Healthy Breakfast Tips

Jennifer Broxterman, BScH (Foods & Nutrition)
Registered Dietitian & Sports Nutritionist
NutritionRx | www.nutritionrx.ca
Phone: (519) 520-9549
Email: info@nutritionrx.ca

It’s no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  People who consistently eat breakfast have an easier time losing weight and keeping it off in the long run.  A morning meal has also been proven to help us to perform better cognitively throughout the day.  Even though we know eating breakfast is a top nutrition habit to adopt, it’s easy to skip when time is tight or when on a diet.  With that in mind, here are a few simple ideas to help you stay on track.

A balanced breakfast should include:

Here are 10 healthy breakfast ideas and their nutritional breakdown to get your started:

1. Oatmeal, made with low-fat milk, and fresh berries. ¾ cup of large flake oats made with 1 cup of low-fat milk and ½ cup blackberries contains: 231 calories, 38g carbohydrate, 14g protein, 25g fat (7g saturated fat), 147mg sodium, and 6g fibre.
2. Whole wheat toast, with peanut butter, and sliced banana. 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter and 1 banana contains: 445 calories, 60g carbohydrate, 14g protein, 19g fat (3g saturated fat), 300mg sodium, and 8g of fibre.
3. Fried egg and cheese sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin with a naval orange. 1 whole wheat English muffin, 1 large egg (fried with Pam), 25g of light cheddar cheese, and 1 orange contains: 359 calories, 43g carbohydrate, 20g protein, 119g fat (46g saturated fat), 657mg sodium, and 7g fibre.
4. High-fibre breakfast cereal with low-fat yogurt and fruit. 30 grams of cereal, ¾ cup yogurt, and ½ cup sliced strawberries contains: 190 calories, 45g carbohydrates, 10g protein, 1.5g fat (0g saturated fat), 239mg sodium, and 16g fibre.
5. Soy-based smoothie, with frozen mixed berries, ground flaxseed, and oats. 1 cup of fat-free unsweetened soy milk, 1 cup frozen mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), 1 Tbsp of ground flax seed, and 2 Tbsp uncooked large flake rolled oats contains: 220 calories, 38g carbohydrate, 12g protein, 4.5g of fat (0.5g saturated fat), 105mg sodium, and 7g fibre.
6. Homemade whole-wheat pancakes with yogurt and fruit. 2 pancakes (as per this Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes Recipe), 100g individual container of Activia vanilla yogurt with probiotics, and 1 banana contains: 340 calories, 70g carbohydrate, 16g protein, 2.5g fat (1g saturated fat), 531mg sodium, and 6g fibre.
7. Breakfast pita with almond butter and a pear. 1 breakfast muesli breakfast pita, 1 Tbsp almond butter, with a pear contains:  407 calories, 67g carbohydrate, 9g protein, 13g of fat (1g saturated fat), 323mg sodium, and 10g fibre.
8. Grab ‘n Go 1: high-fibre granola bar, 1 hard boiled egg, and 1 orange juice drinking box. 1 high-fibre granola bar that contains at least 4g of fibre and less than 9g of sugar per bar (i.e. Fibre Source Apple Cobbler granola bar), 1 large hard boiled egg, and a 200mL orange juice drinking box contains:  286 calories, 45g carbohydrate, 10g protein, 8g of fat (2g saturated fat), 151mg sodium, and 6g fibre.
9. Grab ‘n Go 2: homemade carrot pineapple muffin, almonds, and a drinkable probiotic yogurt. 1 homemade carrot pineapple muffin, ¼ cup dry roasted unsalted almonds, and an 93mL drinkable probiotic yogurt container (i.e. DanActive) contains:  413 calories, 47g carbohydrate, 14g protein, 21g of fat (3g saturated fat), 177mg sodium, and 6g fibre.
10. Grab ‘n Go 3: whole grain crackers, low-fat cheese, and ¼ cup of trail mix. 5 Brenton reduced fat & salt whole grain crackers, 1 babybell light cheese, and ¼ cup trail mix contains:  303 calories, 33g carbohydrate, 14g protein, 16g of fat (4g saturated fat), 351mg sodium, and 4g fibre.