OPINION – Here are some great basic principles to build a healthy breakfast. It is important to take into consideration what works best for you and your body. For instance if you are lactose intolerant forget the dairy and supplement almond milk or almond butter. Or if your goal is to become a vegan and you want to begin to remove all meat from your diet, try tofu for breakfast or a vegan breakfast patty that you can get from the health food store.
- Learn the basic principles of good nutrition. Focus on consuming a diet that is based on whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. It is also important to include some low-fat dairy products, fish, lean meats, and healthful oils into your diet. Limit the amount of less-than-healthful foods you consume. “Try to keep foods that don’t fit neatly into any these categories, such as processed snack foods and sweets, to a minimum,” says Adams.
- Make gradual changes. You don’t have to overhaul your diet all at once. taking small, gradual steps over time to improve your diet and lifestyle can do wonders for your overall health.
- Focus on variety. You should get a good mix of foods from the basic food groups for your breakfast. Try grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk, and meat and beans. For instance, sauteed vegetables in olive oil with black beans in a wheat tortilla; add a side of fruit with milk or almond milk. Makes a great breakfast!
- Think moderation. It is not necessary to deprive yourself of the foods you love, even if they aren’t the most healthful. Instead, just limit foods that contain more added sugars and solid fats, and make sure the majority of the foods you eat are the healthful ones.
- Limit processed foods. Reduce their intake of processed foods, and instead focus on consuming more whole foods. A good way to get rid of processed foods in your diet is to remove those foods that have lengthy ingredient labels, especially those labels that have ingredients that are difficult to pronounce. Read you average breakfast bar label. You will find that while the bar may be rich in fortified nutrients it also contains a lot of additives, preservatives and very little fiber. You would be much better off eating and apple and almonds for a quick breakfast.
- Minimize white foods. Eat fewer “whites” — white bread, white sugar, and white rice — and instead select more whole-grain foods — whole wheat breads and pasta and brown rice, which are naturally more complete in nutrients and contain more fiber.
- Load up on fruits and vegetables. Include fruits and vegetables at every meal – even breakfast! One of the best breakfast you can have is spinach omelette with strawberries and bananas on the side. Having a green smoothie is excellent for breakfast. Try almond milk, spinach, blueberries,flaxseed and ice in a blender. Blend for about two minutes and you have a refreshing and nutritious breakfast drink. Be careful when drinking fruit juice it is high in sugar.