We've all heard the saying right? 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day' well they aren't wrong. Eating a healthy breakfast is not only great for waking you up and filling you with energy, but it also keeps you healthy through out the day! How? Waking up to fulfilling first meal of the day gives you the kick start you need to stop that sluggish feeling you get when you first wake up. After eating your meal within an hour of waking up, your cravings for sugary foods full of fat are significantly reduced, allowing you to avoid calorific snacking and maintain weight control and often resulting in weight loss. This skipping of snacks around mid day, keeps you from giving into temptation and allowing you to stay healthy. If you are feeling peckish around 11am, drink plenty of water until around 12-1pm and enjoy an orange, banana and apple. Not only will you be having three of your five a day, but you will be filling your body with lots of nutrients to keep you happy until dinner between 6 and 8pm.
So not only will having breakfast make you more awake and alert, but it will help with your overall happiness. No guilt from eating unhealthy foods and you will be more focused! Win win right?
I will admit I NEVER used to eat breakfast, which stupidly I thought made me healthier because I was eating less, so I thought it was less fat going into my body (I know I was naive) but when I forced myself into eating cereal every morning I found so many amazing benefits such as actually being able to wake up when my alarm went off, feeling alert all day, not wanting to eat so much food, wanting to wake up and enjoy breakfast and overall my skin and figure has improved!
For a healthy way to start the day, read more below.
Bored of eating the same thing everyday? Try these healthy breakfast ideas to get you going in the mornings... and adapt them to your routine as you like them!
Monday - The start to the week can often leave people feeling fed up and often wanting to skip the first meal of the week, so try a hot meal to warm your appetite. How about some hot porridge oats topped with bananas and honey to sweeten the meal? This low fat breakfast is packed with essential minerals that helps your body strengthen bones and build connective tissue as well as natural growth, reproduction and sexual development from the natural zinc contents. All of which add up to boosting a healthy immune system. Topping your bowl of porridge with bananas will lead to a happier day, not only do bananas help symptoms of depression but they compliment porridge's ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, aid in digestion, prevention of cancers and stabilizing blood sugars to curb cravings and aid weight loss! The delicious honey (add if you want to) is a healthy alternative to processed sugar which lack the amazing vitamins naturally contained from honey bees. Honey contains vitamin B6 and some of the same minerals as porridge such as manganese and zinc! These healthy healthy ingredients add extra energy from being a natural carbohydrate, working together with the banana to fight fatigue, muscle cramps, improve activity levels, endurance and performance, which makes it perfect before and/or after a work out!
Tuesday - If you're not in the mood for something as stodgy as oats, how about opting for a bowl of low fat natural yogurt with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries! The yogurt is not only low in calories but natural yogurt has plenty of beneficial nutrients and probiotics to help your overall health with the calcium, protein and amino acids needed for building and sustaining muscle tissue. As well as helping the correct function of muscles and nerves, natural yogurt contains potassium which compliments muscle development and balances the electrolytes in your body to maintain electrical activity in the heart. Strawberries with your yogurt is a brilliant way to add Vitamin C and other antioxidants which is an easy way to build your immunity and promote eye health from strengthening your retina and cornea. Strawberries are not the only anti ageing tool in this healthy breakfast, the blueberries included contain additional antioxidants that too help prevent wrinkles but also help burn fat by activating a gene that helps produce a flatter stomach. Not bad right? The raspberries are also brilliant weight loss aid from their low calorie and high fiber content. Packed too with Vitamin C to help fight off cancers, the antixoxidant enriched berry is another source of manganese and a vital part of a healthy diet.
Wednesday - Mid week meal for an early morning calls for a lazy breakfast, although bread shouldn't be a staple in your diet a slice of wholemeal seeded toast with a low fat light spread is an easy way to eat B and E Vitamins with lots of fiber. Make sure it's 100% wholegrain with seeds and grains inside the bread, not just on top. Watch out for labels that says 'made with whole grains' or 'multi-grains' which is a code for a bread that's not 100% wholegrain, as well as this beware of 'wheat flour' which is a translation for white flour, a substance you want to avoid when choosing bread. Bread can for some leaving the illusion of still being hungry by satisfying cravings and adding new ones, so eat an orange after your toast. If you are unable to process bread try a bowl of bran flakes with skimmed milk, a delicious, low calorie breakfast that has plenty of fiber to get you through your day.
Thursday - Another bowl of cereal for another weekday, this time try a muesli with a heaped topping of raisins, a naturally fantastic way to protect your eyes, treat infections and sickness, and cancers. Raisins are full of calcium which helps strengthen and enhance the formation of bones and teeth. They are naturally sweet so instead of fixing an early sugar craving with artificial sugars, eating raisins for breakfast is a helpful way to prevent cavities, bacterial growth that can lead to mouth problems and tooth decay, bet your dentist didn't tell you that! This is a handy breakfast for those who are anemic as the topping that's rich in fiber to aid digestion also has lots of iron and copper to promote the formation of red blood cells and stop clots during the healing of cuts and wounds.So if you have an iron deficiency in your body this is a perfect way to balance your body. So eat this healthy breakfast cereal but make sure it's a natural recipe as some labels may actually be selling you a sugary lookalike without the oats, nuts, seeds, oat flakes and dried fruit which is what gives muesli it's antioxidants, protein, calcium, fiber and great taste.
Friday - Almost the end of the week! Celebrate your healthy lifestyle with a mixture of oats, low fat natural yogurt, raisins, banana slices and blue berries for a super sweet start to the day full of vitamins and minerals to keep you going strong. This substantial breakfast is a lovely mix of high potassium and low salt from the bananas, which also contain friendly digestive enzymes that allow nutrients to be absorbed efficiently. Allow your memory to be improved from the antioxidant fueled blueberries! For maximum concentrate eat organically, as they are infused with more vitamins that convenience grown blueberries. The oats will keep you full til lunchtime which is great for those dieters trying to avoid the mid-morning binge on convince food, packaged with high amounts of sodium and fat. They also help those with dry, itchy, sensitive or irritable skin and are a perfect choice for those suffering with diabetes. Raisins are low in fat but still tasty and still safe for those who suffer from diabetes, stabilizing sugar levels to prevent over eating and health complications. The low fat yogurt mixing it all together is a sure way to keep you feeling full.
Saturday - A weekend sized breakfast of two boiled eggs to start you off in the right way. Eggs should be a part of everyone's diet as they are deliciously yummy but also eggstremely healthy (please laugh here) with only 80 calories in a medium sized egg, you can enjoy without guilt. Rich in Vitamin D and B12 an antioxidants that are needed for all ages to keep up healthy growth and development. Not only are they a rich source of protein, they can also help prevent macular dengeraton, which is a leading age-related cause of blindness. Not only are they superb for your eyes, but your hair growth can be improved too! Those who eat eggs regularly will find themselves with thicker, stronger hair and nails. If breast cancer runs in your family, eating eggs is a good way to lower your risks, by eating around six a week, the chances of getting the cancer is significantly reduced by almost half. Two of these boiled beauties is a lovely way to start your Saturday!
Sunday - The last day of the week can be fueled with fiber and calcium provided from Vitamin C and E enriched kiwis. Kiwis have essential minerals such as iron, potassium, magnesium which help your energy, hair, teeth, skin and nail conditions. Eat two kiwis with a fruit salad to add lots of helping hands to your morning. Included cherries, grapes, two apples and a peach to your fruit salad for the ultimate health kick. A booster in melatonin, cherries contain this naturally occuring hormone that promotes a good night sleep for those who suffer insomnia or are a light/troubled sleeper. A good nights sleep helps improve your skin, and cherries are a natural source of Vitamin A which is a vitamin that beautifies the skin. They also help muscle or joint pain from the soothing benefits of anthocyanins (the red colouring) that can also be found in grapes which inhibit enzymes linked to inflammation. Not only do cherries compliment grapes, but being part of the stone family, they also work well with peaches. Grapes are great for those with a low immune system from Vitamins A, C and K and contain high amounts of cancer prevention properties, so for women who are worried about the risks of breast cancer, again this fruit is an easy way to eat your way to symptom prevention. These tiny health helpers can help those with alzheimer's, kidney problems, asthma, low bone strength and migraines! For those suffering constipation or indigestion grapes relieve irritation and can be used as a natural laxative, without leaving bloating as they are known to be a 'light food'. Peaches are rich in vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and fiber making them a perfect ingredient to any fruit salad. They are much more effective as a snack as well as they are an amazing way to manage weight. With no fat and the average peach being roughly 68 calories, the naturally sweet fruit is great for weight loss because it can stop temptation from fattening and sugary snacks.
So there's a weeks worth of healthy morning meals to reduce hunger later in the day, avoid over eating for a quick fix and lower fat storage. These vitamin and mineral enriched breakfasts are perfect for increasing physical activity during the day from the refuel of glycogen, replenishing the muscles stored energy. Trying these ideas will help those struggling with healthy choices, as those who don't eat breakfast make unhealthy choices by avoiding fruits and vegetables for foods with a high amount of calories and processed ingredients.
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