There are a ton of arguments one way or another around the concept of breakfast. To eat breakfast or not to eat breakfast? To eat protein or carbs for breakfast? To eat breakfast before or after you workout? While there are valid arguments on both sides, I’d like to just focus here on healthy breakfast meals that actually taste good!
Breakfast is the meal the “breaks” your “fast”… so basically, it’s just the first meal of the day. It doesn’t matter what time you eat it (for my purposes here). As I think about the typical American breakfast, this is what comes to mind: pancakes/waffles/french toast with syrup and toppings (sugar and carbs), toast (carbs), muffins/cookies/pastries (sugar and carbs), cereal (sugar and carbs), hash browns (starch), fruit (sugar), and finally eggs and bacon (protein – yay!).
Do you see the common theme, though? We are eating so many carbohydrates and sugar as our first meal of the day – no wonder why we as a people are so tired all of the time! Carbs and sugar increase your blood sugar levels, no matter how complex the carb is or how natural the sugar is. The quicker your blood sugar rises, the quicker it will drop. Low blood sugar can cause sleepiness, drowsiness and other symptoms.
Eating protein and healthy fat for your first meal with help sustain your hunger and energy for a longer period of time. Incorporating vegetables at every meal (including breakfast) is also a good habit to get into.
In general, here are some of my favorite healthy breakfast ideas:
- scrambled eggs – start with eggs, obviously, and then add whatever fillings you love like bacon bits, onion, and peppers. I put my scrambled eggs on a bed of spinach with 1/2 an avocado on top. Yum.
- breakfast hash – you can really make this your own too by adding whatever you’d like in it. I like to start with sweet potatoes, ground turkey, kale, and onion. Here is a good recipe for one I love to meal prep.
- smoothies – also very versatile to what you like. I start with almond milk and add protein powder, flax seed, kale, and blueberries.
If you are someone who likes to follow a recipe, I’ve compiled a few here:
- Healthy Veggie Egg Scramble
- Spinach, Bacon and Feta Egg Bake
- Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
- Coffee Protein Smoothie
Bottom line is that you can be very creative with what you have for breakfast. Just make sure you are getting more protein and healthy fat than a bunch of sugary items.