Breakfast makeover
Breakfast is, without question, the most important meal of the day. It helps energise and prepare us for the hours ahead. But does what we eat for breakfast really matter, or is a bowl of Bran Flakes just as nutritionally sound as a bagel with cream cheese?
Take a look at the typical breakfast choices listed below. Then check out our recommendations for transforming a boring breakfast into a powerhouse meal that fuels your brain and muscles.
Breakfast blunder: Eating café-style
If your typical breakfast is a croissant and cappuccino picked up on the way to work, you might want to rethink your strategy. An average-size croissant contains 118 calories and seven grams of fat and your standard cappuccino has around 150 calories and three grams of fat. Not only does this breakfast tip the scales in calories and fat, but it also doesn't provide the significant amounts of vitamins and minerals you need.
Solution: If you prefer to drink your breakfast, try whipping up a smoothie at home. To save time, put everything into the blender the night before and store in the fridge. Then, in the morning, blend for one minute and pour. Try one of the delicious recipes below, which are great sources of calcium, vitamins A, C and D, folic acid and potassium.
Breakfast smoothie 1 banana 100g crushed pineapple 50g mango pieces 1 diced peach 1 glass skimmed milk
(320 calories, 11g of protein, four grams of fibre and 1 fat gram)
Strawberry orange whirl25g fresh strawberries 50g low-fat fromage frais 1 glass orange juice 1 glass skimmed milk 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
(122 calories, nine grams of protein, 2g of fibre and 0.4 fat gram)
Solution: Eat at home. Try one poached egg (44 calories and 3g of fat), two slices of brown toast (100 calories, 1g of fat) and one teaspoon of reduced fat spread (110 calories, 2g of fat). If you simply must order fast food first thing in the morning, skip the cheese and meat on your breakfast sandwich and save around 200 calories and 18g of fat. Order skimmed milk or orange juice and your breakfast now is not only lower in fat, but contains more healthy vitamins and minerals.
Comments
I don't agree- you need some protein in the morning to make you feel fuller and more satified- a smoothis won't last long enough and there's no protein in them
unless you put a raw egg in and lots of yoghurt
otherwise a little fried egg, bacon, meat like ham and cheese would be much better and more satisifying
of course you can have cereal instead but look onthe labels- no t much sugar and fat and lots of protein- see mighty muesli -exactly for that reason
happy munching---