I got a text message this morning from a good friend asking me what he should eat for a healthy breakfast. His current breakfast consisted of Greek yogurt, 32oz of water with lemon and some chia seeds. While eating something for breakfast is better than no breakfast at all, this light breakfast is probably not nearly enough calories for breakfast.
The guidelines for each meal from ChooseMyPlate.gov outline that half your meal should be fruits and veggies, half whole grains, a lean protein, and low fat dairy. It can be a struggle to fit these requirements in if we tend to eat on-the-go, but it can be done. Here are a few suggestions for each category:
Fruits & Veggies:
Banana, apple, an orange, or grapefruit are all good options for breakfast. It you want to combine your dairy with fruit, I like to put mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries – you can get a frozen bag of mixed berries at the grocery store) into low fat Greek yogurt. For veggies, mix peppers and onions into an egg omelet.
Whole grains:
Whole wheat toast, whole wheat tortillas, steel cut oats, and yellow grits are all good options for a whole grain choice.
Lean proteins:
Eggs always come to the top of the list. One whole egg only costs about 15 cents and is packed with protein. While eggs whites are lower calorie and high protein, one whole egg a day in most people will not significantly raise cholesterol. Try one whole egg with 3 egg whites in an omelet.
Dairy:
Lowfat Greek yogurt, low fat milk (1% or less), low fat cheese like mozzarella are all good choices.
You can mix and match these options to come up with a meal that works for you for breakfast. As I mentioned above, try combining these items into a meal, such as fruit into yogurt and peppers into eggs. Below is good recipe for a breakfast burrito you can eat on the go. Note: this recipe yields 4 servings. Click here to view the nutrients and calories per serving.
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