Start Your Day a Fun New Breakfast Way
Breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day for Americans. However, many people feel they don’t have the time to fit in a meal because they are rushing to go to work or school in the morning. Every excuse to eating a nutritious breakfast has a solution! Do not let the following excuses stand in your way of starting your day with a good breakfast. Think of breakfast as your body’s morning refueling stop to get your day going the right way!
Solutions to Common Breakfast Excuses
“I’m not hungry in the morning”: When people claim they are not hungry in the morning, it is usually because they have trained their body to ignore hunger signals in the AM. This tends to result in being starving later in the day, and therefore overeating. A good idea would be to reintroduce breakfast slowly so your body can learn to tune in to hunger signals, and see how satiating breakfast can be. Start your day with a combination of high fiber carbohydrates and lean protein to keep you feeling fuller longer.
“I don’t have enough time in the morning”: Unfortunately life these days can get very busy. The key however is to think ahead, and prepare your kitchen in advance. Try stocking your kitchen with easy-to-prepare foods such as breakfast cereals and instant oatmeal. These are two great options as long as they are low in added sugars and high in fiber. Fresh fruit and nuts with Greek yogurt is another great option that you can even prepare the night before and put in the refrigerator so you can “grab-and-go” in the morning.
“I’ll gain weight if I start eating in the morning”: A lot of times, especially if a special event is occurring later in the day, people decide to skip breakfast to “save their calories for later”. This is NOT a smart eating strategy. Skipping breakfast has been shown to lead to overeating at snack time or the next meal. If you starve yourself until later in the day, you increase the likelihood that you will eat mindlessly, and you will make poorer food choices when the next meal time arrives. A well balanced breakfast will start your day off right and keep you satisfied until your next meal or snack.
“Breakfast foods are unhealthy”: This is simply not true! Yes, if you choose to eat a frosted donut, baked good, high sugar cereal, or fried eggs and bacon, your choices are not the best. But there are many healthy options available to start your day. Breakfast can be a great time to work in your fruit and vegetable servings. Add fruits to oatmeal, plain cereal, and yogurt, or fill your egg white omelet with colorful vegetables. Try some whole grain toast with almond butter or a whole grain waffle topped with berries. Make your breakfast choices work for you not against you! You’ll be happy you did!
Use these solutions and tips to start your day the healthy way! You will become a morning person in no time!
What do you enjoy eating for breakfast?
I’m wondering if not eating cereal is the way to go for breakfast? To many carbs that turn to sugar… (fat), but you cant eat eggs everyday either. Have you read the Sonoman Diet? I heard it is like the South Beach Diet… cut the carbs out at first, then slowly reintro some of them. At any rate, cutting carbs is not an easy thing. What suggestion might you have on a breakfast that is quick, but has enough protein to hold one over until lunch?
Hi Kate, I am just seeing your comment/question now. There is so much spam I have to sort through. A solid foundation to a healthy breakfast would include 3 food groups. I do suggest protein as one of those groups for the “staying power” that it provides. You’re right, one wouldn’t want to eat eggs every morning, but you could substitute with egg whites if you are worried about the cholesterol. Another great protein source for breakfast is cottage cheese. Spread some on a whole wheat English muffin, sprinkle some cinnamon and heat in toaster oven. Delicious. You may also want to try Greek nonfat yogurt which is rich in protein. Add some fresh berries and high fiber cereal for crunch!