Our Nutritionist is always stressing to us how important the first meal of the day is. Not only does a good breakfast fuel you up till lunch, but feeling satisfied with the RIGHT stuff means you’re much less likely to make poor choices and snack on junk mid-morning!
Healthy breakfast 1: Porridge and berries
Use oats and skimmed milk to make your porridge, then add any berries such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries and honey. This is a great healthy breakfast to start the day as the oats have a low GI (Glycaemic Index) this tells us that oats do not raise the blood glucose level very quickly, which is good as it canhelp stabilise the appetite. Just go easy on the honey!
Healthy breakfast 2: Beans on toast
Beans (whether they are just ordinary baked beans or kidney, borlotti or black eyed beans) also have a low GI like oats. They are full of soluble fibre, which helps keep you full for longer and can therefore help you manage your weight. Serve the beans on Granary™ toast and pass on the butter; a great, low-fat breakfast.
Healthy breakfast 3: Bagel with reduced fat cream cheese and smoked salmon
Bagels are high in starchy carbohydrates, which help kick start the body into action for the day after a fast of at least eight to 10 hours. The smoked salmon provides the body with omega-3 fat which is essential for the body. Many of us eat far too much saturated fat (which is bad for us) and not enough omega-3 fat that is vital for our health.
Healthy breakfast 4: Fruit and yogurt
Try adding your favourite fruit to a small pot of low-fat or diet yogurt for a healthy breakfast. A small pot of yogurt counts as one of your three portions per day of dairy foods, essential for the teeth and bones.
Healthy breakfast 5: Bacon, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms and toast
For those of you who can’t resist a cooked breakfast at the weekends try this. It really is a healthy twist on a traditional fried breakfast. Grill the bacon, tomatoes and large, flat field mushrooms – there you go, a healthy cooked breakfast!
Healthy breakfast 6: Crumpets and fruit spread
Crumpets are a starchy food (they should be the basis of every meal). The only problem with crumpets is the tendency to add lots of butter to them. Try a fruit spread, a great way to top them without adding all the calories and fat in butter.
Healthy breakfast 7: Muesli and soya milk or low-fat milk
Swiss-style muesli has milk powder added to it, which increases the calcium content of this healthy breakfast cereal. Add calcium-enriched soya milk or semi-skimmed milk and you have a bone-friendly breakfast!
Healthy breakfast 8: Pure fruit juice and iron-fortified breakfast cereal
Next time you are in the cereal aisle at the supermarket, spare a few minutes to check out the labelling on the packets. Not all cereals are equal when it comes to the vitamins and minerals that are added to them. Iron is a mineral that is added to many healthy cereals such as sultana bran or bran flakes. Also drink a glass of pure fruit juice such as orange or grapefruit as the vitamin C that the juice contains helps your body to absorb the iron more easily.
Healthy breakfast 9: Smoothie
If you really can’t face breakfast try to have a smoothie instead. If you fancy trying to make one yourself (easy if you have a hand blender) then fruits such as berries, apples and bananas are great with some milk. All those antioxidant vitamins in the fruit help boost your immunity and make for a great healthy breakfast.
Healthy breakfast 10: Scrambled or poached egg on Granary Toast
Eggs are not bad for us! It is what you do with them that can make them bad. Poaching or scrambling eggs with a little milk is a good way to incorporate them into your diet — they provide valuable protein. Scrambled eggs on toast is a much better healthy breakfast choice over a fried egg sandwich.
Here at Boost Wellbeing – Hands On Health UK, we know how important healthy eating and good nutrition is. We offer workshops, market stall sessions, one-to-one consultations and factsheets with qualified Nutritionists. Why not drop us a line to see how we can help you!
Boost Wellbeing – Hands on Health UK is an expert, therapist-led organisation helping your business to be more energetic, happy and productive.
Want to know more about how we can make your office a happy and healthy place to be? Call on 0800 368 9079, or email [email protected]