make an appointment

  • what to eat for breakfast #7

A nutritionally balanced breakfast can give your day a healthy start, help you focus, keep you energized, control your urge to snack and support digestion. Clinical dietitian Regina Shvets of Sibley Memorial Hospital offers healthy breakfast ideas and tips.

What is a healthy breakfast?

A good breakfast is one that supplies plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Together, healthy foods energize the body and ensure you can start your day without being distracted by hunger. While whole foods are the ideal, busy people may reach for prepared items for convenience. When including commercial or processed items, reading the nutrition information can help you avoid extra sugar, salt and fat.

Healthy Breakfast Foods

It helps to remember that any healthy food can work for breakfast, so go ahead and think outside the cereal box. Lean protein in the form of beans, fish or chicken breast can make its way onto your breakfast plate. Fresh veggies can add fiber, vitamins and minerals to omelets or smoothies.

Protein

According to Shvets, protein should be the main focus of the day’s first meal, with additions of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and good fats.

“Protein is important because it is made up of individual molecules of amino acids that serve many essential functions in the body. Some of its functions include making hormones, providing energy, building and repairing muscle, supporting the immune system, and maintaining the structure of hair, nails and skin.

“Some amino acids can be produced by the body on its own, but there are nine amino acids that are considered to be essential and can only be obtained from eating certain foods.

“Foods high in protein are good for weight control since they are very filling. When you stay full longer, it’s easier to resist snacking,” Shvets says.

Protein in Eggs

One large egg contains about 6.2 grams of protein, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food database.

Are eggs good for you? Yes, says Shvets. “Eggs are super nutritious. They are one of the best sources of high-quality protein and contain all the essential amino acids that cannot be produced on our own.

“Older published studies suggested that eggs were harmful to heart health due to a high content of cholesterol in them. However, newer evidence has proved that eating eggs offers more benefits to health than harm. Both egg whites and egg yolks contain high amounts of vitamins A, D and B, as well as nutrients such as zeaxanthin, choline and selenium and a healthy fatty acid called linoleic acid.”

She adds, “Research shows eating two eggs per day meets 10% to 30% of the vitamin requirements for adults. These qualities in eggs are associated with positive health outcomes for people in all age groups. Egg protein can support skeletal muscle growth, prevent loss of muscle mass and promote normal growth in children.

“People without a history of high cholesterol may eat one or two eggs every day if they like. Those with high cholesterol may eat one whole egg and two egg whites a few times per week.”

Yogurt

Yogurt is packed with protein and probiotics (gut-healthy bacteria) and can be a great foundation for breakfast. But, choosing an option for breakfast can be a challenge, with dozens of brands, formulas, flavors and varieties on the grocery store shelves.

Shvets advises careful reading of yogurt ingredients. “Some yogurts are so high in added sugar, including chocolate chips, cookie pieces and candies, that they’re really more like a dessert. Yogurts with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving would be more healthful,” she says, noting current dietary guidelines recommend that Americans limit their calories from added sugars to less than 10% of total calories.

Healthy Breakfast Meats

“Typical breakfast meats, such as sausages, bacon and ham, are heavily processed and are associated with adverse health outcomes,” Shvets warns. “Many are loaded with preservatives to make them shelf stable, as well as sodium, nitrosamines and synthetic food dyes. They can also be high in saturated fats. It’s best to eat these breakfast meats occasionally and in small amounts.

“Other, low-sodium sources of lean protein such as chicken breast, turkey or even roast beef [not processed deli/lunchmeat versions, which are high in sodium] could be a healthier alternative,” she says.

Whole Grains

Shvets says a good breakfast includes whole grains. “These could be minimally processed hot cereal or breads made with intact grain kernels. Whole grains include the kernel’s bran, endosperm and germ, which contain B complex and other vitamins, some protein and fiber,” she explains.

She recommends limiting white bread and plain bagels, which are made with wheat that has had the outer part of the kernel removed during processing and lack important nutrients, such as fiber and B-complex vitamins.

Healthy Cereal
A bowl of cereal is a staple of American breakfasts. Shvets says good whole grain hot cereals include old-fashioned oats, steel cut oats, buckwheat, whole grain cornmeal and quinoa.

However, commercial boxed cereals, a favorite among children, warrant a careful reading of their ingredients list and nutritional value, says Shvets.

“A healthy cereal is one that is minimally processed and is not full of added sugars, food dyes, preservatives and other components that could negatively affect health,” she says. “Look for cereal that has the fewest ingredients and with the first being 100% whole grain. Avoid those with more than 5 grams of sugar per serving.

“Hot or cold, remember to pair your cereal with milk, Greek yogurt, fruit, nuts or seeds for an additional boost of protein, vitamins and other healthful ingredients.”

Why is breakfast so important?

“Breakfast offers numerous benefits to people in all life stages, and it can also help with meeting certain health goals,” Shvets says. For instance:

  • School-age children need healthful nutrients, including a good breakfast, for growth and development as well as academic success.
  • Working adults benefit from a good breakfast that can help them stay focused, energized and productive during morning hours and meetings.
  • Older adults who are frail and are losing weight unintentionally will greatly benefit from eating breakfast, as adequate nutrition could promote increased muscle strength and agility in this age group.
  • For people trying to reach or maintain a healthy weight, a balanced breakfast could help by preventing hunger, which could lead to overeating and excessive calorie intake later in the day.
  • Breakfast can support stable blood glucose levels for people who have insulin sensitivity.
  • Including whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables with breakfast supplies fiber, which supports gut health and can prevent or ease constipation.