What are the elements of a balanced breakfast? In need of inspiration or easy tips for a healthy breakfast? Read our tips below to make the best out of the most important meal of the day!
The most important meal of the day: breakfast!
Whether you love or hate breakfast, you know that the goal of breakfast is to keep you energy in the morning and keep you full until lunch.
What is a balanced breakfast?
Your breakfast is balanced when it's rich in protein and complex carbohydrates. Protein helps to build muscle and keeps you full longer whereas complex carbs fill your belly with fibre, vitamins and slowly digesting ingredients. Also, your breakfast should be low in sugar or include only natural sweeteners.
If you eat full of empty calories cereal, your sugar levels will first go sky high and then crash by 10 AM. That causes low energy and hunger.
Ingredients for a healthy and balanced breakfast:
- Complex carbs: oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat, spelt flour, almond, fruits and berries
- Protein: eggs, nuts, whole milk yogurt and cottage cheese
- Fibre: fruits, vegetables, chia seeds, whole grains and, of course, berries!
- Healthy fat: whole milk products, nuts, coconut oil, avocado and chia seeds
- Low or natural sugar: maple suryp, honey, fruit and berries
5 easy tips for a healthy breakfast
-
A GOOD BREAKFAST IS VERSATILE
As listed above, a good healthy breakfast includes three sources of energy: complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats. A mere omelette or a banana will not keep you full until lunch. However, even a small tuning can make your breakfast more varied: you can finally mix an egg into your oatmeal porridge or add nuts and muesli to your berry yogurt. A balanced breakfast will help you make good choices later in the day as well; it's always good to eat in addition to a simple cup of coffee.
-
A HEALTHY BREAKFAST IS BASED ON DIETARY GUIDELINES
It's always important to think what we eat and where the food comes from. Dietary guidelines advise choosing whole grains instead of white flour and unsweetened yogurts or muesli instead of sugared ones. When you base your breakfast choices mainly on the dietary guidelines, you will already get plenty of vitamins and trace elements in addition to carbohydrates and protein. You also make sure that your diet includes healthy fat and fibre.
-
A COLOURFUL BREAKFAST HELPS TO WAKE UP THE BODY
For an adult, the recommended daily amount of vegetables, berries and fruits is half a kilo, or about 5-6 servings. It's recommended that about half of this quantity is berries and fruits, with the other half consisting of roots and vegetables.
The best way to meet the recommended target of vegetables, berries and fruits is when you start eating them immediately in the morning. Fruits, berries and dried berries can be eaten as they are or mixed with a porridge or a yogurt, or in a smoothie.
Berry powders are also a quick and effortless healthy choice for breakfast, while their colour is a delight to the eye.
-
PLANNING + ROUTINES = QUICK, HEALTHY BREAKFAST
Breakfast is generally a routine that repeats itself from one morning to another. At least from Monday to Friday. Routines make mornings easy and quick when you don’t have to think about every move and choice. Also in this sense, breakfast is a great place for healthy choices: when you make good choices every morning, you make sure your body gets off to a good start to the new day.
If you have no time in the morning, prepare your porridge the night before! You can then even grab your fresh porridge in a glass jar to the office with you!
-
A GOOD HEALTHY BREAKFAST WILL CHEER YOU UP
Think what is important to you in a good breakfast? Do you want the perfect coffee, a beautifully assembled portion of porridge, smoothie or fresh bread? Do you want to enjoy breakfast on the go, read a magazine in peace or check the latest news? Identify what makes your morning the best possible start to the day, and make it the core of your routine.
Morning sets the direction for the whole day and therefore your breakfast mood matters. When you treat yourself to a healthy breakfast your body and mind will be ready for the day's challenges!
A quick checklist for a good, healthy and balanced breakfast:
- Remember the triad: complex carbs, proteins and healthy fats
- Choose according to dietary guidelines: whole grains and healthy fats
- Add colour: berries, dried berries, berry powder, fruits and vegetables
- Create easy routines
- Enjoy and delight yourself
Includes original text by Biokia and ifoodreal. Adapted freely.