What Should You Eat For Breakfast?
The short answer to this question is ‘anything you like’. Of course, that will depend on what your goals are though. If, for example you are going to be exercising that morning then a breakfast that is fairly heavy in carbs is usually a good idea, seeing as your muscles need carbs to fuel contraction.
But, for most other people any breakfast that leaves you feeling full enough to not succumb to the mid-morning snack attack is the goal, and should ultimately have a good source of protein, be nutrient rich, and have a good balance of carbs and fats in it.
How do you ensure that a meal is satiating and balanced?
First of all, it needs to be big enough to fill you up and by that I mean calorie and nutrient dense enough to leave you nourished and satiated. A bowl of cornflakes isn’t going to cut it, that barely touches the sides and is a meal largely carb based and nothing else.
The most satiating macronutrient is protein, so your breakfast, like all your other main meals should contain a meaningful serving of protein. The second most satiating macronutrient is fibre. Which, of course is mostly found in complex carbs like oats, wholemeal bread or root vegetables.
The easy combination for breakfast then, is eggs on toast. 3-4 eggs would offer plenty of protein (and essential fatty acids) while a piece of wholemeal bread is packed full of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are important so if you follow that with an apple or similar you have hit all your nutritional needs including, one of your 5-a-day.
That said, you could literally eat anything for breakfast. You could have steak and green beans, or chicken curry, or a bowl of overnight oats with added protein, maybe a Greek yoghurt with fruit, or some oatmeal with nuts on made with whole milk.
It’s easy to overthink these things and I want you to make your lifestyle as simple and easy to understand as possible, because the simpler and easier it is, the more adherent you will be, consistency matters more than any radical nutritional ideas about insulin secretion or apoptosis.
Most peoples breakfasts on the whole are very carbohydrate dense and lack nutritional density and protein, so if we simply look to boarded the nutrition within the meal, and think about protein, you won’t be far off. Some great examples of healthy breakfast ideas are:
Overnight oats (learn more about overnight oats HERE)
Eggs on toast
Yogurt, fruit and nuts
Mixed muesli with whole milk
Avocado and ham on toast
Eatlean cheese on toast with a side of fruit
Are all solid options for a meal, and have a good balance to them.
So, what are you having for breakfast tomorrow? I’m having eggs on toast with a side of fruit, or actually a might have some overnight oats, ah the choices…!
