Want to expand your repertoire of nutritious breakfast options? These are the top choices of health and fitness professionals worldwide that you need to add to your morning routine.
This post is all about nutritious breakfast ideas.
Trying to come up with different, fun and yummy nutritious breakfast ideas can be difficult. If you’re anything like me, you are strolling up and down the grocery aisles waiting for inspiration to strike. As a busy girl myself, I have compiled my favorite nutritious breakfast ideas to share with you that my family and I are obsessed with.
You are going to become enlightened on all of the top nutritious breakfast ideas including nutritious recipes, nutrient dense food and more.
Once you’ve reviewed all of these nutritious breakfast ideas, you are no longer going to be stuck wondering what you will be making in the morning for breakfast whether it is for your entire family or just yourself.
Nutritious Breakfast Ideas:
1. Avocado Toast
One of the top nutritious breakfast options that you need to start making is avocado toast. This healthy breakfast idea has been shown all over the internet, from movies to social media, being especially popular on foodie accounts and has been newly added to the menus in breakfast places, coffee shops and other restaurants in the last couple of years.
While it is fun to enjoy a meal out with friends, you are going to want to start making this in your house frequently to fully harness the amazing nutritional content it provides.
Avocado has been proven to be one of the most nutrient dense foods available. While everyone knows this superfood is a high-fat food, it is the right kind of fat your body needs. More than half of the fat that comes from avocados contains monounsaturated fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated being the best kinds of fat you can put in your body. Ounce to ounce, avocados have copious amounts of nutrients and antioxidants. They are rich in Omega 3, folic acid, fiber, potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium. When paired with whole-grain toast, the high fat and fiber content allows you to feel satisfied and fuller for a much longer period of time than other breakfast foods.
While having the avocado is extremely important, the kind of bread you select is also extremely important. You will always want to use whole-grain bread when making avocado toast, and here is why.
While white bread can contain high amounts of sugar and has very low nutritional value, whole grain bread is high in protein, it promotes healthy digestion, lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, triglycerides, high blood pressure and even reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Not only does it boost heart health but it also contains trace minerals and helps with weight management.
For those with very busy days with not much time to eat, this satiating breakfast has everything you need to start your day off right.
2. Fresh Berry Smoothie
Another top nutritious breakfast idea that you need to add to your calendar are fresh berry smoothies. On days when I am not hungry in the morning, this is my go-to breakfast to ensure I am putting healthy nutrients my body needs. Smoothies have been shown across social media, commercials, and have been featured as a key part in celebrity diets for a reason.
A huge misconception about smoothies are that they contain high levels of sugar and are actually not good for you; this is only true to the smoothies you will find in smoothie shops and diners.
While we all love Smoothie King, a lot of those smoothies contain high levels of sugar, fat and calories that take away from the nutritional content of a great smoothie. Too often people have been opting for these smoothies thinking they are a more nutritious option than coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin’ on the way to work, but this could not be farther from the truth. Smoothies made in smoothie shops are nice to have every once in a while, especially considering they are not ones you have to spend the time making yourself, but the high amounts of excess sugar in the morning can lead to a lot of health issues and are a quick way to gain unwanted fat.
The truth is, when homemade, berry smoothies are one of the healthiest breakfast options you can turn to. Berries are some of the healthiest foods you can eat being low in calorie, high in vitamin C, fiber and are rich in antioxidants. Here is how to make a fresh, homemade berry smoothie:
Step 1: Choose berry blend. Every store usually has a selection of berry blends in the freezer section, I personally love the Wyman’s blend from Walmart or Kroger. You can also buy your fruit or berries of choice individually to create your own blend. Just keep in mind that the frozen fruit lasts a lot longer than fruit left in the fridge.
Step 2: Choose your liquid. water, almond milk, soy milk, etc. I use water for the freshest berry taste and lowest amount of calories, but a low-calorie almond milk works great also.
Step 3: Choose your yogurt. It should be noted to use extreme caution when selecting a yogurt to use, and to not use too much. Many yogurt brands have ridiculously high amounts of sugar and sugar alcohols and fat amongst other preservatives. Oikos triple zero vanilla yogurt, Carbmaster vanilla yogurt from Kroger and the Dairy-Free Silk vanilla yogurt made from almond milk are my favorites. If you are someone who doesn’t like or want to use yogurt, just using the water or almond milk will have an outstanding result.
Step 4: Put it together. Put liquid in first, slowly add berries as it is blending, then add a small amount of yogurt and VOILA, you have yourself a fresh, homemade berry smoothie.
3. Yogurt Parfait
Along the lines of the berry smoothies, fresh, homemade yogurt parfaits are an absolute must if you’re in need of healthier breakfast options. Just like with smoothies and avocado toast, the nutritional value is much higher making it yourself with fresh, organic ingredients to eliminate the possibility of excess sugar. Let’s be honest, the most creditable source you can trust to be putting the best ingredients in your body is YOU.
If you have never made a yogurt parfait, what’s most important to remember is to be VERY careful choosing the ingredients you put in your delicious breakfast concoction.
One of the main reasons the yogurt parfait is such a popular breakfast is because it’s just that: a concoction of deliciousness. The list of things you can add to a parfait are endless. But with great options comes great responsibility.
If you are looking to make a basic parfait, yogurt, berries and granola is the move. Choose a low calorie, low to non-fat Greek yogurt, add some of your favorite fresh berries like blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, and sprinkle a little granola on top. Granola tends to be high in sugar and fat, so always read the nutrition label first before buying. If none of the options at the store appeal to you, try making your own homemade granola. There are only about 50,000 recipes on Pinterest you can try.
If you are looking to spice it up like me, try adding chia seeds, maca powder, goji berries, cacao nibs, or even a little bit of peanut butter. Just as you would with the granola and only use a very little amount of the superfoods as they are very high in calories and you only need a little bit to Coconut shavings also add a nice touch of freshness as well as a small dose of manganese and zinc.
The combination of protein and calcium with the yogurt, antioxidants, calcium and fiber from the berries and the carbohydrates from the granola create the perfect balance of all the major macro and micronutrients for a balanced breakfast.
4. Oatmeal
If you’re old fashioned like me, or even if you’re not, oatmeal is an absolute must have on your meal plan this week. It is the tried and true staple breakfast of bikini competitors, body builders, athletes and celebrities alike, and for good reason. Whether you are trying to gain healthy weight or lose weight, oatmeal is the perfect choice for meeting every one of your health and fitness goals – and here’s why.
If you’re ever wondering why oatmeal is such a popular breakfast option, it’s because of a few factors: its cost, simplicity, versatility, and most importantly, its nutritional content.
Oatmeal contains magnesium, zinc, manganese, selenium, iron, phosphorus and thiamine. It also has both soluble and insoluble fibers, soluble fiber helping to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar while insoluble fiber helping aid in digestion and improve intestinal health. Not to mention, oatmeal is also gluten free, making it an option for just about everyone.
On cold winter days, a fresh bowl of steaming-hot oatmeal is very relaxing. In the summertime, overnight oats are a very simple and refreshing variation of the nutrient rich food that has grown in popularity over the last several years. In fact, it has grown so popular on social media that a lot of stores have started selling their own overnight oat cups.
My favorite brands of oatmeal are Quaker and Better Oats, having options for lower-sugar and 100-calorie packets for those cautious calorie-counting creatures, but there are so many options to choose. If you have analysis paralysis like me where there are so many options you can’t seem to decide, just remember that simpler is better. Buying a large container of plain oats gives the most flexibility of making fresh hot oatmeal, overnight oats.
Now here’s the fun part: flexibility.
You can dress up your oats as fancy as you’d like, I personally love adding a variety of things like berries, chia seeds, peanut butter, and honey on top of regular oats. If I am making overnight oats, same rule applies. I just add the toppings in the morning after the oats have been sitting in the fridge overnight. Aside from hot oatmeal and overnight oats, oats are great to add to smoothies, protein shakes and can even be used to make great protein oatmeal bars. Just like homemade granola, there are only about 30,000 recipes on Pinterest to follow.
5. Omelette
When you think of breakfast, eggs are usually one of the first things that comes to everyone’s mind. This is for several reasons. Just like oatmeal, eggs have the cost, simplicity, versatility and nutritional content everyone is looking for when choosing a breakfast food.
Eggs are one of the most inexpensive if not THE most inexpensive breakfast food item you can buy at a store, and it’s also the most commonly found item in stores. At only 70 calories per whole egg, they are the perfect keto ratio of fat to protein for those on the keto diet. For those who are not on the keto diet, eggs provide a wonderful balance of the most healthy fats with protein for a full and satisfying breakfast without causing bloating.
Eggs can be done up in a variety of ways: scrambled alone or with light cheese of choice, added on top of avocado toast, made into an omelette with a variety of vegetables, and can even be added to smoothies for extra protein. If you are someone who is very busy, it is efficient to make hard-boiled eggs on the weekend and have them ready to take on the go for a quick breakfast and also are great for meal prepping lunches and taking them to work. My personal favorites include adding them on top of avocado toast and making omelettes or egg-white omelettes. Here is the step by step of how I make my omelettes:
Step 1: Choose vegetables and chop finely. I love using green and red peppers, onions and mushrooms in my omelettes. Once I cut up my vegetables of choice, I sauté those first using vegetable or olive oil cooking spray.
Step 2: Add the eggs. Once the veggies are have been sautéed I will crack two to three eggs into a bowl, whisk generously, then pour over the vegetables in the pan, making sure the vegetables are spread evenly and generously throughout.
Step 3: Flip and add cheese. Once the omelette is ready to be flipped, I flip it and add a small amount of cheese of choice. I love using low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese, feta cheese and sometimes pepperjack to my omelettes. I add the cheese to one side, flip the omelette in half, then give it about 30 seconds for the cheese to melt inside the omelette before plating. The size of the omelette depends on how many eggs you use. For a lighter option, remove the yolks for an egg white omelette.
What do all of these healthy breakfast recipes have in common? They contain fresh ingredients, no to low processed sugar, are densely-packed with essential nutrients, are very inexpensive and they all take less than five minutes to make.
6. Banana Pancakes
Another top healthy breakfast option that you need to start making are banana pancakes. This healthy breakfast variation of a normally very unhealthy breakfast has been spreading like wildfire all over the internet as the shown all over the internet, from movies to social media, being especially popular on foodie accounts and has been newly added to the menus in breakfast places, coffee shops and other restaurants in the last couple of years. If you haven’t heard of banana pancakes by now, I’m going to preface this section by saying you’re welcome.
Pancakes have always been viewed as an unhealthy breakfast treat…until now. While many people have been turning to healthier breakfast options, that does not mean that anyone has lost their sweet tooth and craving for pancakes, myself included. Banana pancakes are everything one would hope for: extremely easy and inexpensive to make, very nutritious and most importantly, insanely delicious.
All you will need are three ingredients: bananas, eggs and flour. Typically one batch will call for 2 bananas mashed (approximately 1 cup mashed), 2 eggs, and 3/4 cup of a flour of your choice. Almond flour is a very popular one, but it can be a tad pricey. So if you’re trying to meal prep on a budget, don’t feel like you need to have almond flour. If you would like to spice it up a little, you can always add a touch of vanilla or stevia sweetener, or even add some blueberries into the batter or your favorite kind of nut for a bit of a crunch.
Bananas are very low calorie, being only around 100 calories per banana and are very nutrient dense. Containing vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, niacin, copper, vitamin C and even riboflavin, bananas are a great addition to any breakfast, including oatmeal and smoothies. Not to mention they may improve blood sugar levels, support digestive health, support heart and kidney health and may also aid in weight loss to name a few examples. While bananas are mainly carbohydrates, the eggs help with the protein and fat. One egg containing 6g of protein and 5g of healthy fat, this provides for a great balance of protein, carbs and fats in addition to the micronutrients from the banana. If you’re looking for a healthy breakfast that is nutrient dense, tastes amazing and has a great nutrition label, this option is perfect for you.
7. Matcha Nice Cream
If you say you haven’t wished to have ice cream for breakfast at one point in your life, you’re lying. Ice cream is one of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to food, so why can’t you have it for breakfast?
One of the top nutritious breakfast ideas that everyone needs to know how to make is nice cream. This healthy breakfast hack has been shown all over the internet, and it didn’t take long for it to go viral. I know I personally look for any excuse to add sweets into my meal plan, and this makes it dangerously easy to do so.
Nice cream is similar to the banana pancakes in that the base is bananas. It can be customized about a thousand different ways to achieve different flavors, but the one I will share is the matcha nice cream.
As I told you before, bananas are extremely nutrient dense and low in calorie. Matcha contains catechins that act as natural antioxidants, has many anti-inflammatory properties, helps lower cholesterol, improves heart health and may also help improve skin and is believed to have certain cancer-fighting effects on the body thanks to the catechin EGCG, epigallocatechin gallate.
Now don’t get too excited, this is not going to taste like Coldstone or Haagen-Dazs, but it will be a cool, refreshing, lightly sweet treat packed with health benefits. What you’ll need: matcha powder, sweetened condensed milk, and bananas in a food processor. You can also add a touch of organic honey to add to the flavor. You can either eat the matcha nice cream as is or sprinkle granola, almonds, berries, honey or even a little yogurt on top. This is not high in protein, so you will want to pair this with a protein shake.
The truth is, even places that claim to not have processed products are not always honest because let’s face it – they still have to compete with the other mainstream food places serving the same thing. At the end of the day, business is business and they will do anything to make a profit. Even if the place contains fresh ingredients, they are most likely charging an arm and a leg for their product when you could spend the same amount of money buying your own ingredients from the store and having enough to last you for a few weeks. Having the flexibility of choosing your own delicious ingredients and being 100 percent certain what is in the food you’re eating will always outweigh going out to eat.
This post was all about the best nutritious breakfast ideas.
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