The next time you rush out the door in the morning without something
to eat, consider this: Skipping breakfast can set you up for overeating
later in the day. A healthy a.m. meal, on the other hand, can give you
energy, satisfy your appetite, and set the stage for smart decisions all
day long.
"You want to aim for a breakfast that combines good
carbs and fiber with some protein," says Erica Giovinazzo, MS, RD, a
nutritionist at Clay Health Club and Spa, in New York City. Luckily,
your options are plenty. Here's a look at some of our favorite breakfast
foods, along with expert tips for making them even healthier.
Oatmeal
You may have noticed a heart-shaped seal on your box of oatmeal
recently. The seal's there because oats contain beta-glucan, a type of
fiber that's been shown to help lower cholesterol when eaten regularly.
Need another reason to dig in? Oats are also rich in
omega-3 fatty acids,
folate, and
potassium.
Steel-cut
oats, which take about 15 minutes to cook, contain more fiber than
rolled oats or instant varieties, but any type of oatmeal is a healthy
choice. Just avoid the flavored kinds, which can be packed with sugar.
Instead, sweeten your bowl with milk and a bit of honey, and top with
fruit and nuts.
Greek yogurt
This tangy, creamy yogurt is loaded with
calcium
and boasts plenty of protein—nearly twice as much as regular yogurt—to
keep you feeling full throughout the morning. Your best bet: Choose a
plain, nonfat variety, and add some fruit to give it some sweetness and
flavor (and a dose of added nutrition).
"I love Greek yogurt
because it's really quick and easy," Giovinazzo says. "You can always
take it with you on your way out the door."
A little wheat germ goes a long way. Just two tablespoons provides about 15% of your recommended daily intake of
vitamin E
and 10% of your daily folate. "Vitamin E is often a little low in
people's diets, so this is a good way to add in some extra—especially if
you don't eat a lot of nuts or seeds, two other big sources,"
Giovinazzo says.
It's easy to incorporate wheat germ into almost
any meal, including your go-to breakfasts: Sprinkle it over cereal, stir
it into yogurt, or mix it into a
smoothie.
Trying to lose weight? According to one
study,
eating half a grapefruit before each meal may help you slim down
faster, thanks to the fruit's fat-burning properties and its beneficial
effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. Grapefruit is also hydrating,
filling, and packed with immunity-boosting antioxidants.
For a
well-rounded breakfast, pair it with protein—such as yogurt or an egg,
Giovinazzo suggests. But check with your doctor first if you take any
medications, as grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interfere with some
prescription drugs.
There's nothing like a banana at breakfast to keep those mid-morning
cravings at bay. The yellow fruit—especially when they're still a touch
green—are one of the best sources of
resistant starch, a healthy carbohydrate that keeps you feeling fuller longer.
"Slice
it up and add it to cereal or oatmeal," Giovinazzo suggests. "It will
add natural sweetness, so you may not need additional sugar."
Thanks to a healthy dose of
potassium, an electrolyte that helps
lower blood pressure naturally, bananas are a particularly good choice for people with hypertension.
These incredible edibles have made quite a comeback in recent years.
Once shunned for being high in dietary cholesterol (one yolk contains
about 60% of your daily allotment), eggs are now embraced as a healthy
source of protein and nutrients like
vitamin D.
Why the turnabout? Research has shown that the cholesterol in our food
has less of an impact on blood cholesterol than previously thought.
"If,
overall, you're choosing lean proteins and not eating a ton of fat and
cholesterol, then eggs are a great thing to have in your diet," says
Giovinazzo. The American Heart Association
recommends that people with normal cholesterol limit their cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams per day.
Don't eat eggs or dairy? Almond butter is an excellent alternate
source of protein, and it's filled with monounsaturated fat (one of the
good fats). Plus, as Giovinazzo points out, "it's really delicious spread on whole grain bread or paired with a banana or an apple."
Nutritionally,
almond butter is comparable to peanut butter, and they each have about
100 calories per tablespoon. Almond butter contains slightly less
saturated fat, though—a definite point in its favor, even for people who
aren't allergic to peanuts.
As its name suggests, watermelon is an excellent way to hydrate in
the morning. What's less well known is this juicy fruit is among the
best sources of
lycopene—a nutrient found in red fruits and vegetables that's important for vision, heart health, and cancer prevention.
Best of all, watermelon contains just 40 calories per cup, landing it on lists of so-called
negative-calorie foods
that supposedly burn more calories during digestion than they add in.
(Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that, but that's no reason
to not eat watermelon!)
Sprinkling ground flaxseed into a smoothie or bowl of cereal will turn your breakfast into a gold mine of
omega-3 fatty acids;
just two tablespoons contains more than 100% of your recommended daily
intake for those heart-healthy fats. Flaxseed, which has a nutty flavor,
also is rich in fiber and lignan, an antioxidant that's been shown to
protect against breast cancer.
A word of caution: Whole flaxseeds
will pass through your body without being digested, so be sure to buy
them ground or grind them yourself with a coffee or spice grinder.
Fresh or frozen, these tiny
superfruits
pack a big antioxidant punch. Or better yet, a flurry of punches:
Studies suggest that eating blueberries regularly can help improve
everything from memory and motor skills to blood pressure and
metabolism. (Wild blueberries, in particular, have one of the highest
concentrations of the powerful antioxidants known as anthocyanins.)
Blueberries
are also lower in calories than a lot of other fruits (they contain
just 80 per cup), so you can pile them onto your cereal without worrying
about your waistline.
"Berries are superfoods because they're so high in antioxidants
without being high in calories," Giovinazzo says. One cup of
strawberries, for instance, contains your full recommended daily intake
of vitamin C, along with high quantities of folic acid and fiber.
Strawberries are good for your ticker, too. A 2013
study
found that women were less likely to have a heart attack over an
18-year period if they ate more than three servings of strawberries or
blueberries per week. (Strawberries, like blueberries, are a good source
of anthocyanins.)
That espresso doesn't just wake you up. Coffee drinking has been
linked to a lower risk of several diseases (such as diabetes and
prostate cancer), and it
may even help you live longer.
Researchers suspect the combination of caffeine and antioxidants are
responsible for many of the observed health benefits. (A 2005
study found that coffee is the number-one source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet, believe it or not.)
Of
course, loading coffee up with cream and sugar may erase any potential
benefits. So skip the fancy flavored drinks, and stick with skim milk.
Not a coffee person? Tea has a pretty impressive résumé of
health benefits,
too. Because it has less caffeine, it hydrates you more effectively
than coffee, and it's also a rich source of the immunity-boosting
antioxidants known as catechins.
All tea (black, green, or white)
provides antioxidants, but green tea may be healthiest of all. Research
suggests that drinking five cups a day can increase your body's
metabolism and help you lose more weight around the middle.
