Building a Better Breakfast

I’ve heard all the excuses for skipping breakfast in the morning.  “I don’t have enough time.”  “I can’t eat first thing after waking up.”  “All I need is a cup of coffee to get me going.”  Make all the excuses you want, but when 3:00 pm rolls around those same people are lined up at the vending machine because they are starving!  If this seems familiar, you're not alone!

But here's the deal, as cliché as it may sound, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Research continues to show that skipping breakfast causes us to be tired and irritable.  What is even more alarming is that skipping breakfast is strongly linked to the development of obesity!  Multiple studies show that overweight and obese adults and children are less likely to eat breakfast than their thinner peers.  When we skip breakfast, we are more likely to eat more food than usual at our next meal or munch on high-calorie snacks to fend off the hunger!

Ok, so I’ve convinced you to start eating breakfast – hooray!  But now you’re probably wondering what to eat.  I suggest foods that are high in protein and fiber because those nutrients tend to keep us satiated, or feeling fuller, longer.  Sorry, but cinnamon rolls, muffins and fruit loops won’t cut it!  You’ll most likely end up crashing mid-morning and be more likely to over-indulge at lunch.  This does not mean however, that you need to exclude carbohydrates from breakfast completely, but just make sure they are 100% whole grains, high in fiber and accompanied by a good protein source.

Here are a few examples of my go-to breakfasts that are high in protein and fiber and take less than 5 minutes to make!



1.       A two egg veggie omelet with one slice of 100% whole wheat toast.  I like to use mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach in mine.

2.       One serving of old-fashioned oatmeal.  Add 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, 1 apple chopped, 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.

3.       A smoothie made of 6 oz of Greek yogurt, 6 oz of milk (I use soy milk), 1 banana, ½ cup of blueberries and 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed.

4.       Dinner leftovers also can be used for breakfast, a concept my friend and fellow RD, Tera Naset, introduced me to.  Who says you can’t have chicken and broccoli for breakfast, right?  Or, add those leftover proteins to your omelet!

Try it out for yourself and take my breakfast challenge!  Eat a low-protein, high carbohydrate breakfast, such as pancakes every morning for a week.  At the end of each day, record how you felt (tired, happy, hungry) and what you ate for the rest of the day.  The next week, eat one of my packed breakfast suggestions above, or one of your own high-protein recipes and record the same.   Let me know your results!

Healthfully Yours,

Meghan