Want a cool trick to pick the perfect breakfast meal every single time? Looking for healthy breakfast ideas that taste good and are easy to make?

If you’re like me, finding something easy to make and healthy at the same time is not so easy. There are so many options, it can be hard finding something that is low in calories and actually healthy enough to start your day right.

We all know the importance breakfast.

All nutrition experts agree that breakfast is the most important meal among the “Big Three Meals” (the other two being lunch and dinner).

But what you may not know is that breakfast plays a much bigger role in weight loss. Of course, you must follow the rules I mention in this article!

You see, no matter what you choose to eat for breakfast, if you follow the guidelines below you can be sure your breakfast will be healthy and start your day off on track.

But Why Is Breakfast Good for Weight Loss? What’s the Link?

To understand why, let us first take a look at what happens inside your body while you are sleeping at night.

While You Sleep, Your Body Is Still Working

During the day, you put your body through all sorts of stresses in your daily routine. To better cope with these stresses and to give you added energy, you eat food: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks etc.

Excess nutrients from these meals get stored inside your body.

When you go to sleep at night, here’s what happens:

1. Your body repairs damaged tissues, heals stressed organs, and grows new muscle. It also promotes further growth and development.
2. To do these tasks, your body gets energy from blood glucose, free fatty acids, and liver glycogen.
3. As the night wears on, these energy stores get drained.
4. To prevent further drops in blood glucose, the stress hormone cortisol is released by your adrenal glands.
5. Since your body needs more energy, cortisol breaks down muscle protein and fat.
6. Cortisol levels are at their highest before you wake up.
7. To prevent cortisol from breaking down your muscles, you wake up and eat breakfast so that you regain your stores of essential nutrients.

So, What Does This Have to Do With Weight Loss and Healthy Breakfast Ideas?

Numerous studies were done on the effects of breakfast and weight loss. What the researchers have discovered are listed below:

1. High cortisol levels lead to prolonged breakdown of muscles, which has a big impact on physical fitness. It will also lead to storage of more belly fat.
2. People who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight and obese compared to people who eat breakfast regularly.
3. Despite what physical trainers say, carbohydrates during breakfast are a NECESSARY FUEL for the muscles and the brain.
4. People who eat a high carbs and high protein diet showed an average weight loss of between 1.7 to 2.3 kg per day. Those who eat a low carbs and high protein diet lost weight, but later regained it by as much as 86%.
5. Also, those who ate a high carbs and high protein diet feel full and lose their appetite faster. They are also mentally sharper and more physically active.

To put it simply, you need to eat the right breakfast foods that will counteract the effects of cortisol.

Keeping the above information in mind, let us now move on to our 6 healthy breakfast ideas:

Healthy Breakfast Ideas: 6 Tricks to Make a Healthier Breakfast That Actually Tastes Good

 

1) Add Some Carbs!

When you eat low carbs during breakfast, you don’t give your body enough fuel for your daily routine and your physical fitness workouts.

Carbs supply you with glucose, which is broken down for energy, and keep your cortisol levels down. On average, you should eat 40 to 55 grams of carbs at breakfast and then lower your carb intake during lunch and dinner for maximum weight loss.

The best source of breakfast carbs is whole grains. Can’t do without breads or cereals? Sprouted Grain Toast and Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size Wheat ‘n Bran are packed with carbs, protein and fiber.

2) Add Protein!

Proteins and carbs are breakfast buddies. Both provide you with energy and give you that sensation of fullness.

Proteins have other benefits. They contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle. In fact, while you sleep, protein is broken down into amino acids, which are then used to build new muscle and repair those muscles that were damaged during the day’s activities.

With your muscles in tip top shape, you are able to exercise more and thus burn more calories. Amino acids also aid in the hormonal and neurological functions of the body.

While you should eat 15 to 25 grams of proteins at breakfast, these proteins should be of high quality and easy to digest.

Plant proteins are the best breakfast proteins. I recommended oatmeal, quinoa, chia seeds, hemp seeds and protein, whey protein, tofu scramble, and protein powder blends such as organic protein powder.

Other great protein sources are lean meats, eggs, nonfat or low-fat plain Greek yoghurt, and wild salmon.

3) Add Some Fiber!

While fiber is a carb, it isn’t digested by the body, so they are not included in your caloric intake. Fiber helps you get rid of all the excess cholesterol from your bloodstream. It also maintains the good health of bacteria in your digestive system.

You can start by eating 5 to 8 grams during breakfast for 2-3 days and then moving up to 10-15 grams.

Here’s a list of fiber rich foods that you should add to your breakfast:

• Hemp Protein Powder (per scoop) = 12 grams
• Berries (1 cup) = 2-7 grams
• Oatmeal (1/3 cup) = 6 grams
• Apple = 4.4 grams
• Ground Flax (1 tbsp) = 4 grams
• Bananas (per fruit) = 3 grams

4) Go Fresh With Fruits and Vegetables!

You are probably thinking, “Veggies for breakfast? UGH!” Veggies are a welcome addition to breakfast because they are packed with vitamins, minerals, proteins, water and fiber.

They not only keep you energised and healthy all day, but they also contain fiber.

Great breakfast fruits and veggies (aside from those listed in fiber) are grapefruit, sweet potatoes, broccoli, watermelon, spinach and avocados.

Here are tasty breakfast veggie recipes you should try out at home.

5) Yes, You Still Need a Little Fat!

A healthy breakfast doesn’t necessarily mean being one without any fat.

Adding a fat helps to make the food more tasty and satisfying, of course, just don’t overdo it.

Adding some to breakfast won’t cause you to gain weight but remember, fat is hard to digest, meaning you may not reach peak energy levels if you eat too much.

Just add 1 to 2 tbsps of plain peanut or almond butter to your breakfast. Other healthy options with a little fat in them include eggs, coconut, avocados, chia seeds, and ground flax.

Eating the right amount of fat improves your metabolic function, focus, and may help lose weight if you replace processed and refined foods with sources of healthy fats mentioned above.

6) Cut Out the Sugar!

If you don’t read food labels, you may not be aware that the cereals, yoghurt, and processed oatmeals you eat are packed with sugar.

Eating too much sugar causes disruptions in your insulin levels so that you end up eating more and gain weight.

Rather than eat foods with processed sugar, eat fruits that contain natural sugar instead. Fruits are also rich in Vitamin C, potassium and water which help keep your blood pressure and insulin levels normal.

Some foods even help get rid of sugar cravings such as salmon, chia seeds, coconut oil, garlic and flax seeds.

Another option to help sweeten your coffee, tea, oatmeal etc is to add a calorie-free natural sweetener like stevia liquid which is made from the stevia herb. This sweetener is completely calorie free and one of the only sweeteners that doesn’t lead to any known health issues or disruptions in blood sugar levels.

Not only that, but it has been shown to improve digestion, lower blood pressure, and eliminate bad bacteria in the body.

There you have it! Try implementing these healthy breakfast ideas each morning for a healthier, satisfying breakfast. Once you’ve started your day right, it’s much easier to keep the momentum going for lunch and dinner even if you are dining out with friends or family.

Want more healthy breakfast ideas ? Don’t forget to check out this link for more breakfast veggie recipes.