I’m not big on breakfast, but if you must have breakfast, then you should make the most of it by making it a healthy one.
That brings us to ask the question; how do you know your breakfast is healthy?
My roommate recently started her weight loss journey, so she walked into the room this morning after hitting the gym. Exhausted, and hungry she went into the kitchen to try to fix herself a meal.
Another roommate of mine walked in on her as she was about to boil some water to make ‘garri’ (processed cassava flakes) and she said “ah! After working out, you eat garri, is that how you want to lose weight?”
Good talk, I thought, until she went on to say “at least have snacks instead”.
Nope, I take back my words, not a good talk.
Often, we assume a meal, or snack in this case, is healthy because after eating it, we feel light, therefore it’s healthier than a meal that would make us feel heavy.
Garri is definitely not a great example of a healthy breakfast option, especially not for weight loss, but don’t even think for one minute that snacking is better.
Matter of fact, if you have to choose between garri and a snack for breakfast, pick garri.
Why?
Because, when it comes to weight loss, it’s the calories that make the difference, not the exercises you do or how light as a feather you feel after eating, although it helps a lot to feel light after breakfast. We’ll get to know why soon.
My point is, if we’re to check the number of calories she’d be taking by eating garri, there’s a great chance we’ll find that it’ll be lesser than whatever snack she might eat instead.
Fun Fact: A light meal, with so many calories, is not something you should be having for breakfast, not if you wish to lose weight.
What Should I Eat for Breakfast to lose Weight?
Remember how I said, “it helps a lot to feel light after breakfast”?
That’s because if your breakfast is making you feel anything but light, you’re very likely to feel sleepy and tired after eating and that goes against everything breakfasts stand for.
That’s right. Breakfasts are supposed to make you feel energized like you’re ready to take on the world and keep you active to carry on your daily task until your next meal.
So, if you don’t feel any of the above after your choice of breakfast, you should probably reconsider your breakfast options.
Anyway, here are some recommended easy and healthy breakfast options that are especially great for weight loss:
- Eggs
Be it boiled, poached, or fried, eggs for breakfast never fail.
There are so many reasons why eggs are a great healthy breakfast option. They’re highly proteinous, hence, they can keep you feeling full, yet not heavy, so you don’t quickly get hungry.
Also, eggs are rich in important minerals and vitamins such as selenium, calcium, and riboflavin. According to research, eggs are an excellent source of choline, a fat-burning nutrient that can attack the gene mechanism that causes your body to store fat around your liver.
Speaking on the caloric content of eggs, one large egg contains only 72 calories, which makes even 4 eggs a day a reasonable amount of calorie consumption.
Fun Fact: an egg a day, not just apples, keeps you away from the doctor.
- Oatmeal
Oatmeal has got to be the second best after eggs for a healthy breakfast option for weight loss. While it is a complex carbohydrate, it’s one of those foods that have been tagged “healthy carbs”, as it is low in calories and rich in fiber so it keeps you feeling satiated while you carry on with your daily activity.
- Smoothies
Generally, people think that eating fruits increases appetite. That is true, but only for some fruits, not all.
Fruits like bananas and avocados can make you feel satiated, but because the opinion of fruits being appetizers is ingrained in your mindset, you won’t believe you’re satiated even if you are.
We can fix this, however, by blending several fruits to make a healthy breakfast smoothie, that way you don’t eat one, but several fruits, and since it’ll be in a paste texture, you can easily get filled.
Not only are smoothies delicious and satisfying, but they are also packed with several nutrients, but watch out for the fruits or even vegetables you blend, as some fruits and veggies are high in calories.
- Sweet potatoes
I love sweet potatoes, so imagine my delight when I found out that I wasn’t doing anything wrong eating them even though I wanted to lose weight.
The reason you feel full after half a plate of sweet potatoes is because they’re rich in fiber, and the reason it may seem like it’s taking longer to digest is because… it’s taking longer to digest.
Sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index, so it takes longer for your body to absorb and digest it, and this is to your benefit because then you feel satiated long enough to keep you from eating more than you have to.
Sweet potatoes are also tagged “healthy carbs” and they’re rich in minerals and vitamins.
- Spinach
Spinach is another fiber-rich breakfast option, but what makes it a healthy breakfast option is more than its ability to keep you satiated. Spinach is also a plant-based natural source of omega-3 and folate, which help decrease your chances of developing heart disease, stroke, or osteoporosis.
- Whole wheat pancakes
Pancakes made with whole wheat make a great healthy breakfast option because it contains up to 15% protein, along with other minerals and vitamins such as riboflavin, calcium, and folate. They’re also low in calories and high in fiber.
- Beans
One of my favorite foods!
Though they’re of different types, beans generally are a rich source of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, magnesium, and fiber. They’re low in fat and calories, hence, they make a healthy breakfast option for weight loss.
- Coffee
Never talk about breakfast without mentioning coffee to an American.
Why?
Because they need their buzz on to take on the day, which is what you get from a healthy breakfast. But more than that, coffee is an excellent healthy breakfast option to help with weight loss because of its caffeine content.
Caffeine boosts metabolism and burns fat, but be careful how much sugar and cream you use, else you take on more calories than you plan on. Better still, take your coffee plain and maybe along with some pancakes.
Takeaway
Your breakfast is only healthy if it keeps you energized and focused to carry out your daily activities, if it doesn’t, then it shouldn’t be on your list of healthy breakfast options to start with.
Sources
14 Healthy Breakfast Foods That Help You Lose Weight www.healthline.com
37 Best Healthy Breakfast For Weight Loss Foods – Eat This Not That www.eatthis.com
Best Breakfast Foods for Weight Loss www.eatingwell.com
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