Perhaps you can relate…working out at the gym has been quite the challenge as of late. Granted it’s a community center, limited in the number of machines/equipment it has, but my gawd…I never had to fight for them before! The Hungryman reassures me that the madness shall pass soon. And I know he’s right.
As we embark on a new year, many of us, I’m sure, have made resolutions/goals to take better care of ourselves. Perhaps you’ve decided to eat healthier, which is a very broad goal. So what does this look like to YOU?
What I’ve seen firsthand, as well as through others, is that completely changing your diet without addressing your habits will only lead to failure. And we all know habits don’t change overnight. Thus, I am a big proponent of taking baby steps and letting go of the all-or-nothing mentality. It could be as simple as making sure you incorporate an extra serving or two of fruits and vegetables, cooking more at home, switching to whole grains, etc.
Or here’s a suggestion – how about making it a habit to eat breakfast every morning if you’re not doing so already?
The message out there is clear – breakfast is an important, if not, THE most important meal of the day. To be quite honest, I was a breakfast skipper all my life. And if I did happen to eat something, it was a bowl of sugary cereal (Apple Jacks, anyone?). During my teenage years, I boycotted it in an effort to “save” calories for the later meals. And after a while, my body seemed to adapt, and I just had no appetite in the mornings. Fast forward to now and skipping bfast is no longer an option. I’ve changed my former habit and eating a hearty breakfast is a part of my lifestyle.
There are many evidence-based healthful benefits to breakfast consumption, and as someone who’s made the transition, I can confidently attest to them. Eating breakfast not only fuels you both physically and mentally, but it sets the tone for the day by preventing you from overindulging later on and helping you make smart food choices throughout the day.
Here are some practical tips and changes you can make. Remember, small changes = sustainability
- Aim to include at least 3 food groups. By doing so, you can improve the intake of several nutrients that are of concern in a typical American diet, such as calcium, potassium, folate, fiber, iron, and vitamin B12.
Build your breakfast around fiber-rich grains, fruits/vegetables, nonfat or low-fat dairy, and lean proteins. While I don’t like to count calories, I stick to serving sizes and pay attention to sodium and saturated fat content.
Egg (lean protein) and avocado (healthy fat) toast (whole grain) with shredded cheese; cara cara orange
But if you are curious as to how many calories you should consume, the answer is… It really depends on individual needs based on activity level, weight, gender, eating frequency, etc. In general, the current recommendation is to aim for 15-25% of your total daily energy. For example: If your daily energy requirement is 2000 kcal, then aim for 300-500 kcal.
- You can’t “save” calories. Rather, focus on dispersing them throughout the day.
This helps maintain appetite and energy balance, thus helping with weight management. Eating at least 3 meals a day helps keep your appetite in check with increased satiety and a smaller chance of eating/binging later in the day.
- Ask yourself what the barriers are to eating breakfast and strive to address them. A current survey revealed that 93% of American adults recognize/consider breakfast as the most important meal of the day, but only about 44% actually eat it on a daily basis. The most common barriers include time, absence of hunger, and fear of weight gain.
Time-saving tips:
- Prep the night before – overnight oats, slow cooker oatmeal, egg muffins/frittata, hardboiled eggs, fruit parfaits…
A delicious collection of recipes found on the Healthy Aperture Blog!
Mediterranean feta & quinoa egg muffins // the Spicy RD
Sausage and vegetable egg bake // the lean green bean
Spinach, mushroom, gruyere strata // the foodie physician
Bacon & egg breakfast muffins // Teaspoon of Spice
Mini Frittatas // Healthy Aperture Blog by Meme Inge
Vegetable breakfast scramble // Healthy Aperture Blog by Love & Zest
- Quick ideas for the morning: Don’t make things too complicated as there are plenty of quick and easy options – smoothies, yogurt with granola and fruit, pb and jelly sandwich, whole grain cereal with low fat milk, etc. In regards to cereal, with so many varieties out there, it can be a bit tricky. Look for one with at least 5 grams of fiber and less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. Look for the words “whole grain.”
My bfasts this past week (found on Instagram #mjsbfastchallenge)
- Not hungry in the morning? Keep nutrient-dense foods on hand so that when the hunger pangs set in, you’re not reaching for unhealthy options that are all too easily available. Smart choices include…
I can’t believe it’s a green smoothie // Meal Makeover Moms
Pumpkin pie smoothie // Fannetastic Food
Mint raspberry smoothie // Nourish RDs
Banana Almond Green Smoothie // Marisa Moore Nutrition
Kumquat mango smoothie // Snixy Kitchen
Almond butter protein smoothie // The Roasted Root
Pear, avocado, and honey smoothie // Healthy Seasonal Recipes
The greenest smoothie // the muffin myth
Baked oatmeal squares with cherries // Teaspoon of Spice
Grab & go granola bars // Meal Makeover Moms
Harvest pumpkin granola bars // MJ and Hungryman
Sweet potato granola bars // Teffy’s Perks
Healthy Chewy Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars // Lovely Little Kitchen
Almond butter banana breakfast bars // Fannetastic Food
Chocolate coconut snack bars // Healthy nibbles and bits
PB & J oatmeal crumble bars // The Nutritious Kitchen
Cornbread muffins with ambrosia apples // MJ and Hungryman
Banana pudding bfast parfaits // immaeatthat
Fruit and yogurt parfait // EatGood4Life
Pumpkin Chia Pudding Parfait // The Nutrition Adventure
I have to admit, although I eat bfast every morning, I tend to gravitate towards the same things – oatmeal or PB & J toast. To expand my horizons, I will be posting my breakfast everyday on Instagram for the month of January not only to keep my goal in check, but also to inspire you to never skip breakfast. Hope you’ll join me and feel free to tag #mjsbfastchallenge so we can keep each other motivated and accountable ;).
For more breakfast inspirations, check out my Pinterest board.
What a fantastic post! Shared it all over the place including Facebook! Thanks for including some of our recipes and offering up so many other amazing ones.
Great tips! I’m definitely big on prepping ahead of time. It’s a serious lifesaver. I think otherwise my family would eat a lot of junk, lol.
I couldn’t agree with you more! I take meal prep very seriously! No excuses 😉
What a wonderful round-up, Min! Thanks so much for including us 🙂 We’ll be sure to share! Happy Monday!
Thank you Min and have a good day and week.
Tip numbers one and two are definitely things I need to be more mindful of. I’m usually very good about having a balanced breakfast and one other veggie-packed meal in the day. Then, something always falls by the way-side, and I’m eating nothing but carbs. Thanks for all this breakfast inspiration!
yummm… all of your breakfasts look so delicious and lovely too! what a great round-up of breakfast options. i just wish someone else would make them all for me every morning. 😉
I love this post! So many great tips and resources. Breakfast is always hardest for my clients to eat and I feel like it is SO important!
so perfect! and i can’t wait to try each one! YUM
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! There are just so many wonderful options, I am never at a loss! Breakfast pro!
Love these tips! I’m not a breakfast skipper, but I often try to get by with just a banana – this is a good reminder that I should try to keep things balanced and get more nutrients in the morning. (Thanks for including my smoothie! 🙂
Thanks for sharing my veggie breakfast bowl my dear! I’m loving all your helpful tips!
Seriously, I want to come over for breakfast. 😉 This all looks amazing! Also, confession, I have never ever in my life made overnight oats. I feel like every blogger I know makes them and posts about them….so maybe its time I give it a whirl. So behind… HA!
ooh! can’t wait for you to try!! What I love about it is its versatility..and of course the fact that you can dump everything in a jar the night before and it’s instant gratification come crazy mornings! 😉
mmmm such a great post! Breakfast is my fav meal! I could totally eat all breakfast meals! Can never get enough!
Wow what an amazing post! I pinned and bookmarked so I don’t lose this. I love breakfast but usually just eat 2 hardboiled eggs in my car on the way to work haha. I really need to make more hearty meals, like overnight oats or include more with my eggs. That toast with an egg and avocado looks delicious. Thanks for the breakfast inspiration!
Oh my yum! These look so good!! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Such a great post, with so many fabulous tips Min! I’ve pretty much always been a breakfast eater, but mine have definitely evolved from “high carb” to protein, fiber, and produce rich, which definitely gives me more energy than a bowl of cereal. Thx so much for including my Mediterranean Egg Muffins in your round-up. I can’t wait to try out all the other yummy ideas!
What a fantastic post Min – I too have embraced breakfast more with age and it is such a great meal to start the day with! These ideas for breakfast options are delicious.
I am all for people making resolutions to improve their health but I hate the gym this time of the year! Love your tips, especially saving time by prepping. One of my goals this year is to prep meals ahead of time because it really does make things easier when I get home from work.
This is such a wonderful and informative post! It sure looks like you’ve been eating some super yummy and healthy breakfasts. Thanks so much for sharing my strata!
Thank you so much for sharing this, I am always looking for breakfast ideas and these are great!
I found your blog via ‘Work It Wednesday’ and I am now following you on Bloglovin!
Em 🙂
You’re very welcome, Emma! And thank you so much for the kind words and for the follow 😉
Awesome round up Min! They all look amazing! Thanks for stopping by and sharing at Inspire Me Mondays..so glad you could join us 🙂 Hope to see you again this week!
Great post, Min! And so many great healthy breakfasts here for inspiration. Thanks for including my humble green smoothie amongst them. What an honour!
Thanks, Katie! Love your green smoothie! I wanted to include all of your recipes 😉