakfast that has lean protein, as well as vegetables, can be a real game changer for your breakfast.
The veggies will provide you with fiber and complex carbs, and the protein will help fill you up and feed your muscles as well as your bones with dairy-based foods such as Greek yogurt, nut butter, cottage cheese, and so on.
What is The Best Food For Breakfast?
As you can clearly tell, there is no ‘best food’ to eat, as there are a handful of healthy breakfast foods that can help you get the right amount of soluble fiber (to help lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and keep you full), the correct grams of protein, and enough omega 3 fatty acids to benefit your wellbeing.
Below we will go over quite a few different breakfasts that may be to your liking.
If you have specific dietary preferences, then you can swap out some of these for alternative options, for example, if you don’t like to eat cottage cheese or you can’t process dairy (there goes the Greek yogurt), then you can find plant-based options that still offer up some of the same benefits, just with things taken out so you don’t feel unwell.
Chia Seeds
There is no way that you haven’t heard of this ‘super food’ online or even in person.
Chia seeds are well-known for the healthy fat they have, as well as the fact that they are a great source of fiber.
Just 28 grams of chia seeds offer up 10 grams of soluble fiber, which will help you feel a lot fuller for longer.
What Can You Make With It?
Combining it with regular yogurt or plain Greek yogurt can give you enough protein and fiber to start your day, and if you want to add some healthy fat to that, you can add a nut butter like almond butter or peanut, depending on what your preference is.
Try and go for all-natural with no added salt or sugar so that you are not adding unnecessary calories to your breakfast.
You can also put them on a fruit salad or use them with protein powder to make a morning smoothie.
Whole Grain Toast
If you don’t want to go to elaborate with your morning breakfast, then you may want to opt for whole-grain toast.
It is high in fiber as well as complex carbs, and it won’t raise blood sugar levels and can keep you full so you won’t be snacking as soon as you get to work.
What Can You Have With It?
You can make avocado toast, fried eggs, peanut butter and banana, cottage cheese and strawberries, turkey or chicken, baked beans, or whatever your preference is from a savory breakfast to sweet, you’ll be able to make something delicious.
Most kinds of nut butter are great for quite a lot of breakfasts, as they help with the reduced risk of chronic diseases and will help with weight loss and weight maintenance, so most things for a healthy breakfast can have different types of nut butter in or on.
Green Tea
This is not to say that you should be just drinking green tea for breakfast, you should be combining it with other nutritious foods, but green tea does have a whole lot of benefits for the body first thing in the morning.
It contains caffeine to help you wake up but without the extreme hit of it that you will get with coffee.
It is also an antioxidant that protects against chronic ailments such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and mental decline, so it would be good to use this instead of fruit juice when you wake up.
Oatmeal
A perfect staple in households, oatmeal can provide you with fiber and protein to help you wake up and get ready for the day.
It will help with reducing cholesterol levels because of the beta-glucan, and it has a fullness hormone inside that will prevent you from wanting to eat more which can lead to overeating.
It is a good source of iron, selenium, magnesium, and B vitamins.
What Can You Have With It?
You may want to look at adding fresh berries and other fruits to oatmeal for a vitamin C hit, as well as chia seeds, ground flaxseed, chocolate chips, nut butter, and so on.
There is a lot you can add to oatmeal as it is a very diverse food and the natural taste isn’t overpowering for other foods to be added.
Eggs
They are simple, don’t take too long, and are very nutritious.
They are a wonderful source of protein, and if you add them to whole wheat toast then you are getting the fiber you need to feel full.
Eggs are not too high in calories and can be good for people who want to lose weight without restricting their food intake too much.
What Can You Eat With It?
You can have breakfast sausages, bacon (only sometimes), vegetables, and even fruit with your eggs.
It would be best to have them in a separate bowl, but you never know, the pairing may just be a new thing that you begin to like.
What Are Some Other Foods to Eat in The Morning?
Here are a few other kinds of foods that you can either eat on their own or combine with the food ideas above.
Bananas
They are great as food that you can quickly grab.
They are full of B vitamins and folate which can help with the production of serotonin, helping reduce anxiety and improve mood, so if you feel anxious first thing, then they could benefit your mind as well as your body.
Prunes
Not to everyones liking but they are a brilliant way to get in a good dose of fiber.
They are high in nutrients such as vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, boron, copper, and polyphenols.
They can also support bone health and help menopausal women.
Seeds
Sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, and flax, just like chia seeds are a very good addition to breakfast.
You’ll find many different minerals in these seeds that will be good for your health, from magnesium, iron, calcium, and zinc.
Spinach
Not just for evening meals or to add to salads, you can have spinach for a breakfast food if you know what to pair it with.
You can add it to your eggs, put it in a smoothie, or mix it with grains.
It will help with boosting heart health and can reduce cholesterol as well as keep blood sugar levels low, which can be beneficial to those who have diabetes.
In just half a cup of spinach, there is 64% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin A.
Sweet Potatoes
If you go for one medium-sized sweet potato then you will get 400% of your daily allowance of vitamin A.
It is also rich in beta-carotene which will help with your immunity.
It helps boost digestive health and it can lower LDL cholesterol levels.
You can have this instead of wheat toast if you prefer something with a bit more starch.
Conclusion
After reading through, you should hopefully, now know what the best breakfast foods to eat in the morning are, and how you can use them with your meals.
Getting on the right path to a healthier life takes time and dedication, so you should now know what to get when you next go grocery shopping and you want to steer yourself into something a lot healthier.