Break out of Breakfast's Mold

Posted by AMelane in breakfast, foods, nutrition, wellness

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Everyone know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day right???????

But a lot of people rarely eat breakfast. it could be because of lack of time, but mainly lack of preparation. Not only does breakfast give you fuel to sustain your day, it can also help with any weight loss goals. Here are some of the ways regularly eating a healthy breakfast may help you lose excess weight and maintain your weight loss:

Eating breakfast reduces your hunger later in the day, making it easier to avoid overeating. When you skip breakfast, you may feel ravenous later and be tempted to reach for a quick fix, such as candy from the vending machine. In addition, prolonged fasting — which occurs when you skip breakfast — can increase your body's insulin response, which in turn increases fat storage and weight gain. In fact, skipping breakfast actually increases your risk of obesity.

Eating breakfast gets you on track to make healthy choices all day. People who eat breakfast regularly tend to eat a healthier diet — one that is more nutritious and lower in fat. When you skip breakfast, you're more likely to skip fruits and vegetables the rest of the day too.

Eating breakfast gives you energy, increasing your physical activity during the day. A healthy breakfast refuels your body and replenishes the glycogen stores that supply blood sugar (glucose). Skipping breakfast is associated with decreased physical activity.

Breakfast does not have to be traditional foods every day. It can be anything from waffles to a sandwich. It’s always a good idea to have quick0fix foods on hand or get breakfast foods ready the night before. If you’re running late grab some yogurt, a bagel with peanut butter or some cheese and crackers. Here are some good nutritious quick breakfast ideas:

· Fruit and milk with instant oatmeal
· Iron-fortified cereal with banana slices
· Peanut butter on toasted whole-grain bread, waffle, or tortilla
· Cheese slices melted on whole-grain toast
· Hard-boiled egg sliced on an English muffin
· Apple and cheese slices between whole wheat or graham crackers
· Bran muffin and yogurt topped with berries
· Whole-wheat waffle topped with fruit, nuts and ricotta cheese
Also you can try some of these ideas when you have a little more time:
· Add berries or other fruit to pancake batter. Also try grated/pureed carrots or zucchini work well too
· Try bagel with salsa
· Broil a bagel topped with apple or pear slices, sprinkled with cinnamon and low fat cheese
· Try using mashed avocado as a spread on bread
· Try raw vegetable with a cottage cheese or yogurt dip
· Add diced vegetables to a soft tortilla to make a breakfast quesadilla or burrito
· Add diced vegetables to an English muffin to make a veggie pizza
· Bake or steam an apple or pear
Try these recipes…they work great with kids too

Banana Dog or burrito

Whole wheat bun or tortilla, peanut butter, flax seed, banana, and jam
Spread peanut butter on bun or tortilla, sprinkle with flax seed, topped with a whole banana and a little jam on top.

Ready-To-Go Smoothie

Fruit, yogurt, Ziploc bags, milk, and juice
Measure ½ cup of your favorite fruit and ½ cup of yogurt, and spoon into an individual Ziploc bag. Place in the freezer. The next morning grab a bag, put it in a blender with ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of juice and blend until smooth.
A few fruit combos to try are: bananas and blueberries, banana yogurt and pineapple-orange-banana juice; strawberries and bananas with strawberry yogurt and orange juice; or raspberries and blueberries with vanilla yogurt and cranberry juice.