About Healthy Breakfast: Know more
What is a healthy breakfast?
Breakfast should be a healthy and nutritious meal; rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals – a great jump start to lead an active and productive day ahead! This article clarifies what and why. It gives some simple breakfast options and explains ‘healthy’ vs. ‘unhealthy’. A healthy breakfast should be a nutritious and complete meal. Often you may have heard – Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Queen and dinner like a pauper. What this means is; the portion size, calorie count and nutrient content of breakfast should ideally be the largest.
Why healthy breakfast?
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As the name implies, “Break – Fast”, is the first meal consumed after an overnight fast. We literally break our overnight fast, by eating ‘Breakfast’. Researches have shown that people who eat breakfast are happier, have better memory and attention spans than those who don’t. Children who eat breakfast perform well in their studies, while those who skip breakfast often are irritable, sluggish, get into fights often, have poor memory and end up with lower grades in school.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas
Nutritious foods from various food groups which make a balanced diet comprise a healthy breakfast. Some examples of healthy Indian breakfast recipes include idli sambar, ragi porridge, rajma rice, roti chana and so on. These provide complex carbohydrates and pulse combinations which improve protein quality. Other nutritious breakfast ideas include eggs on toast, oats porridge, lean meat with whole grain foods and so on. This combination of protein rich foods with whole grains make some terrific healthy morning breakfast ideas. Additionally, fruits and vegetables can provide antioxidants, fibre, vitamins & minerals and should be a part of a balanced diet.
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Breakfast
A wholesome healthy breakfast versus an unhealthy breakfast is decided by some key points –
- Cooking Method: The way the food is cooked matters in adding more or reducing more fat, sugar and other nutrients. It also indicates whether there is retention or loss of nutrition from food. Several factors such as boiled egg vs. deep fried egg matters in deciding the quantity of oil or fat in the meal.
- Choice of foods: Whole grain versus processed foods (For e.g. Watch out for refined or white or bleached or polished on the food label). The refining process reduces the fibre content and leads to loss of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
- Portion sizes: The size of the breakfast meal matters. An American breakfast generally has huge serving sizes versus an Indian breakfast which is much smaller. Your dietitian will help you decide the portions right for you.
- Restrict CRAP foods: Stay away from CRAP foods as they do not provide nutrition to the body but end up giving unwanted or empty calories.
There are more technical aspects like glycemic index and glycemic load, food combinations, timings of meals and so on.
Pallavi Pinge is a Clinical Nutritionist and Dietitian | Content Director & Editor for health websites | has a passion for digital health and enjoys promoting health and wellness. She’s the founder and director of Ambrosia Wellness, where she provides personalized nutrition counseling, education, and coaching to individuals with various health conditions. You can follow her on her social media channels below to stay tuned in with the latest in health and wellness | Health Blog | Contact her for appointments |
