There’s a reason that people say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When you’ve been asleep through the night, your body has been in a state of fasting. When you wake, it will need a good hit of fuel and energy to get your day off to the best start possible. Often, people don’t have the opportunity to eat between the morning and lunch either, so breakfast can keep you full for these crucial hours in your routine. Of course, there are plenty of unhealthy breakfast options out there, ranging from sugar loaded cereals to greasy breakfast sandwiches. So, you may be looking for an alternative, healthier choice. Here are just a few that should suit you down to a tee!
- Whole Grain Toast
If you’re looking for a simple and straightforward start to the day, why not consider toast? All too often, people skip breakfast, thinking that they simply don’t have the time to make it before running out of the door or getting started with work and the day’s chores. But breakfast is the most important meal of the day and fuels you for the hours to come, so you really shouldn’t miss it. Making toast only takes a couple of minutes. If possible, choose whole grain bread when making your toast, as this is more nutritionally valuable than white bread. Wholegrain bread contains the original grain kernel (bran, germ, and endosperm), so provide you with necessary dietary fibre, which is great for your digestive system. Plain toast is great with butter or a vegan alternative. If you have more time on your hands, you could try extra toppings, such as avocado, scrambled tofu or baked beans.
2. Pancakes
Whether pancakes are healthy or not lies largely in what you top them with. For the pancakes themselves, you can find an easy pancake recipe available here. When it comes to toppings, rather than chocolate or maple syrup, why not try a variety of fruits, nuts and seed. Berries tend to be particularly delicious and you could add chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and more to complement the meal!
3. Porridge
Porridge is a great breakfast if you have a hectic morning ahead of you, or if you won’t be able to have lunch until later in the afternoon, which will require a lot of slow release energy. Now, you can make porridge in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave. Oat milk tends to be a great milk to use in your oats. The oats themselves generally don’t have added sugar, so avoid adding any extra yourself. When you choose porridge, you get a healthy dose of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, folate, copper, vitamin B5 and much more. When it comes to toppings, opt for healthier choices, such as fresh fruit, dried fruit, seeds, nuts or even spices like cinnamon.
Of course, there are countless other healthy options out there – fruit, yoghurts and yoghurt alternatives or even healthy cooked breakfasts like shakshuka. But hopefully, the options highlighted above will get the ball rolling in the right direction!